Well, at long last I am getting to some of my MYOG projects that I have been procrastinating for a few years. I needed to start whittling down my stockpile of Walmart silnylon!
The first was a bivy with silnylon bottom/sides, and propore top, and a two-way zipper down the side for venting. It was inspired by Andrew's tyvek bivy: http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/xdpy/forum_thread/46661/index.html?skip_to_post=398043#398043 I made it specifically to use for trailhead camping the night before a backpack trip, since we usually get up to the mountains late at night and I tend to get damp and mosquito-bit by morning when cowboy camping. It's not the lightest, at around 12 oz, but should do fine for what I need it for.
With that out of the way, I finally tackled the Parcho (pattern from Quest outfitters). I added a zipper flap with plastic snaps, since I did not use a waterproof zipper (the one I bought was so hard to zip and unzip I thought it might damage the fabric). I skipped the stuff sack, opting to use the inside pocket to stuff it into.
On a whim, since the fabric width allowed it, I also ended up making it longer than called for, extending 5-6 inches below the zipper ending (zipper ends just above knees), but this may change depending on how I end up liking the length. With this length I may not feel the need for any sort of rain pants (I don't generally do well with wet in the Sierra, even on just my legs, as I get quite chilled, but at this length I might just be able to roll up my pants to keep them dry). But the additional length may make for less ventilation, and also may make it harder to keep the garment from flapping around in the wind – won't know until I take it out and actually wear it in rain. If I decide to shorten it later (to the bottom of the zipper), I will probably make some silnylon rain chaps to go with it, but it seems simpler to just use the one item if it functions well for me.
I still need to do some finishing touches (some straps at the back of the neck to attach it to the pack shoulder straps a la Roger Caffin's mountain poncho, and seam sealing) but it's nearly set to go. Weight is 7.2 oz right now, just a little lighter than the silnylon poncho I made a few years ago.
I would post pictures, but there's nobody at home right now, no mirrors big enough to show it, and the color is a dark purple which doesn't photograph well anyhow.
