What about a waterproof breathable poncho tarp?

Arguably Frogg Toggs ponchos are waterproof-breathable. They definitely have other pros and cons.

I bought one several months ago to try out on day hikes. Now just waiting for rain in my part of California. Might take longer than I expected.

Maybe other Frogg Toggs poncho users can share their experiences.

— Rex

I don’t think it’s worth the added weight (which would be about twice as much compared to wp-only material).

The wpb fabrics won’t have much opportunity to work – it requires a vapor pressure difference to “breathe”, an when it’s wet outside, it’s driven by the temperature difference. The advantage of a poncho, a good ventilation, means that the inner and outer temperatures won’t differ much on majority of its surface.

I see only one advantage not mentioned here before – wpb poncho can be used as a bivy.

Backcountry Foodie on youtube used just a frogg toggs emergency poncho on her Colorado Trail trip this summer. I questioned the choice and she said she would change out to a jacket from her resupply box if things were not going well with the emergency poncho.

Maybe other Frogg Toggs poncho users can share their experiences.

I have one…used it kayaking but never backpacking.  It worked well, kept me dry and I don’t remember overheating, but paddling generates a lot less heat than hiking…at least for me.  Thanks for bringing it up.  Since I have decided to move to a FT jacket, I really do need to break out the poncho and give that a try as well.  Biggest downside is that it is pretty bulky, but I have plenty of room in the pack for extras :)

When using a poncho made from non breathable material I would nearly always end up with my chest soaked from a combination of sweat and condensation. This did not happen when wearing a DriDucks poncho.  I still struggled with getting my sides wet from wind blown rain, and getting snagged on vegetation, hence I am still primarily a jacket users.

A long time ago I used a poncho tarp because I was broke and trying to be SUL. I thought it breathed well enough without WPB. My pack held it off me so it vented well. The bigger issue was I got pretty wet under it. Arms and legs would get soaked and water would start to wick up to my torso. I decided for anything more than  a short storm a rain suit worked better.

All that said I think an advantage of a poncho is it can be 100% waterproof so you aren’t worried about DWR rubbing off.