Poncho shelters

[Mike8472]

I have never really thought about using just a poncho as a shelter before; but the more I think about it the more I like the idea, saving weight and room in my pack would be a big bonus.

Can anybody post pics or vids of their setups to give me some pointers on the best way to set one up.
especially any guys that were pre mid 90's soldiers that were issued them.

thanks

 

[wingstoo]

Quick and simple one.

Wings

 

[trekkingnut]

in the army, we used to just have a poncho with two bungee chords. when you camped down. you pegged two corners to the ground and then ran the two bungee chords round two trees.... so it was like lean to. obviously this is also with a bivi bag. but that is the STANDARD army shelter for when you are on exercise. i have used that in gale force winds and torrential rain, snow and baking heat. works every time.

 

[trekkingnut]

p.s cracking use of bivi poles.... great shelter pic

 

[wingstoo]

Doesn't need trees either, so good in a treeless landscape ;-)

Wings

 

[trekkingnut]

Doesn't need trees either, so good in a treeless landscape ;-)

Wings

walking poles in civi street and you can do the same thing. hehe.

 

[Mike8472]

that sounds pretty good trekkingnut, is there a specified height the bungied end had to be at or was it down to personal preference?

 

[Radix lecti]

I was mid 80s to early 90s so all my pics are on paper in the loft sorry, but my set up was poncho,a few skewers and 2 long bungee cords,however if i was treeless i had some homemade poles in the bottom of my Bergen that was made out of old ally tent poles slotted together.
Darren

 

[trekkingnut]

that sounds pretty good trekkingnut, is there a specified height the bungied end had to be at or was it down to personal preference?

personal preference, but nicely angled into the wind was all that matters. if you looped the bungee chords through the holes in the corner of the poncho, you can actually leave them permanently attached. not great for wearing i guess but good for sticking it up as a shelter in seconds.

 

[RAPPLEBY2000]

I've used ponchos for around 20 years, can't beat them for versatility, just have to decide is it a shelter or coat?...
...otherwise on a rainy day you'll get confused when building your poncho shelter!
(the answer take 2 ponchos)

And if you have a few ponchos that are the same sort...and a couple of HGV's...you can make this...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/81256072@N00/37599581

 

[trekkingnut]

awesome. heh.

 

[Wayland]

Here's mine.

 

[topknot]

Back in the bad old day's , we press studed two together down the long side of the poncho's, one for the ground sheet the other as the roof .

Topknot

 

[RAPPLEBY2000]

oh, and doesn't it smart when you kneel on a popper! :yikes: :11doh:

 

[DV...]

Cat not essential

 

[RAPPLEBY2000]

I should point out that they are just long enough as a shelter.
I'm 5"11 and i often feel the poncho could be 6" longer!

in recent years I've used the MOD basha which is a lot bigger (and no hole in the center), but not the versatility.

 

[Rabbitsmacker]

wings, can i ask a dumb q? having not been in the forces and am fairly new to the whole basha and poncho camping, i'm not sure whether i'm having problems where there shouldn't be. last 2 trips out me and a mate have pegged out a desert basha EXACTLY as you have in this picture, bivi bagged up underneath, but getting massive amount of condensation on the underside of the tarp. even before we've got under it. is this normal and just something to put up with?

Quick and simple one.

Wings

 

[wingstoo]

Condensation is caused by temp differences and moisture content of the air, if you put one of these on grass then as the grass "breathes" it produces water vapour that attaches itself to the underside of the sheet, one way around this is a ground sheet, in the one I have pictured there is an IPK on the ground to help reduce condensation, keeping it out of sunlight also helps as it is creating a temperature difference between the ground and the material which creates more condensation.

Wife and I created a "double" basha up on SENTA (SENnybridge Training Area) it August about 14 years ago, hottest weekend of the year, but we put it up in the shade of a pine plantation where the air and ground were similar temperatures, from what I remember we had no condensation problems, though we did have a case of the heebie jeebies as she hadn't camped out this way before and the noises and lack of "enclosure" like a normal tent were "alien" to her :yikes:

Good air circulation helps as well.

Hope that helps.

No such thing as a dumb question, though you may receive a dumb answer

Wings

 

[Rabbitsmacker]

cheers wings, the last time we tried it there was a huge difference in air temp from day to n ight, also was very grassy area. don't want to give up on it as i think i slept better than in the tent. and it had more options for shelter than the tent in more terrains.
cheers again

 

[drewdunnrespect]

so going to have to get meself one of these