Making a Two-Headed Poncho

[Kate Magill]

I hike with my 11-month old on my back, either in a wrap or a soft structured Ergo-type carrier. Currently, we bring an umbrella for weather protection (we are in southern Nevada, where our chances of getting rained on our minimal, so it's really more for sun protection), but I'd like to have a large poncho that will cover both of us in windy/rainy conditions. Something like this:

I talked to the proprietor of a store that sells these and she told me that they are made of some sort of nylon and weigh about 24 oz, which is more than I'm excited about carrying. (That is, it weighs more than my rain jacket and the baby's rainsuit combined–and the whole idea here is to save on weight and bulk)

So, anyone have an idea for an easy DIY rain poncho for two? My initial thought was to just take a propore poncho and hack a second hole into it, and tape that second hole to maintain some durability. I've also considered one of the soft Tyveks, but I know those have the potential to wet out in sustained rain. Or perhaps silnylon is the way to go? I am a decent novice seamstress with cotton fabrics, but haven't tried my hand at sewing UL materials.

[Katherine .]

Ha, i was going to direct you to suse kinder for ideas, but as I see from the photo you've already been there!

re wraps: have you tried any Vatanai ones? The striped Vatanais (Marayuma, Tibet, and the blue one, forget the name), are excellent for hot weather.

I like the propore fabric over silnylon. I'd give that a try first. Though I wonder how the taping would hold up to small children?

[Kate Magill]

We love our Vatanai wraps here. I've had a couple whales and a labyrinth now, and they've all been wonderful, so soft and breathable. Currently our go-to is a Colimacon et Cie Miel + Malice wrap–they do a big sale every summer on fabric by the yard so you can hem your own wrap; great way to create some affordable beater wraps!

I have a propore poncho and a propore rainsuit on the way to experiment with. I'm hoping that in combination with the umbrella one or the other will give us adequate coverage for wet weather situations, and should come in at <16 oz for both. The price is right, even if the durability isn't the best, so at least it's easily replaceable.

[Jeffs Eleven]

Ok… For the baby.

I was wondering what crazy invention this was gonna be.

Two person ponchos. Sharing rain gear- like a couples quilt.

The side by side poncho for sidewalks around town.
( I and I)

The front/ back two headed poncho for trails.
(No pootin')

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