Combining a poncho, alpha direct “poncho liner”, and sleep sack can provide an extremely light (10.8oz) and versatile system, ideal for hut to hut treks in moderate weather:

• Trail Bum GNU CAPE a 3.4 oz poncho made from sil-poly which fits over me wearing up to a 30L pack.
• Polartec Alpha Direct “blanket”: 4.4oz, 48×62″ bulk fabric I purchased for $22 from a vendor on eBay. Many outdoor fabric companies also sell it.
• MLD Nylon Sleep Sack: 3oz, minimalist sleep sack.

I used this systems on the Camino Frances with good results. Since then I have been experimenting with it in the back country / wild camping.

Why a Poncho?

I have had a love hate relationship with ponchos. Theoretically they make great sense, but I have tried rain ponchos five times for six month or longer. After each poncho experiment I switched back to a rain jacket. This post is about my current re-evaluation of ponchos. The jury is still out 🙂

Drew Smith‘s  The Backpacking Poncho makes a good case for using ponchos.

On the plus side a poncho can be

• extremely light
• multi-function: shell, pack cover, shelter, and/or ground cloth
• buy it once for life, and you don’t need to refresh DWR
• can be taken on/off without removing backpack

Downsides

• flap in high wind
• snag when climbing or bushwacking
• arms in use aren’t protected when climbing, using poles
• a bit out of place in urban settings, especially when not raining

The biggest downside for me is that most ponchos are made from non-breathable materials which has no air permeability and zero vapor transmission so moisture often condensates in the chest area. I know people say that ponchos can provide good ventilation but this hasn’t prevent me from overheating and getting wet from condensation even when I hold the poncho up to maximize ventilation. I find ponchos too warm above 55F.

When active in >55F conditions I am more comfortable wearing a Shakedry rain shell, or just getting wet provided I have a way to dry myself when either the temperature or my activity level drops.

I am currently using a Trailbum Gnu Rain Cape. Unfortunately you have to purchase it it Japan. Trailbum isn’t currently imported to the US, though there are retailers in Japan that will likely ship one to you for a hefty shipping fee. The Gnu is an amazingly light and compact. Could put on / take off over my 23l pack without removing or unsnapping the cape. The cape claims to fit up to a 30l pack. They make a larger version reportedly good for larger packs. I found the shape worked better for me than the traditional rectangle shape.

Why AD for Poncho Liner

I have always thought the USGI Poncho + Liner was an extremely versatile system, but was too heavy. I recently realized that Polartec Alpha Direct could be used to make poncho liner that is significantly lighter than the original liner while providing a useful amount of insulation.

The amount of insulation required for a moderately active person in 40F is about the same amount of insulation needed to sleep when it’s 60F. These are similar to the conditions one is likely to encounter in moderate weather when doing hut to hut, or say the Camino in May. This means a poncho liner can do double duty. Insulation during the day, and for sleep at night. Of course, one could also just sleep in outerwear…but I typically don’t have insulation for my legs because walking keeps them warm.

I considered using ultralight synthetic quilt or a traditional poncho liner, but both options were heavier and more expensive than I desired. Then I thought about using Alpha Direct for the insulation. Unlike many synthetics or down, it doesn’t require a fabric to contain it which reduces weight and allows it to be useful in a wider range of temperatures depending on how much you prevented air circulation.

Originally I was going to purchase a larger piece of Alpha Direct so it could be the same dimensions as a poncho with a slit to pass my head though.  I ended up using a smaller, unfinished piece of alpha direct because I hadn’t settled on how to attach it to the poncho, and the fabric for a shaped liner would have doubled to cost. Rather, I decided to “make do” with a simple blanket.

The piece of fabric I purchased was listed as 120gsm, model 4004 which doesn’t make sense. 4004 is 90gsm and 4008 is 120gsm. Given the weight & dimensions of my piece, I think I have 90gsm but I am not 100% sure. What I know is that it is an amazing material to use as a poncho liner. Absorbed very little water so would dry quickly. Didn’t pick up odor after a month of daily use. When air movement was blocked by sleep sack or poncho was quite warm. When doubled up it provided some warmth without wind blocking. (A single layer of 90gsm Alpha Direct seems to hold no warmth in strong winds)

Sleep Sack

Sleep sacks are a staple in huts and hostels. Using a sleep sack helps keep the facilities bedding clean, and provide a barrier between the guest and the bedding for added comfort and hygiene. The sleep sack provides an additional benefit when using Alpha Direct: it blocks air moment which makes AD much more effective as an insulator.

Sleep sacks are available in a variety of materials: cotton, silk, nylon, or polyester… often in the form of fleece. There is no perfect material. I would skip the warmer liner/sleep sacks because they are heavy, not very compact, and there are much more effective ways to add warmth, such as an Alpha Direct blanket.

A near relative of the sleep sack is the DWR bivy, often used by people who sleep under tarps in the back country. The DWR bivy provides protection from wind, modest amount of wind blown rain, bugs, and dirt/moisture from the ground. I considered using my DWR bivy, be DCF bottom can be noisy when I move which I don’t think others in the albergue would appreciate.

I used a MLD Quilt Liner. It is amazing light. Found it adequately sized, though in warm weather I would have liked the bottom of the sack to be a bit larger so I could separate my legs more. I was generally happy with the fabric, but on nights that were high humidity >97%, it stuck to my bare skin which was uncomfortable.

Experience Walking

The first true “field” use was for 31 days walking Camino Santiago – Frances in May 2023. Daytime temperatures were 38F-72F (not counting windchill), sitting outdoors in cafes (~45F-55F), and nighttime sleeping temperatures ranged from 55F-70F. We had several days of rain with the temperature during the rain varying between 45-65F. Since then I have used it several times in the back country as a warm weather sleep system.

My “active” clothing were:

• minimalist sandals or Inov-8 270G trail runners
• Xoskin toesocks
• Patagonia Terrebonne jogging pants or OR Ferrosi pants
• ArcTeryx Cormac Sun hoody or OR Astroman Button Up
• PolarBuff (when cold)
• Montbell Umbrelo Hat.

When active, just my base clothing kept me comfortable when it was >55F (factoring in wind chill) even in the rain. I was wet (except for my head due to my hat), but my movement kept me warm enough, and when the rain stopped my clothing dried when I continued to wear it in around a hour (2-4 hours in the >97% humidity of the east coast).

When it was cooler than that some combination of my rain poncho and Alpha Direct blanket gave me just the right amount of insulation. On the coldest mornings (38F air temp, wind, sun not out yet), the combination of my base clothing, my backpack, a Polar Buff, Alpha Direct wrapped over my shoulder and across my front torso (backpack insulating my back, double layer of AD over my sides and my front), and the Gnu poncho on and snapped shut kept me quite comfortable even when I was just standing around. I particularly enjoyed my arms and hands being comfortably under the poncho without needing mittens.

As it warmed up I would gather the Alpha Direct into a scarf configuration continuing to use the poncho to protect against the wind. Eventually I would remove the poncho and use the Alpha Direct as a shawl, over my shoulders or around my body as a vest which was kept together using magnets made to hold racing bibs on shirts or tucked under my shoulder & waist strap. In modest wind conditions the alpha direct configured as a vest kept me comfortable down to around 40F.

A real plus of this system is I could adjust it as I walked. I didn’t have to stop walking and never had to take my backpack off.

One challenge was when the temperature was between 40-50F and the wind was going from 0 to 30mph and the sun was playing hide and seek with the clouds. With no wind and sun strong I wrapped the Alpha Direct blanket around my waist. When the wind was blowing and the sun was blocked by clouds using the Alpha Direct blanket when carefully doubled over my sides and chest was comfortable. The constant reconfiguration was bothersome. In these conditions I tried using the poncho rather than the Alpha Direct blanket. That mostly worked, but sometimes was too warm.

On some trips I brought a Montbell Ex Wind Shell for days that are very windy but moderate temperatures.

On several recent trips it was warm enough to hike in the rain without protection. I just let my clothing get wet. At the end of the day I got out of the rain, squeeze what water I could out of my clothing, and then wrap myself with the AD blanket to warm up and to help my clothing dry. The AD blanket allows the water vapor to escape and didn’t seem to absorb water.

Experience Sleeping

Night time sleeping condition were primarily indoors with temperatures between 55-75F. When nights were cool, I slept in a pair of shorts and a tee shirt with the alpha direct as a blanket, inside a nylon sleep sack. This was warm enough to sleep well to around 55F. As it warmed up I shifted the alpha direct on top of the sleep sack resulted it less insulation allowing me to sleep in warmer condition. Above 72F I would just use justed the sleep sack or no sack with the alpha direct blanket draped over my legs.

The sleep sack was a perfect size for colder nights using my relatively small blanket, but I sometimes felt a bit constrained. In the future I think a larger blanket and sleep sack would be more comfortable. I might also consider changing the sleep sack material. In high humidity conditions it tended to stick to my skin which make sleep a bit difficult.

The piece of Alpha Direct I brought was a bit too short but worked well enough. In the future I might purchase a larger piece of Alpha Direct and actually make a poncho liner rather than just a rectangular piece of fabric. Having a small foot pocket would make it work better in sleeping mode.

There was a thread on backpackinglight.com about making a summer sleeping system using alpha direct.

Future Improvements

Make a hoodless poncho which can easily ventilate around my neck. My Montbell Umbrero Rain Hat will keep by head dry and prevent rain from getting in through an open neck area.

Poncho as Shelter

I no longer consider using a poncho as rain gear and as my primary shelter because I think there are too many compromises… but many people find them part of an effective system., After all, ponchos can provide triple duty: rain protection, pack cover, and shelter. In the right conditions, a poncho/tarp can save quite a bit of weight. The down side of the classic poncho / tarp is that in a serious storm there is little protection from blowing rain which leads many poncho/tarp users to bring an ultra light bivy which raises the weight of the system.  The MLD Pro Poncho is one of the nicest poncho/tarps on the market with a correspondingly high price tag. Sgt Rock described a hammock friendly poncho/tarp. There are other companies that make good quality poncho/tarps listed at the bottom of this post

An issue when using a poncho as both rain gear and shelter is how to leave your shelter for chores or “the call of nature” when it’s raining.  Options are go naked and dry off when you get back, use a DWR windshirt which can provide adequate protection for a short time,  or bring a second rain item like those $1 plastic emergency poncho. 

For several years I used the first generation of Brawny’s Poncho Villa as rain gear and shelter. I found it works pretty well with practice. I could even set it up and take it down from the inside, keeping me dry in a on rain storm. The downside was that there were a number of nights in heavy storms where the combination of wind and rain requiring me to be super careful, re-stake my poncho, adjust my position, etc. I stayed dry, but had to stay awake. There is a good article by AYCE about the realities of Poncho Tarping and a good article about techniques when using ponchos in incidental conditions.

The Six Moon Designs Gatewood Cape and the Liteway Pyraomm offer significantly more protection than typical flat poncho/tarps. I have a number of friends who have been using the Gatewood Cape since 2007 and still love it. I found the Gatewood Cape to be a bit too big as a poncho, and a bit too small as a shelter.

I think poncho tarps make can sense if you don’t need insect protection and are in locations with moderate rain, but it’s not for me. I think there are too many compromises. In locations where there is extended rain / heavy storms I want more space to manage camp life than a poncho will provide. In locations where I need protection from bugs, there are tarptents + separate rain gear which offer more space that are the same (or lighter weight) than a poncho + bug protection. Finally, I still prefer rain jacket to poncho.

Other Products

Ponchos

There are a large number of companies that make ponchos. I haven’t tried to keep track of them. The following is a sampling of ponchos I have tried over the years and/or seem to be well recommended by people I trust

• MLD Pro Poncho is a classic poncho/tarp
• SaphiRose ponchos with a zipper  have been positively reviewed in the BP gear forum.
• SMD Gatewood Cape and Liteway Pyraomm which provides rain gear and highly protective shelter. I found them a bit too big to wear, and too small to be ideal shelter but many people love them.
• The cheapest are typically fragile “emergency” ponchos made from plastic weighing just a couple of ounces. These can be effective in moderate conditions, but they are very easy to tear.
• The  DriDucks Poncho  is slightly more durable that plastics but is still fragile. It has the benefit of being somewhat breathable. 
• Vinyl / PVC ponchos which can typically be found as hardware stores. These ponchos are inexpensive and typically weight 8-16oz. They are durable enough to wear, but I won’t recommend using them as a shelter.
• No experience, but the  Aricxi Poncho  from AliExpresss looks like a good deal. 
• Sgt Rock  hammock friendly poncho/tarp 

Wearable Quilts

The amount of insulation you need, and the conditions you face will determine what will be the optimal insulation materials. In my experience if you are sleeping in conditions >55F using Alpha Direct is often the best option. It doesn’t need to be encased in fabric so long as wind is blocked and can be dried fairly quickly. Synthetic insulations work better than down as a wearable and don’t require good baffling down to 45-50F. Below 50F, down typically will be warmer / weight.

At one time most cottage gear companies making back country quilts offered an optional head hole to make their quilts wearable. Some added snaps or tie points to to make the quilt easier to wear. These days many of these companies no longer offer these options (other than special order). For many people, the idea of a wearable sleeping quilt i intriguing, but the reality is that few people are willing to risk getting their sleeping insulation wet or damaging their ultralight fabric while being worn.

• Aegismax Windhard Pro10 Down Quilt: No personal experience but online community seems to think it’s a great value.
• JacksRBetter. Sierra Sniveller: One of the first companies to offer down quilt designed to be wearable
• Liteway: Ultralight quilts offered with head hole and snaps to secure as a garment
• MLD Spirit Quilts: One of the early companies making synthetic quilts with head holes

Classic Poncho Liners

There are numerous poncho liners (aha woobie) on the market. They tend to be made with durable, DWR nylon exteriors using some sort of synthetic continuous insulation like Climashield APEX for insulation. They are heavier that insulated quilts designed for backpacking. You can purchase authentic woobies at surplus stores. There are also a number of companies which might poncho liners which have been refined: better features, more insulation, etc.

• Helikon-Tex Swagman Roll: modern Woobie, 1.6lb
• Kifaru Woobie/Doobie: Climashield blankets with tie loops. 1lb and up depending on model
• OSNI Gear: Makes a number of options for designed for operators / hunters