Shoulder Gaiters?

Could just make a mini-poncho without a hood and call it a cape, since you are wearing a waterproof hat.

ADD: Of course my seldom used Marmot Mica only weighs a tad over 6 oz., so there's some pretty light alternatives, even from big companies like Marmot and TNF (their Triumph)

Can the mini Poncho one step further. by cutting off the front half and leaving the back as a cape. This way you can use it as a pack cover as well if needed while still getting the ventilation you want in the front. All you would have to do is add a pair of tie offs or something to it to keep it against the pack while moving.

Sounds like a d***ey, but with more shoulder coverage and maybe a hood?

http://www.dakotamainstreet.com/d***iepage.html

missing letters "ick"

http://www.outdoorresearch.com/site/pack_hoody.html

Anna, I'm starting to think you might be all knowing, all powerful, or just all willing to research and reply. =)

Others answers.

Bike Cape – not as big as a poncho yet covers pack, front and shoulders.

Birch Bark shoulder pads.

Very cool ideas!
Anna – I'd never seen that OR pack hoody before. When my wallet recovers from going lightweight this summer I'll take another look at that.

The modified mini Poncho/cape/d**cky ideas sound very interesting. I think I need to sacrifice some trash bags to explore those concepts.
Thanks for all the great input!

EDIT:
Oh.. and I've never heard of a bike cape.. but will check that out. And the Birch Bark…perfect Alaskan attire!! Nice!

One issue with rainwear: water needs to have a clear path to the ground. Me, I don't bring rain pants/skirts/chaps at all most of the time, and when it rains I'm satisfied with a dry upper core and very soaked upper legs. When I do wear rain pants, my shoes get soaked. I presume that's what gaiters might slightly mitigate.

Ever wear a rain jacket and jeans around town in the rain? The wettest part of one's body (IME) is right where the jacket ends, even more so than the lower legs.

Anyway, I think that if you just have fabric on your shoulders, the runoff from your shoulders might soak your upper torso even more. My 2 cents.

Has anyone tried putting a gutter into a piece of raingear? A creative hem, sewn on a slight diagonal, and tacked down at intervals rather than sewn along its length, might work as a gutter, I think. A clever way would have to be devised to drain the water away at the low points on the hem. A little outward-pointing tube, maybe? Anyone else attempted anything like this?

Honestly I think the rain skirt/poncho/umbrella/cagoule people may have this right, as seems to limit contact with the legs and doesn't drip all the water onto the feet (only some of it). But then, I only have experience with a poncho, from many years ago.

I do recall seeing many first efforts by Scouts and especially adult leaders in tarp-pitching, enough to recognize that water is surprisingly easy to collect in a gutter, albeit by accident. The problem, as you stated, is in getting rid of it without a catastrophic spill over the edge (in this case, off a jacket and onto one's crotch). Again, I think oversized rain gear may be a simpler fix.

Or a waterproof hoop skirt? ;)

Edited to give credit to those smart umbrella folks. I imagine some of them may come across this thread and think, "that's why I use an umbrella."