My Take on the Rain Jacket vs Poncho Debate

[kfw]

From the Camino Francis 2023.

The verdict is still out!

 

[C clearly]

I am not sure what question those answers apply to!

 

[Jeff Crawley]

I am not sure what question those answers apply to!

Not sure if there was a question but the response (as of 13:33 GMT 16/12) was 100% in favour of personal comfort!
Reminds me of the old tag "He uses statistics like a drunk uses a lamp column - for support rather than enlightenment".

 

[falcon269]

If you need to take off your pack to don rain gear, you have chosen equipment poorly! There is a reason that the Altus poncho is so popular.

 

[CTLawGal]

If you need to take off your pack to don rain gear, you have chosen equipment poorly! There is a reason that the Altus poncho is so popular.

That's why I bought one!

 

[Telelama]

If you need to take off your pack to don rain gear, you have chosen equipment poorly!

Oh, I don't know about that statement.

For all the times that I have witnessed people struggling to put their poncho on, particularly when it is windy, with it getting caught on their head and backpack and they need someone else to help them pull it down so it covers their backpack and help them to secure the sides.

And for all the times I've witnessed people with ponchos on struggle to get them off, arms swinging wildly in a bar as they struggle, with one person we saw almost panicked like they were stuck in a dark, scary space with it half on/half off (we had to get up and help them remove it before they really got panicked!), and the sweat that I've seen people dripping from being stuck inside that poncho, I'm not convinced it's the right solution.

I'll keep using my jacket as rain protection as I have for nearly 60 years. It's worked very well for me and has been very convenient to put on, open pit zips to cool, and easily to remove.

Besides, don't you have to take off your pack to get to the poncho stored within in order to put it on?

 

[isiw]

Oh, I don't know about that statement.

For all the times that I have witnessed people struggling to put their poncho on, particularly when it is windy, with it getting caught on their head and backpack and they need someone else to help them pull it down so it covers their backpack and help them to secure the sides.

And for all the times I've witnessed people with ponchos on struggle to get them off, arms swinging wildly in a bar as they struggle, with one person we saw almost panicked like they were stuck in a dark, scary space with it half on/half off (we had to get up and help them remove it before they really got panicked!), and the sweat that I've seen people dripping from being stuck inside that poncho, I'm not convinced it's the right solution.

I'll keep using my jacket as rain protection as I have for nearly 60 years. It's worked very well for me and has been very convenient to put on, open pit zips to cool, and easily to remove.

Besides, don't you have to take off your pack to get to the poncho stored within in order to put it on?

I like all this … but I’m in the poncho brigade. Mine has a zip/velcro open front — no over-the-head shenanigans — and I store it in a side water bottle pocket I can get to without taking anything off. And it breathes — no sweat. On the other hand I carry a (very) waterproof jacket & tight bag cover. Great for the days when I’m only expecting occasional spatters of rain, very light, and great for the evenings when a poncho in a bar is just annoying. So it’s not either or for me, it’s and.

 

[Tincatinker]

I use an umbrella

 

[Philtration]

Oh, I don't know about that statement.

For all the times that I have witnessed people struggling to put their poncho on, particularly when it is windy, with it getting caught on their head and backpack and they need someone else to help them pull it down so it covers their backpack and help them to secure the sides.

And for all the times I've witnessed people with ponchos on struggle to get them off, arms swinging wildly in a bar as they struggle, with one person we saw almost panicked like they were stuck in a dark, scary space with it half on/half off (we had to get up and help them remove it before they really got panicked!), and the sweat that I've seen people dripping from being stuck inside that poncho, I'm not convinced it's the right solution.

I'll keep using my jacket as rain protection as I have for nearly 60 years. It's worked very well for me and has been very convenient to put on, open pit zips to cool, and easily to remove.

Besides, don't you have to take off your pack to get to the poncho stored within in order to put it on?

For classic ponchos I agree, they can be awkward to put on and take off. The Altus "poncho", however, is really not a poncho because it opens in front and is put on like the rain jacket it is. So I guess I fall in the camp of rain jacket people... as long as it's a rain jacket that also covers your pack.