How to Choose Rainwear

A handy backpacker's standby, the Outdoor Products Backpacker poncho is easy to pull from your pack on the fly. Its weather-resistant construction shields both you and your pack from fickle weather.
Imported.
View all Outdoor Products Men's Rain PonchosBest Use | Hiking Backpacking |
---|---|
Fabric | Polyester taffeta |
Windproof | Yes |
Hood | Yes |
Back Length | Knee-length |
Back Length (in.) | Unavailable |
Gender | Unisex |
Weight | 10.7 ounces |
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The poncho came in a very nice pouch that has netting so the poncho can dry out. Taking the poncho out, I see the front and back are the same length. The hood is situated in the middle of the poncho. There is a snap on each side to hold the front panel to the back panel. Material is good, lightweight and all seams were sealed. I received mine on Monday and went out our wet Saturday. When wearing a 40L pack the poncho is short in the back (see picture). And if you tie a string around your waist to stop the poncho from flapping in the wind, the back panel is too short to allow the back panel to be tied so the poncho flapped in the breeze. Thought with OR, the poncho would be better designed but it has its flaw. I have another poncho from (non-outdoor company) that has extra material for the pack that can be zipped up to look tidy and streamline. However, with the extra material for the pack, the weight pulls the poncho towards the back and the hood opening rides against throat so is uncomfortable. At also has 3/4 sleeves and the sides are sewn so it does not ventilate well. With a string around the waist to stop the flapping, I have finished hikes where I was soaking wet inside from perspiration. The ultimate would be a poncho with no sleeves, and the back panel that is 24-30 inches longer and it can be folded up with snap when not used with pack. It would be a simple rectangular rip-stop nylon with hood.
This poncho has one serious flaw: The seams are not sealed. At all. Outdoor Products appears to have just ignored the issue or is trying to pretend that the issue of seams doesn't exist. The hood has a seam that joins the two halves of the hood together, and there is a seam around the neck that connects the hood to the body of the poncho. Both of these seams leak like a sieve in a steady rain. Unless you're prepared to do your own seam sealing, you might want to look elsewhere.
Trying to find a good poncho these days is impossible. Mil-Spec, Mil-Tech, Honcho or whatever names other $50 ponchos go by are all garbage. I’m not crazy about Outdoor Products either but this poncho is better than the aforementioned products. But the Outdoor Products poncho still leaks. The material is very stiff and noisy. And did I mention it leaks? If there was anything better out there for less than $100 I would give this poncho a 1star. But there isn’t so you have to kind of take what you can get. With a good spray of NikWax it will be better but a poncho used to be a very waterproof garment.In a decent rain you will get rather wet in this piece of junk. Still, it is better than anything else I’ve found under $70. So, compared to what seems to be market standard. This gets an ok. Did I mention it leaks? Like leaks through the fabric? Like isn’t really waterproof?
used on my camino de Santiago trip and it wasn't rain proof.
Not waterproof. Kept the rain off for a few hours but it soaked through eventually. Also it’s not great for a large pack, water got trapped between the top of the pack and my head and poured into the head opening when I bent over. Going with a pack cover next time.
The phoito shows the poncho to be thoroughly seamsealed around the hood area. It is not sealed at all. The effort and expense went into this useless little stuff sack, which I threw away. Otherwise it is a decent little lightweight poncho. It does have loops in the corners so you can use it as a tarp.
I used this pancho very gently twice and the snaps fell off. They literally ripped off the material. Do not buy this item!! I found a much better quality pancho for a fraction of the cost in a small outfitter store off the trail
The fabric will become saturated and start leaking. Also, the way that the hood hangs there is a small cup that forms between your collarbones just under your chin, and this leaks and then soaks your whole front. It will keep you dry for about an hour in the rain, and then you are toast. Also, any amount of wind will have you looking like Marilyn Monroe trying to keep a dress down.
Purchased less than 12-months ago and used three times. Press studs have become inoperable, which makes the pocho difficult to wear. Was good for the first two uses.
Here's why you always check out the used gear corner at REL I picked up this one for five bucks--the note from the previous owner was that they used it once to backpack around that Grand Canyon and it didn't work at all and they got soaked. I don't understand that--it's a poncho, it works great! It's a little longer in the back to cover my pack so it's slightly larger than the Outdoor Products Adult Poncho. Like the adult poncho, there's grommets in the four corners that you can add some small loops to secure for tent stakes or a ridgeline to make an emergency shelter. The poncho easily folds up and goes back in the storage zipper pouch. And the pouch still has room for five (or more) tent stakes and a 25' rapid deploy ridgeline. While I'd like to see it have rip-stop material, that would drive the price up a lot more. That's the onlly improvement that I could see.