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Poncho Shelters
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13-12-2011 5:43pm#1It was brought up on the bug out bag thread about poncho's so I thought I would start a thread on them and share some of my tips and experience with them.
Poncho's are a dream when you need to travel light, they are probably slightly out of date now with some of the modern lightweight kit you can get but a very valuable tool to have. This thread is mostly about older style rain ponchos rather than the latest issue bivi sheets. They are almost the same but bivi sheets have no opening for a hood.
They have multiple uses and personally I have used them in the past as a:
a) Rain cover
b) Bivi shelter
c) Emergency stretcher
d) Sun shade
e) Fancy dress as Batman cape and hood........Not recommended
f) Wind break
g) Emergency backpack
If I was not so old I could remember more but you get the idea.
Ok here is a basic poncho:
Its one of the best bits of kit you can carry and best of all it will only cost you €10 or so. The ex British, German and US issue ponchos are almost identical but the build of each can vary differently. Ex British and German ponchos from the 80s and 90s were waxed so can be heavy, if you buy one its best to see what you are getting by feeling weight of a couple as a comparison. Modern ones are mostly all light but can rip easier so my pick is late 90's British, German or US.
To make a shelter:
You can google away and see possibly hundreds of ways to make a shelter. Most of them take an age to master or are so impractical that a simple wind change will have you cursing while you try and get snuggled up in bed.
Based on my experience the best shelter is also the easiest to erect and its the humble "Lean To" shelter. You can also sleep two if you use your backpacks as a pillows.
Equipment
a) Poncho
b) Approx 10 meters of rope, cord, paracord*
c) Two handy trees/fence or some poles/branches approximately 3-4ft high **
d) 6 inch nails, tent pegs***, twigs
* Lengths of cord, ideally para cord about 4 or 5 meters should be pre-tied to each corner of the poncho and coiled up neatly when not in use. Also have a coil wrapped around the hood for other shelter types.
** In my experience its rare to find the perfect bivi area with handy trees spaced nicely apart. Hiking poles are good if you use them but the best is the humble branch. When your moving pick up anything you find and use these for your poles. If you move to area with a significant lack of trees then carry them with you.
*** I use 6inch nails as they are part of my kit. Normal wire type tent pegs are next to useless. Tubular aluminum (from IPK shelter are perfect) is the strongest and light but can be bulky to carry. Twigs can work but not the most reliable.
Shelter Erection- Find a good spot, any ditch or dip in the ground eliminate straight away. It may keep the wind off but will soon have you swimming in the rain.
- Layout your poncho, these are often rectangular. My preference due to my height is to peg down the long side but its up to you. Turn poncho directly into the wind and peg down on wind side. The poncho must be tight and the pegging solid!
- If you have trees tie the non pegged side corners at a suitable height on the tree. As a general rule if wet or windy the lower the better. If you do not have trees then peg down the cord on the corners at 45deg with enough slack to put your poles in. Ensure your poncho is tight, is should sound almost like a drum. If its slack the first bit of wind will carry it off or will keep you up all night.
You have made your shelter! With a small bit of practice ( I mean very small) you will have this up in around a minute each time unless the wind is really savage.
Settling in & Tips
Once you have your shelter up, get the kettle on and plan your sleeping area.
Most people sleep lengthways in the shelter parallel to the pegged side , I normally sleep perpendicular (T Shape) with my legs out of the shelter. As long as I have my bivi bag my gear and my upper body are more important to keep dry and out of the wind. You can also sleep two with room for gear this way.
If the wind changes or the weather turns really bad then you can drop the pole and peg down one side really easily to keep it out.
Roll Mat/Insulation, I keep a very small roll mat in my gear. Its just about long enough to go from my bum to my neck to keep the important areas insulated (my head always has some for of pillow like my pack). I always work on the principle that my legs are not that important to keep warm and dry, certainly in our climate.6 - Find a good spot, any ditch or dip in the ground eliminate straight away. It may keep the wind off but will soon have you swimming in the rain.
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Join Date:Posts: 14619
The Rolls Royce of bivi bags that has certain poncho characteristics
The Fjellduken https://jerven.secure.flexiweb.no/page/4430/
From the Arctic summer
To the German Alps
To winter shelter
To Afghan
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lets just say we're now engaged and have 2 kidsbonniebede wrote: »I've heard oxygen was a bit wild but didn't think you needed to be armed.:p even more worried that you lost it. What could you possibly be doing under your poncho/shelter at a souped up music festival that would make you take your eyes off your weapon? :eek:
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