Poncho-Tarp “Sizing” Question

The idea of a poncho tarp is very versitale and a great multiuse item. I think I will throw out that you will probably need and might want a bivy. Still you are looking at about 10-16 ounces (depending on materials) for a complete setup, which is quite low considering you are able to nix your rain jacket, pack cover if you bring one. You also get leg protection which is nice, also when you are under a tree waiting out a hailstorm in a poncho it's fairly comfortable compared to other options. I would advise a windshirt too, which you can wear under the poncho or by itself (2.3- 4 ounces).

The flatness of a poncho also allows flexible pitching options, lean to's when it's sunny for a nice shade spot when it's hot, unlike hexamids that only pitch one way. Now the bivy, if you get one with m50 or some other waterproof barrier you can be fairly confident that with your low pitch A frame you will stay dry. When it's a clear sky you can then sleep under the stars bug free which is nice.

Golite poncho is a 8×5 and weighs about 8 ounces with guylines, and a bivy can be had from as low as 2.2 ounces. Add about an ounce for a polycro groundsheet.

I'm 6 foot and fit under one fine, if I were a few inches taller it wouldn't be a deal breaker. The way I think about it is how offen do you spend in the rain compared to sun. I usually shoot for the sunny times so minimal protection is okay. Usually in a storm a frame pitch the head and feet might get some side blown rain, hence the bivy.

You can make the poncho so the ends can be folded up and held in place with snaps and Velcro. That has been done with backpacker style ponchos that are cut longer in the back to give full coverage when wearing a pack. The long tail can be tucked up to enable wearing it without the pack. I don't see why you couldn't do that on both ends, as long as you can't hook the extra fabric with your toe or heel

It should hit you just below the knee, IMHO. I'm 5'10" and the GoLite poncho I have measures 102"x56" and when I'm wearing it, the hem is 20" off the ground in front with light clothing and no pack worn. The tail is 15" longer (laying flat) for pack coverage and folds up even with the front hem using snaps on the outer edges and Velcro tabs between. A tall person may have longer arms, so you could make it a little wider, which wouldn't hurt at all. You could make paper patterns to see where it suits you best.

A belt of light cord can help tame a poncho in windy weather. The GoLite has two sets of snaps on the sides, not counting the ones for the convertible tail.

I had someone sew up a poncho with shock cord channels in the perimeter and I use that for my hammock under-cover. It has a slit head opening with a tall collar rather than a hood, like the ones that BPL used to sell. There is a drawstring to help seal it at my neck and I wear it with a brimmed hat like a Tilley or OR Seattle Sombrero. It is 59"x104" with the extra fabric at the rear.

This is the BPL version (51" x 93")

You can search the forums and find threads with alternate pitches for poncho tarps. Many like a lean-to. I would also consider a bivy.

Ozzy is 6'5"

Well, being tall as you are, you can manage a longer cape or poncho when you wear it as rain gear.

I do think you are a bit too tall for the Gatewood Cape, unless you are a side sleeper that doesn't stretch out. If that is the case, then you'd fit fine.

If you like the flat tarp, then the sky is the limit, because you can put a hole and a hood in just about any size flat tarp you want.
Speaking as a person who has used 5×8 flat tarps for shelter, I feel you would be better off with a 9×6 or 9×7 flat tarp for shelter, at minimum. I used my 5×8 and got wet all the time in the rain because the wind around here shifts alot. All it takes is one wind shift during a night time rain, and you're wet.
Add 6-7 ounces or so for a bivy, and you could just as easily have a big enough tarp that you wouldn't get wet, so you wouldn't need the bivy.

I like my Gatewood Cape, and making a clone of the Gatewood cape would be a good idea, but just make it a bit bigger to fit your size.

I've wondered if you couldn't make a poncho with side panels that fold under on the sides and come just short of the head hole, nearly doubling the width. The front could be extended the same way, giving something like a 10' length. Of couse it would be heavier and I have concerns about having all those layers of fabric in play.

I posted in another thread about making a poncho that combines with another small tarp like the old Army shelter halves, wearing the poncho side and stowing the plain side. You could design it so two ponchos would make a 2 person shelter.

Also looking at the MLD Pro Poncho design, looks like a good way to get a little more coverage. Looks like a could get away with a little over 9 ft for length, however more than 5 ft (average) width seams like it could be difficult to manage. The review at fstpkr – http://krudmeister.blogspot.com/2010/07/trttytict1250-miles-wmld.html – was pretty thorough. I'm just worried about making a functioning hood. I carry a visor so I don't need a brim.

I do plan on making a bivy. I'm not totally sold on a cuben floor, not to mention it is 10x as expensive as rugged old PU coated nylon, which I have a few yards of. I'm leaning toward a SMD Meteor-type design, with a netting top half and probably a m50 foot box. I already use a nearly 5oz tyvek groundcloth, which I would nix with a durable-floored bivy.

The MLD Pro Poncho long would be perfect for you. I am 6' 2" and I have at least 2-3 feet of space to work with when it is set up down to the ground. I have only used this setup without a bivy, but nowhere alpine.

That might be the ticket. Using Dales measurements (just adding 7" for my height) I figure I can have about 110" of length without making it hard to walk in. I wish cuben was in the budget, I could be oh-so UL chic.

You can get the added length on both sides as the fabric is essentially folded over you. With the variations in body proportions (leg, torso, neck,etc) I wouldn't take our height difference and double it. Make a paper or plastic pattern and measure to suit with your fully loaded pack on, starting with an additional 7" for each side, plus about 14" for covering the pack. Note that the head hole is not on the fore/aft center, not counting the extra back length. I'm not home and can't recall which way it shifts.