i take a poncho and a rain suit.i canoe country we get sudden heavy downpours that only last a few minutes.problem is you can't seen them coming.down in a lake with hills all around you don't get a good view and what looks like blue open sky ahead will turn into rain when a storm moves in from behind.

the poncho is not only handy to cover the packs and keep the canoe from getting too wet inside it also serves as a quick way to cover up.pulling a rain suit on in a canoe is tricky and takes some time so just pulling the poncho out of a side pouch on the pack and pulling it over takes seconds.i marked the bottom front of mine with a bit of red duct tape.faced with a wad of poncho that turns into a huge sheet with no up or down,back or front visible at first that red tag gives me a starting point.