Anyone use a packa poncho

[Joshua Billings]

These look pretty nice. I have used a Gatewood cape in poncho mode on a pretty good rain storm and I got soaked. Not sure if these are the same materials but the silnylon doesn't seem to be the best material for rain jackets or ponchos.Any opinions. I didn't like how much extra material the gatewood had in the wind either which is one major reason that the packa looks good. Now I just want a packa in paclite gortex.By the way, I'm not knocking the gatewood, it is still one of my favorite shelters.

[Mark Verber]

There are people who love the sil-nylon packa. I tried it… and didn't like it. More protective than a poncho but I also ended with wet patches from sweat/condensation on my arms and chest.

Cedartree is also making a packa where the body is eVENT, with the pack cover part of the jacket being made from sil-nylon. It's a bit heavy (17oz). I have used one several times and it seemed to work pretty well. The combination of eVENT and big pitzips kept me dry from both external and internally generated moisture… though it was pretty cool, around 40F. I haven't had a chance to see how it does in warmer conditions.

–Mark

[Joshua Billings]

Thanks.

[William Johnson]

Joshua,

I know that the Packa manufacturers had a packa made in total from eVent not too many months ago. It was available in the color red only. Perhaps that model is still available though their website does not list it?

Also, Hammockforums.net has many Packa lovers. Here is a non-hotlinked address to a pod of different Packa threads.

http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/search.php?searchid=2258461

Good luck!

[William Johnson]

Also, Outdoor Research has a "Pack Hoody" available that looks like this.

[Nick Gatel]

Maybe you can purchase those effective rain clothes from OR too :)

[BlackHatGuy]

My review of the eVent Packa: http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/reviews/display_reviews.html?forum_thread_id=32455&skip_to_post=276334#276334

[Andrew King]

Great review. Do you by chance know what the weight is in size small for the Event version? I'm very close to pulling the trigger on one of these.

[BlackHatGuy]

"Do you by chance know what the weight is in size small for the Event version?"

Sorry, I don't. But Eddie is very quick to respond to queries.

[Andrew King]

I did get an email back from Eddie, thanks. He said it was around a pound. So I'm guessing at least an oz less than the medium? Apparently all the sizes have pretty large coverage. Maybe thru-hiker kind of length I suspect. I'll find out next week when mine gets here!

[William Johnson]

Hope you enjoy your new Packa!

[Joshua Billings]

Was the entire packa event or just the jacket part?Where do I buy the event version?

[Andrew King]

Just the jacket part is Event. The video below describes it pretty well. You can get contact info for ordering at his website: http://www.thepacka.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wggjkqMZeVA&feature=player_embedded

"Hope you enjoy your new Packa" – Thanks William!

[Joshua Billings]

Appreciate all the info.

[Brian Lewis]

I bought a size medium eVent Packa from Cedar Tree at Trail Days in Damascus this year. Weighing it just now it comes out at 16.4 oz, or 466 grams.

I got it in May, and just finished my AT thru-hike July 29th; I used the Packa as my pack cover and rain gear from Pennsylvania to the end in Maine.

But caveat: I hardly ever used the jacket part as it was typically very warm when it did rain that there was no point in having a jacket on (I used it as a pack cover a number of times). I did use the jacket part in summiting Katahdin, as there was driving rain at that point. I had it on at that point under my pack as I had a pretty stripped down pack; in that mode the pack cover part can balloon out to one side or another in the wind, but other than that it makes an okay sort of wind shirt/rain coat.

The coat part is indeed large, made to fit loose. Cedar Tree suggested that when it's somewhat warm out or working hard (sweating from going uphill) an option is to put your arms through the large pit zip holes and let the arms themselves sort of hang down. I did that at one point and it worked well — I was able to keep jacket and hood on at a point where I otherwise would likely have had to take off a normal jacket.

I'm really mixed on this piece of gear; I live in the Pacific NW and I think I'll like it a lot here, but it is a bit heavy. Nevertheless in my very tentative and preliminary gear plans for the CDT next year I'm thinking I'll use the Packa.

[Author]

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