Poncho Tarp Tent

[XenonsParadise]

Excellent video! I recently purchased a bivy sack, lightweight -5C sleeping bag, and foam pad for an upcoming walkabout. The whole rig is warm and waterproof, but only insofar as you stay tightly tucked in the bivy. I only today noticed that my poncho is essentially designed to be a wearable tent. Now I just need some poles and stakes to make it sleek and sturdy. Thanks for the tips!

[enjoythewildUSA]

Very interesting concepts. However, I would like to see you test this out during a driving rainstorm. I have no confidence that you would stay dry. Maybe I'm wrong, but I do prefer to have a legitimate Tent even if it ways up to 4 1/2 pounds.

My concern would be that if you trust your life to a design like this, you could end up getting hypothermia in the middle of the night. Too risky, particularly if you use down sleeping gear.

[shotgunkid105]

and what size wing nuts

[shotgunkid105]

what are the dimensions of the poncho

[BrokenAeroVT]

When you lay your poles diagonally over the tarp, how many inches do they extend beyond the tarp corners?

[phan9095]

Great video. Never sen this particular setup. Just one question...between 3:48 and 3:49 the tent seems to have gotten taller. What adjustments did you make to achieve this extra head room?

[gcollin75]

I took the fly from my old tent (got a new one) and the poles and make the same thing , only mine is bigger and unfortunately heavier. Cant wait to test it out tomorrow.

[CharlotteFairchild]

When it is windy, do you anchor the tent? I have directions on making a simple poncho with no hood with one yard of fabric. I have made them from bird seed bags that are waterproof.

[DavidOutdoor]

great video...



[Hyshinara]

I can't find the links on your site to buy one :/

[2022e55]

How many "sections" are in each pole for the tent and what is the size/diameter of the pole?!?!??!!

[jmg1957]

peace

[saintluciferisgod]

550 cord works too just tie a string of 550 cord between 2 trees put some weight on the edges and tie the hood inside out so the rain cant get in. done it weighs less than 1 pound that way to and 550 cord has multiple uses you can eve gut the string and use the inside threads to by themselves

[BrokenAeroVT]

I'd use 1 trekking pole or a tree for that hood, secured with a line. That's what I did with my Golite poncho. I love the pole idea.

Speaking of being runover on the trail, I almost ran over a guy on the AT who set up right ON the trail, lol. You couldn't tent on either side because of rocks & brush, but there was a shelter only 0.1 mi. away S (& he was hiking N!). Poor Kiwi. I woke him up 2x that nite squeezing by him. I got turned around in the dark, lol. I thought it was a different guy.

[sunnyjoe66]

This set up is very handy if you are on a Bike Ride through the Mountains on Roads and you get stuck for some reason,like a Mechanical Failure a Derailleur gets bent. It is Dark and very late and not easy to fix Bicycle in Dark and is also Wet so a Stay over is the best Policy.

This could be a Godsend to you plus a Little Stove for Tea Soup or Food and an emergency Blanket to keep warm.

You do not want the added Weight of a conventional Tent as it was only supposed to be a Day ride out.

[JMead272]

I like your idea! Great thinking. Many aplications. I cary two ponchos. one in web gear and main pack. so i will be dry unless i loose main pack...

[madogblue]

Really cool use of the tarp with poles. The only problem is that you give up your rain gear for a shelter so if you want to leave your tarp tent you get soaked.

[foxdhmtbike]

Hello, Just thought i'd ask what the weight of just the poncho is and what the dimensions our? I also was checking out your website and couldn't find the links that you had mentioned about for the poncho. I was looking at maybe using a poncho for my hammock.

[slodeth5]

Cool, Russel.

[adtram]

Try Campmor website under poncho. Haven't figured out  where to get the poles yet.

[Tancrad]

sweet shelter man. and your using your poncho anyway.

[adtram]

You are my favorite tent maker so far.

[loki1066]

I like to roll myself up in my poncho and go and sleep in a house

[carveawoodeneye]

just did it works great ty !!

[bigbrunobk]

it would be funny if a litle wind came and blew it away

[52srbin]

GOOD|!!@!

[GuruofSteel]

Hi Russell,

Could you post the link here as to where to buy the poles for the tarp.

Thanks.

[GuruofSteel]

Hi Russell,

I went to your website and there were no links to the place you bought the poles. Could you post that information here?

[emptystorage]

hey man. i like your innovative pole setup. have you ever noticed condensation collecting and/or dripping in that set up. how's the ventilation under there?

thanks for sharing

[QuiksiIver]

What are you doing that requires you to use a poncho for shelter? Extra 3-5lbs and you have yourself a decent 1 or 2 person tent.

[WeekendAdventurer]

@QuiksiIver When your backpack weighs only 10 lbs. 3-5 lbs is a high persentage of aditional weight. It makes a big difference when you are trying to pack over a mt. range.

[krdesign5]

@QuiksiIver

Hi Russell, I went to your website and did not see the link for the poles you are using with your poncho.

Could you give me the link here?

[xanglat]

Cool !

Thank you very much for posting

[lvleph]

Now try setting that up in the rain and wind. Skip the poles and it would work better.

[n0r3gretz]

ahh i love the poncho, used them in the military in the jungle heavy rain lava rocks iraq etc... get a poncho and bunji cords!!! its faster to set up a tent that way!!!!

[ConditionRedDawn]

really cool vid...I liked it

[FixedByDoc]

if i were a poncho man i would be doing this in a heart beat. excelent idea one of the best using ponchos ive seen. great video and the music went well with it. 5/5

[maxvauderk]

Very inovative, an informative. Keep up the good work and attitude ! Thanks.

[readingleejh]

is this poncho/tarp + shock corded pole sold together?

[dand2000]

nice..u don't have to spend a ton to go camping lightweight!

[MOUNTAINOUS]

what about wind

[Sithisnight]

Nice man! Thanks for the tutorial

[11bobboy]

great vid, you really don't need to take any poles though, they are all around you. also your poncho seems very small.

[tomfaranda]

Good stuff.

[cholldi]

Good job Russell + nice site!

[Masowai]

3:52 I was waiting for somebody to jog past this guy and wonder WTF he's doing. lol

Great video!

[carpzone]

Prefering a 7x7 tarp for shelter and a hammock to put u of the ground.

[BradinOkinawa]

instead of putting a stick in the middle of your shelter I prefer to have another line go from the hood to one of the trees holding up the corners (put it as high as you can reach) this makes the hood stay up by pulling from the top verses pushing from the bottom. Great videos though. I really like your positive attitude. God bless.

[nroc13]

my tent is a WW2 Pup tent.

[calld2serve]

use your poles from the other tent to bow out the tarp

[boomtao]

Great idea! I used to make an A-frame with sticks or branches at the outside and hang the poncho from the hood and stake the corners. I was thinking that instead of tentpoles you could use electrical tube which doubles as blowpipe.

[kc7fys]

You're going to get a lot of criticism here, because ultralight tenting is not always full coverage. It's an easy shot to take. The point is, you're setting up a reliable shelter that well, keeps you mostly dry. Great video, Russell. I appreciate it.

[vaxx11]

Great video man.

[C0L0N3LxMustard]

isnt dry and waterproof kinda the same thing?

[PatriotAr15]

how much headroom?

[paulawylma]

Looks great for when it's not windy. If the wind is blowing and the trees are too sparse for a windbreak, then you don't have a tent--you have a kite!

[PatriotAr15]

Thats what Stakes are for, you might also be able to dummy cord the center of the "X" in the poles to your body...so if it dislodges, it doesnt fly off everywhere... a quick disconnect should be incorporated somehow so you can remove it quickly, once you have a hand on it.

[rgwhittaker]

nice job, I like the compact-ness, although for my height this would be too cramped. Also nice job on the foot box for the ground sheet.

[russr]

nice

[carveawoodeneye]

thanks for this info, i'm going to add tent poles to my bugout bag i like the low profile !!!!

[AnnieNM06]

Great video!

could the ground cover be used as a tarp tent too? I don't haev a poncho and since the ground/lumber cover is free then thats a great deal!

[nakedvolleyball]

It's a cool idea, but you'll need to have something to wear as a poncho while you're in camp, because undoubtedly you'll need to get up to take a dump or whatever. And dumping in the rain is not fun when the toilet paper gets wet. Also, you might just want to be at camp, but not in the tent while it's raining. Really it's best to have something canvas, so you can have a nice roaring fire and not worry about your shelter melting.

[JonoHopkins]

Good point, but russel's focusing on the weight, something that canvas wouldn't be so suited for.

[nakedvolleyball]

Yeah, you're talking about an 18 hour jaunt. And canvas is very suited for weight. I spent almost all of last year carrying and living in a canvas tent around France, Spain and Northern Africa. Funny thing is, the more you carry it the lighter it gets.

[turdburper]

It's a poncho-brella!

[dcbernard]

This is genius.

[Shadowgoesboo]

Looks easy, affordable, and reliable. I like it! much easier to do when you've been moving or hunting or whatever all day and you want to make a quick shelter instead of spending 30 minutes in the rain just tying the ropes.

[xXExsaviorXx]

This dude is awesome

[locorogue]

Right on man, brilliant setup! The gi poncho has always been an essential item' in my pack.

[alchemist10101]

The no-poles setup looks like an army "hooch".

[yathatisgood]

top man

[shaunmandich]

Its very cool Ive got 2 bdu ponchos that I use like this the second one is placed on the ground and clicks into the sides.Ive also added velcro strips to the 2 ponchos on the top and bottom along the width.This allows the tent to be completely sealed.

[thelosthikers]

i think i'll stick with the 2 for $1 poncho at the dollar tree store

[Wee5Eric]

gr8 idea about the ground cloth

[gaycowboymovies]

Check out the Sea to Summit poncho tarp.

Silnylon. 12 Oz.

Enough room for a large backpack.

[Ekdog]

Bummer! I ordered six of the ultra-light poles from the place you linked to on your site, but now I realize that I needed to order TWELVE poles, six for each section. I'm posting this so no one else will make the same mistake.

[bicarbon8]

nice instructions and well thought out. Thanks for the vid.

[A5G36C]

you can make an a frame with the poncho too. also instead of using a stick to hold up the center you can tie a rope around the hood then tie the other end to a tree branch above

[picowave]

Good tips and thanks for sharing your video.

[chrissept21]

love that first tent

[chrissept21]

but i was wondering if the bugs and creatures ever get at you

[Rutter1994]

who cares

Survival is survival

[WeekendAdventurer]

They do. I made a head netting to solve that very problem... watch it in action on my "ididaride" video.

[bmbpdk]

nice vid!!

Never seen this setup before!

maybe i should try that once :-)

how long and wide is it?

[A5G36C]

sweet video, some cool stuff

[englandsadventureman]

have tried the all in one poncho wet weather gear and shelter all in one. It works for me. A lil tip when you pack your sack put your thermolite around the inside of your bag it not only protects your kit but also keeps ya kit dry.

[officervanhalen56]

ya know you can buy a 5 dollar poncho like that at walmart and it works just as well

[No29Smirnoff]

thanx for posting this video. i needed to kno how to use one for a campout im goin on and now i kno how to make 1 from stuff i already have. keep makin some great videos, man

[cboronow1]

Nice video. Thanks for the special innovations like the "foot pocket" in the ground tarp and the various setups for the tent. The "all day" setup looks useful for us lazy hikers that spend time reading or journaling at length.

[NYAdirondackHiker]

All you need is 5 pieces of bungee cord and a GI wet weather poncho.

Use bungee cord to hook through the corner grommets and stretch tightly to nearby trees or bushes. Use a fifth bungee to tie off the hood and suspend from branch or tree limb above you. Make the hooch as low to the ground as possible. It won't blow away and it will keep you dry. Don't need sticks or poles!

[bushcraftone]

yea this is a very good way and their is no chance of it blowing away and you will be able to use a cooker stove

[WeekendAdventurer]

so true and I have taken that advise with my next tarp tent. I hope you like that one better.

[MrCooganO]

Nothing wrong at all with the pole and poncho approach. In fact, yours looks much like the U.S. G.I. Catoma Stealth 1 tent. Depends on how much room you can spare in your pack I guess. I expect someday to open the Cabelas catalog and see survival gear emblazoned with the "WeekendAdventurer" logo. I remember years ago Sears sold a line of outdoor stuff with Edmund Hillary's name and face stamped on them. Why not? In these dark times, we could sure use a hero right about now.

[JohnJiggins]

Helpful, informative, and very useful information about the immediate issues and practicalities of using the great poncho/tarp.

Thank you for this great video

[DaddyMnM]

Great video. On that last config, looks like the hood opening is pointing uphill. I think you could tuen it 180 degrees so the opening is downhill. Other than that, looks great! Thanks.

[Rivieratime]

Great video about a very practical items. Kind of small tent config with the sectioned poles though. Having personally spent a few nights with a small wet nylon bivy type tent-wall right against my face, I was tempted to ask you why you didn't prop one end up just a foot, for more head-room, more air, and to cut down on the "claustrophobia factor" (he he he). BUT I figured each guy can adjust it to his own needs Great efforts here. You did such a good job on this !!

[clearskyblue]

Really good and well put over thankyou.

[Josiah922]

Good job. I would prefer some different configurations, but good info. Thanks. Gonna have to do a vid on this to show how I do it. 5 stars

[godoter]

can use 2 poles/long sticks or what many don't know is a tarp/poncho/tipi etc. can be hung from a branch or better: a clothes line.

masons line = heavy load bearing & an ultra light backpacker's dream.

[DonHoraldo]

kinda small.

[WmForester]

Thanks - Helpful, makes me want to run out right now and camp!

[rmcgrath1]

thanks for the video ill hopefully pass this information on to my scouts.

[GlennnD]

Great video !

[subversantmonarch]

Man you rock!!!

[Allen1901]

Placing the electrical connectors through the

grommet holes is a really good idea.

Cheers!

[n2jmb]

Great video!!! Thanks for the tips!!! I've been looking for som info on Ponchos as a shelter, first video I was able to find.

Thanks again!!!

[alexyoung123]

WOW!! very helpful!