Neil G. from , Public Profile

I recently purchased this "poncho" assuming that it was just that, a light weight poncho. After opening the package it was evident that the "poncho" was as much a cagoule as it was a poncho. The sides of the poncho are actually sewn together most of the way up and the arm openings have almost a sleeve like construction. This is not a bad thing since it should make wearing it in the wind less of a hassle. It does come in sizes which is a plus for me and the "sleeves" cover my arms completely, eliminating the need of another garment to keep my arms dry. The arm openings are also large enough to let in air for cooling and the zippered back opening does cover my pack. The four star rating is because I haven't actually used it while backpacking. If it works as well as I think it will I would give it a five star rating. It's apparent that a lot of thought went into designing the garment and the fact that it comes in three different sizes is also a plus.

I've not actually used it yet but I can say that it does fold up to a small package. Downsides may be that given it's narrow rubber base it may not be as stable as some plastic cups in the wilderness. It barely holds eight ounces so that may be a concern for some. Construction seems fine.