Poncho-esque options?

Sea to Summit and Equinox. S2S makes a 70d (13 oz) and a 15d (8.1 oz) poncho. The lighter one is called Ultra-Sil Nano.

Equinox produces a 30d in a regular and long lengths.

Equinox makes a true backpacker's poncho with a 14" extension in the back that reportedly weighs 9.9oz. Do definitely get one that is longer in the back. A belt of light cord and a toggle will help tame it in the wind; otherwise loose is good for ventilation.

As far as sitting out showers with a poncho, you can just sit up against a tree or rock with your pack in front and under the poncho. It will cover legs and all when sitting with your knees up.

http://www.equinoxltd.com/the-gear/outdoor-apparel/terrapin-ultralite-poncho-shelter.cfm

Reference was made in another thread to the "Packa" (http://www.thepacka.com/)

Looks very interesting. Claimed weight of 8.25 oz for the XL in silnylon. No weight given for the cuben fiber option, but obviously even lighter.

Might want to combine it with a kilt.

Have you looked at the Packa?
http://www.thepacka.com

Edit: looks like David beat me to it.

My 20d Large weighs 8.5 oz after replacing the (seriously overbuilt) shock cord and cord locks that come standard. I think it weighed ~10.25 oz stock. The 1/16" shock cord and mini cord locks from Zpacks works great and takes about 20 min to retrofit.

The Packa is very tempting. I had forgotten about that product. I did not realize the silnylon version was that light. It doesn't work as a tarp, of course but it sure would cover the pack nicely and I like how you can leave it on the pack and just pull the arms/body on and off as the rain comes and goes.

Looks like the Packa would eliminate the floppy aspect of a poncho, which really gets crazy in the wind.

So, what, you put the Packa on your pack and presumably adjust a drawstring to hold it in place? Have I got that right?

And then you put on your pack, slide your arms into the sleeves, and (if needed) zip up the front zipper.

Nice that it has pit zips.

HJ
Adventures In Stoving
Hikin’ Jim’s Blog

Jim,

Check out this video which demonstrates what you are describing.

I wonder how well the Packa works when you're not carrying a pack. Like when you drop the pack and go to bag a peak?

I can say that it looks quite goofy! But form follows function. ;^)

(I'm not very helpful. Sorry)

I've been a Packa devotee ever since I got my first sil-nylon version. I now have an eVent one and just bought one in WPB Cuben. I would bring it as my only rain jacket and it always worked great while I was carrying a pack. I could leave it in "pack-cover" mode with the sleeves tucked between my back and my pack and quickly pull it on if it started to rain.

Wearing it without a pack did indeed look goofy – especially if it was windy because a gust of wind coming in your face would cause the pack cover to balloon out behind you if you didn't have the jacket zipped the whole way. So with my last one I had it modified to velcro a flap over the pack cover so that it looks just like a regular jacket and I don't have any balloon issues. It added a little weight but I'm really happy with it.

The pit zips are awesome and I would recommend a Packa to anyone.

Kevin, can you share a photo of the mod? Did you have the manufacturer do it?

I am another Packa convert and really like it. I haven't minded the ballooning without a pack as it provides great ventilation and it is still much more manageable than a full poncho. I would like to see the mod as well to perhaps reduce the goofiness factor a bit. I have the med 20d and replaced the bungee and cord locks with much smaller bringing the weight to 7.9oz.

Here's a photo of the back of my modified Packa:

It's exactly what I requested and yes, I had the manufacturer do the modification. I don't have a great photo of it, but the flap that hides the pack cover rolls up to the left of the pack cover when I have it in full Packa mode.

Thanks for posting!

I don't know if you do any sewing, but if you do (or someone you can wheedle does :) ) there is the Parcho, as seen here:

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=61864

There is a free pattern on the web, but I chose to purchase one from Quest. I made it of silnylon, and made it longer than the pattern, just below my knees (for a total weight of just over 7 oz, sealed); so far it has worked out well, though the past 2 years have been drought years so it hasn't had much use while backpacking. If I were to do it again I would leave the seams open under the arms for added ventilation, or maybe just put snaps down the side rather than sewing the seam, so that it could be used in a more tarp-like fashion in a pinch. I added grosgrain with snaps at the shoulder seams, a la Roger Caffin's Mountain Poncho, so it will stay attached to pack even if I'm not wearing the Parcho:

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/myog_mntn_poncho.html#.VaPwB_kUO_Q

If you don't get prolonged rain, you might leave off the hand flaps on the Parcho; that would add more ventilation.

Uodate on this topic…

After borrowing a 33D Packa from a BPL member I decided to purchase a 20D Packa of my own. It arrived today and weighed 9.7 ounces. I immediately removed the heavy shockcord and large cordlocks with more reasonably sized variations. The Packa now weighs 8.4 ounces.

I love the function of it. It's really easy to slide the arms and body out when it's already been attached to the pack as a packcover.

I considered purchasing the Pertex Shield jacket from Luke's Ultralight that is on Massdrop right now. Their jacket is listed at 5.2 ounces in a Medium (I'd wear a Large in that jacket. I'm really happy with the finished weight and mechanical ventilation of the Packa as well as the addition of a packcover for the ~3 ounce weight penalty.

Thanks again for all of the suggestions!