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.