My son is attending NJ Wing CAP Basic Encampment in one week and I we still haven't managed to track down a poncho for him to bring.

Anyone know a good source for a real GI poncho in OD green or woodland (not digital)? Online it is hard to tell the knock-offs from the real ones...

Any nearby Army/Navy shops?

Local would be ideal, but not many real army/navy stores left these days. I've checked the all the usual suspects.

The army navy 30 miles North of me carries them...think they are $30.
http://www.cocoaarmynavy.com/search.asp?pg=1&stext=poncho&sprice=&stype=&scat=
They have snaps and grommeted corners, also.
Just copy and paste the above link or call them to see about shipping. Good luck.

Unfortunately, there are a lot of unauthentic ones out there. I finally thought to check ebay - I'll see when it arrives. I have a real one in OD that was old when I got it 20 years ago, so I know what to look for. Too bad it leaks like a sieve now.

In the past I have seen items that are supposed to be original GI with a fake NSN. If the fifth and sixth digits are other than 00 or 01 the item may be suspect. These were the country codes for the US in the late 70's, 80's and early 90's. What has come after that for the US may be different. Hope this helps find true US issue items.

Dare I ask why?

Is he allowed to bring a poncho? Everyone I know gets issued a goretex jacket and pants.

The packing list says "Rain coat or poncho (green/camo)"

CAP uses the old woodland BDU's for their field uniform. Back in my day (makes me feel old) we wore the OD green "pickle suits" and couldn't wait to get the "new" BDU's. Now everyone wants to know when they'll get ABU's so they can ditch the uncool BDU's.

The only thing CAP issues is one short-sleeve blues uniform courtesy of the USAF. Local squadrons may have a stash of BDU's and other of other items but you're pretty much on your own.

If the military version isn't specified, would a decent quality civilian poncho be acceptable? Campmor is in NJ and has ponchos .

Oh, OK. CAP is Civilian Air Patrol, right?
When does he need it by? I have a BDU-pattern ECWCS rain pant/jacket set he can borrow, size M-R.

As for the ABU, I'd swear off those. The material is about 2x thicker than a 'field' style BDU - in other words, HOT. I've heard that they're actually putting out a thinner version. Why they didn't stick with the 50/50 NYCO, I have no idea.

"Why they didn't stick with the 50/50 NYCO, I have no idea"
You're talking about the government here. They never stick with a good idea.

Comments not inserted.


But, yes, I realize that.

US Cavalry have the genuine article. Though mail order might be too late for you. A raincoat beats a poncho anyway and unless you have to; camouflage is the worst thing you can wear. You want to be visible if things go wrong.
qjs

[quote=thseng]The packing list says "Rain coat or poncho (green/camo)"

I realize that this is heresy, but for anything except combined shelter building/rainwear functionality, ponchos actually kind of suck. A set of waterproof pants and jacket are lighter, more effective as clothing, and considerably more useable in real life than is a poncho. Ponchos work great to cover person and pack while in a standing posture on a windless day, and work poorly in most other scenarios.

Forgive me preppers, for I have sinned....

Your punishment will be severe!!

Alas....I too am a sinner! In any kind of serious weather ponchos seriously suck. A rain jacket is a much better choice.

No doubt nursemike and I will be stripped of all rank and privledges, and drummed out of ETS.

...and abandoned, naked and afraid, on a desert island, equipped only with ponchos...

Ponchos as a shelter rock. You just have to know what to do. For instance, never sleep parallel to the ponchos, sleep perpendicular, and use sticks/poles in the hoods to increase the inner space. Remember to use a drip stick/knot on the cords attaching ponchos to the trees.

I never slept in the communal tents we set up. I either used two ponchos to make my own hootch, or carried a camo civilian small dome tent, further cammied with the poncho.

On a side note, never used the poncho when it rained. Wore the issue rain suit, under my bdus. Less noisy, and hey, you were gonna get wet anyhow.

Likely with a TV crew ...

Been away on business for a week - thank for all the replies, especially the generous offer of a loan from MDinana.

Inspected the one from ebay last night - it is genuine "new old stock" as stated - the seam sealer is dried up and flaking off, so it needs to be re-sealed. The price was right, so I'm happy.

Re poncho vs rainsuit:

As a matter of fact, that's exaclty what he'll be doing, standing around in formation practicing hurry-up-and-wait. Jackets are fine but they don't do anything for your lower body and pants are hassle to quickly don and doff when you're on the move.

Camo is the worst choice for survival, but he's going to be on an Airforce base, not it the woods. Ironically, CAP regs require a certified ANSI class II safety vest for "ground team activities" which begs the question: Wear the vest under your field gear and defeat the purpose of the vest or over your field gear and make access a pain? Third option is to find the holy grail: a gear vest the actually meets the ANSI standard.

I just wanted to chime in on the rainwear discussion..

I have a set of Carharrt Huron rainwear - The Jacket and the Pants. Both are incredibly lightweight, pretty breathable and seem very durable. The nice thing is that you can stuff these into a built in pocket on the pants or jacket and that makes them EDC bag friendly from a space perspective. The jacket is good for cool, breezy days when you want to keep the wind off your arms as well.

I own a Waterproof Hooded Ripstop Rain Poncho that slides into a carry bag in the event I get stuck out in the rain, and I am going to be there for a while... I don't know who makes it, but it came from Ireland. The other interesting thing about this poncho is that you can convert it into a tent as well with it's built in strings and loops. As stated above, it covers my backpack very well, and probably keep me and my gear dryer than what the Jacket and Pants set would.

I'm not affilated with Carharrt in any way, but I really like some of their clothing... (even if it is overpriced IMHO)

Rod

military ponchos are no better quality than what can be gotten elsewhere. people obsess over milsurp gear acting like it is something special. it really isn't and is often inferior (sometimes by a lot) to what is otherwise available.

While I agree in general, in this case the advantage was that mil-spec was part of the "uniform". Plus the added advantage of being a known level of quality and design, which I happen to like on this item, as well as being compatible with other mil ponchos should we ever want to snap two together for a shelter.

More often, mil-spec "outdoor" gear is at least a generation or two behind state of the art - the procurement cycle and need for standardization make that inevitable.

The best thing about the Mil-spec poncho is that there are some awesome liners made to fit it. Get a different poncho and they may not work right with it.