Poncho as ground sheet

[Randy Martin]

For rainy weather I am looking at this setup
1] Gossamer Gear SpinnTwinn (10oz with stakes)
2] GoLite Poncho Tarp (7oz) rain gear I will hike in.

If I am expecting good weather and the trip is short enough I will just take the Poncho and have it as emergency shelter if it does rain but don't like it too much as a rain shelter since I have little room to sit/move/cook.

My question is if anyone has used Silnylon as a ground sheet. Is that a bad idea? My thought is that moisture will probably be transferred through Silnylon with pressure on it. Was hoping to have a bit of dual purpose for the Poncho as a ground sheet in rainy conditions.

[Nick Gatel]

Are they silnylon now? My GoLite weighs 10 oz, so maybe they changed the fabric. I would think it might allow moisture to seep in. Also sil is pretty slippery stuff and that might be even more frustrating. But a 7 oz piece of rain gear is fairly light. Might be better to use a polycro ground sheet for a 1 oz penalty. Could be used with the SpinnTwinn and the poncho in tarp mode. My original GG polycro has held up for a long time and I still use it at times (I bought several thinking they wouldn't).

[Randy Martin]

The newer versions of the GoLite Poncho are 7oz http://www.golite.com/Poncho-Tarp-P885.aspx

The material is described there as 15 Denier Ripstop Nylon with Silicone/PU 1200mm Waterproof Fire Retardant Coating

Sounds like the Polycro is probably the way to go and avoid possible damage/puncture to the Poncho.

[d k]

I'd go with polycryo groundsheet. Years ago we used to use our ponchos as groundsheets all the time; one day when it actually rained hard I was amazed to find that my poncho leaked like a sieve (and that was back in the day when they were urethane-coated tough stuff).

[Edward Jursek]

I am using my older 10oz Golite poncho as a ground sheet. My main goal is to destroy it so I can justify to my wife my dire neeeeed to get one of Zpacks cuben poncho/ groundsheets. Sadly, it is proving very effective and durable so far.

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