looking for an actual US military poncho

[Grassymike]

Is it possible to buy the real deal ? I have looked all over and keep running into Chinese clones.

 

[jdinville3]

If you have an Army Surplus store anywhere close you surely could find one, or maybe an online surplus store?

 

[Desk Jockey]

Someone can come along and correct me, but i am not sure if there is a current version of the poncho issued and I don’t know when they stopped, if they did. I had them in woodland back in the 90s and I think they had an ACU version during early GWOT. So, I am not sure if the real deal is still rolling around in surplus stores After all these years.

I am still a fan of them and have a few versions in the stable. The best Version I have that closely resembles the old GI poncho is made by bushcraftoutfitters. High quality. Weighs about a 1#. $75. I have one from Helikon that is pretty good too. If you are looking for the same function in light weight check out the gate wood cape (six moon designs) or the mountain laurel designs pro poncho. About $150 and 8-10oz. Both are silnylon updates with some nice design enhancements Over the old school. If you really wanna drop some coin, companies like zpacks make dcf / dyneema ponchos for $250-300 that weigh 5-6oz.

a note of caution, if you haven’t used ponchos before, they work pretty well in rain when you are static and even on the move. They don’t always play well with packs and slung rifles. Also, a bit of wind cab blow them around and you can get soaked from the waist down. Mld sell some rain chaps that solve this issue. Last point, is if you try to use a poncho as your shelter and rain gear, it really sucks when you have your shelter set up and want to be anywhere other than underneath it. You have to unstring your poncho to wear it anywhere, which means you have to pack up your gear and bedding somehow.

 

[Grassymike]

Desk jockey thanks for the help. I am thinking of running a poncho and liner as insurance against unexpected nights out. Or just to have the option to bivy out away from my main camp. I have been caught unprepared a few times and spent a few very cold nights without a sleeping bag etc. So want to be ready for unexpected circumstances as I mostly hunt alone.

 

[Hunt4lyf]

Have you seen the six moons gatewood cape? Ponchos are kinda heavy to carry for just in case, I just weighed mine and it’s 24 oz, I weighed the gatewood, it’s 12 oz. and an actual shelter on top of being a poncho.

https://www.amazon.com/Six-Moon-Designs-Gatewood-Cape/dp/B01CC0I8EK/ref=asc_df_B01CC0I8EK?tag=bngsmtphsnus-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=80814222102154&hvnetw=s&hvqmt=e&hvbmt=be&hvdev=m&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=&hvtargid=pla-4584413749479174&psc=1

 

[Desk Jockey]

Desk jockey thanks for the help. I am thinking of running a poncho and liner as insurance against unexpected nights out. Or just to have the option to bivy out away from my main camp. I have been caught unprepared a few times and spent a few very cold nights without a sleeping bag etc. So want to be ready for unexpected circumstances as I mostly hunt alone.

Got it. MLD and six moon designs are good options. If you want to build a light weight sleep system, Think about a pad. There is one call matty Mcmay face from seek outside. It works as a glassing pad and can give you a combo ground cloth and thin sleep pad for 8oz. Space blankets and a bivy are worth a look. Space blankets are cheap and compact and can block wind and rain in a pinch. Bora makes my favorite Bivy. As far as poncho liners go, I have a Kifaru woobie, helikon and a hill people gear version. The helikon swagman roll is the most compact. Tie between the hill people gear and Kifaru for warmth. For a bit more function and warmth you could look at a quilt or lightweight bag. There are some 40-50* rated bags that are pretty compact. Paired with a jacket and clothes they can turn a reasonably cold night into something that is uncomfortable vs something miserable / dangerous. Depending on how much you want to spend and carry, for 3-4# you can have a pretty good “just in case” sleep system that will keep you fairly comfortable. If you can make the components multiuse like using the poncho liner as a glassing blanket or the sleep pad as a sitting mat, then it makes it easier to justify the weight and expense IMO.

 

[Grassymike]

hunt4lyf ,yes I was checking out the six moons cape online last night. Seems like it is more shelter less poncho. Very interesting and well thought out design. Six moons pricing is very reasonable for what they make as well. Do you have any experience with them ? Wondering what the quality is like.

 

[Desk Jockey]

hunt4lyf ,yes I was checking out the six moons cape online last night. Seems like it is more shelter less poncho. Very interesting and well thought out design. Six moons pricing is very reasonable for what they make as well. Do you have any experience with them ? Wondering what the quality is like.

I have the gate wood. About 5 nights in it across 3 trips. It is high quality but silnylon so not quite as tough as the old GI rip stop. To use it in shelter mode you are gonna need 6 stakes and some guy lines along with a pole. Call is 12 oz as I recall. As a shelter it is good but not great. Not going to be a lot of room for gear and if you are big/tall it is cramped. It has some shape to it that makes it better as a shelter but less good as a tarp for glassing and such. The MOuntain laurel designs is more like a flat tarp with a hood so better as a glassing tarp but less coverage as a shelter. Both work fine as a poncho. The MLD is a little bigger and covers a pack better.

if I was choosing between the gate wood and the MLD I would make the decision based on what kind of shelter I wanted. more tarp like = MLd. More tent like = gate wood. I tend to carry the MLD more as a “back up” now and use it as a tarp but I think both are good and the difference comes down to preference.

 

[Wacko]

Wet Weather Poncho – Universal Camo | ORC Industries

www.orcind.com

Current mil issue I believe....

 

[bruceleroy]

I didnt see anyone else say it so I will. The GI poncho, and even moreso the liner aka woobie, suck.
I suffered with the mandatory use of those for years. They are garbage. Not warm. Heavy. Useless.
Almost anything on the market is better, lighter, warmer, packs smaller.

 

[Desk Jockey]

While I don’t condone @bruceleroy s blasphemy, I do concede there are lighter / warmer options than poncho liners and better rain gear options as well. My bushcrafter poncho lives in my truck and my woobie is well loved but rarely makes it in my pack on trips where weight is a major factor.

 

[Wacko]

I disagree that the mil poncho is garbage. If you carry a small "glassing tarp" and rain gear.....then a mil poncho can actually do both. It is a 5x7, durable, multi purpose, and the current ORC model weighs 1 pound 6 ounces. It also can be shelter, waterproof bivy, sling pack, impromptu hammock, meat tarp, and more....

Are there other options? Sure....can you do both rain gear, and glassing tarp for 40 bucks..????

 

[Grassymike]

Wacko thanks for that source. This is what I was originally looking for. Now I have to rethink everything and decide what I end up doing. One thing that I have come to realize is there should not be any "one trick ponies" in my pack. I want to pare down to exactly what I need and nothing else.

 

[Ferrulewax]

I scooped up the “onewind” camo poncho from amazon. Not sure what genius put a reflective logo on a camo poncho but that’s really the only negative. I’ve considered buying some black silicone and thinning it out to try to paint over the logo. Weight is like 7 ounces. The extra length goes a long way in keeping out water, but you’ll still need a bivy or at least some plastic over the top of you to keep splashing down.

For a cheap/simple option:
Onewind poncho
Polycro ground sheet w/ extra width to fold over yourself
Zrest
Whatever Sleeping bag/quilt you choose