I recently received an interesting item: an Insultex NBU All-In-One.
Very interesting piece of gear. Sorry, I have no digital camera and hence no pictures.
It came all zipped up in a carry case with a handle and shoulder strap.
When unzipped, it folds out and you find that the carry case zipper is actually a zipper sewed to the outside of the poncho and the carry case is actually the poncho itself.
It weighs 34.15 oz or 32.65 oz without the shoulder strap.
When zipped up as a carry case it resembles a large zippered 3-ring binder - the kind that zips up. The handle/shoulder strap is on the spine.
The poncho has 4 zippers:
- carry case zipper,
- perimeter zipper to make a sleeping bag,
- poncho head hole zipper, and
- poncho hood pouch zipper
The first 3 zippers are 2-way zippers with sliders on both ends that can meet in the middle or anywhere along the zipper. This is especially convenient for those zippers.
As a sleeping bag, the zipper can be closed completely, kind of like a body bag. If you are claustrophobic I wouldn't recommend doing that though since there are no zipper pulls on the inside. The zippers do not open on the ends so you cannot match 2 together as a large sleeping bag.
Dimensions:
- As a carry case: 17" x 11" x 4"
- Opened and laid on floor/ground: 87" x 54"
- Zipped as a sleeping bag: 87" x 27"
- As a poncho: 54" wide x 43.5" long
To use as a poncho, first unzip the head hole then unzip the hood pouch opening and pull the hood from the built-in pouch, then slip on as usual for a poncho and adjust hood. The hood has huge flaps for the neck. The flaps serve to protect the front, sides and back of the neck and to keep water out of the hood pouch. There are matching Velcro tabs along the edges to hold the sides together. The hood has a draw cord with cord locks on both ends for adjusting the hood opening. There is no bill on the hood. The draw cord is a heavy braided cord and the cord locks are large to accommodate the cord. I immediately replaced the draw cord with 1.75 mm Lash-It guy line cord and micro-cord locks. I never understand why the manufacturers insist on the heaviest and thickest cord they can use for draw cords. I guess it may be easier to use with mittens on your hands. I always immediately replace such draw cords.
You might think that 32.65 oz if kind of heavy for a poncho. Well Yes and No. Consider that it is both a poncho and a poncho liner all in one. As a poncho liner, the weight is comparable to my Wiggy's poncho liners. The fabric is breathable, so you won't get the same sauna effect of a silnyl poncho, more like a Dri Ducks poncho. With the built in poncho liner, it can be used in cool or cold weather. I tried the shower test as a poncho and it performed very well. Since I haven't had it out in a prolonged downpour, I cannot attest to it's performance under those conditions. I suspect it would do well.
As a sleeping bag, it could probably be used as a 3 season bag. At least late spring, summer and early fall. Same for use as an under quilt. For use as an under cover, it could be used year round and would provide blow under protection for a down under quilt and add quite a bit to the insulation value. It could be used as a top quilt with the zipper closing one end for a foot box.
My Mountain Laural Designs silnyl poncho cost more and weighs 11.25 oz and has no insulating properties whatsoever. The MLD poncho in a stuff sack is a cylinder 8" high and with a 4" diameter.
My Dri Ducks poncho cost considerably less and weighs 8.7 oz and also has little to no insulating properties. My Dri Ducks ponchos are also cylinders 8" high and with 4" diameters.
The Insultex Poncho is bulkier, but that is to be expected since it is also a poncho liner. The bulkiness is not a problem though since it is water-proof and can be easily strapped to the exterior of the pack, bottom, top, sides or back. Since it zips into it's own carry case, packing it is no problem.
The Insultex poncho can be used in a wider variety of weather conditions than either the MLD or Dri Ducks ponchos. It is my impression that is more durable than the either the MLD or Dri Ducks ponchos. The Dri Ducks is the more fragile of the three.
I can buy 10 Dri Ducks ponchos for what I paid for the MLD poncho and 9 for what I paid for the Insultex poncho. The MLD poncho is an excellant silnyl poncho with excellant craftsmanship in design and construction, but I don't think the MLD poncho is worth 10 Dri Ducks, but I'm certain the Insultex is worth more than 9 Dri Ducks. Considerably more.
Since it is a simple rectangle, it can also be easily modified for use as a Bridge Hammock underquilt, undercover or overcover or used as a top quilt with no modification. If you follow the pattern JRB have used for modifying the Dri Ducks poncho, this poncho could be modified in the same manner for use with other hammocks.
The modifications I make for a Bridge Hammock under quilt and under cover are extremely minimal and take about an hour. For use as an undercover, I add 4 1" lengths of guy line cord on the perimeter and 6 opposed guy line loops on opposing perimeter edges. The loops are for 1/8" diameter shock cord which goes up and over the ridge line and hooks into the loops using wire gate micro-carabiners. The 4 1" guy line lengths are used to hook to the corners of the Bridge Hammock. That snugs it up to the Bridge Hammock with no air gaps.
Add another 30 minutes for measuring and sewing the over cover modifications and it can serve all 3 uses. The overcover modifications are also on the perimeter only and so none of the modifications interfere with the use as a poncho. For use as an overcover with an under quilt, it would probably match my Wiggy's ponchos in extending the temperature range down about another 15 F to 20 F. It could also be used on a Bridge Hammock as an over cover with no modifications simply by draping it over the ridge line and hanging down the sides.
I've tried the poncho out in cold weather. I put it on and stepped outside in the shade of very early morning, the sun was up, but not over the trees yet, so I was in the shade. I had denims and a simple Tee shirt on. I had stripped down to just a Tee shirt to make sure that any insulation for my torso and upper arms was from the poncho only. The wind was calm and the temperature was between 29 Deg F and 31 deg F, just below freezing. I wrapped the poncho around myself, keeping my arms tucked inside. I was comfortable. Not overly warm, but definitely not cold or even cool. My hands were cold since I had them outside the poncho holding it wrapped around me. If I had been wearing my normal flannel winter shirt, I would have been very comfortable with the combination of shirt and poncho providing plenty of insulation. I could very easily use the poncho as an around camp serape in cold weather. By using a rope as a belt, it would be easier to keep the sides tucked and close the sides to wind.
When zipped up in it's carry case mode, it can be used as a sit pad with a lot of cushion. I think I would tend not to do so since that could abrade the outside of the poncho and possibly have ill effects on it's water proofness.
The poncho is designed with stadium use in mind and not backpacking, so it could not accomodate a large backpack without exposing the backs of the calfs. This may or may not be a deterent. It isn't for me.
From my limited experience with the poncho so far, I am very satisfied with the purchase and looking forward to using it on trips in the future.
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Originally Posted by sir White Wolf
). That is one of the great attributes of the Bridge - making under quilts and over covers is trivial.
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