DIY Rain Poncho

[Hoosierhammock]

Does anyone have a good place to get information on making a Rain Poncho with a hood and that can go over my pack as well.

[jwright]

check out the parcho at quest outfitters.

There should also be a few threads on the forum about this as well.

Jason

[nothermark]

I'd also give some thought to the hood. A good one is hard to make and can be a PITA to wear. OTOH a stand up collar and a hat with a brim will do the same thing with less restriction and possibly be easier to make.

[Scotty Von Porkchop]

I've been planning a poncho tarp and have a few pieces of fabric ready to go but I haven't found any ideal designs from which to copy. The tricky bit being the hood and the interface between the hood and body, I still haven't decided on how to do it

[gargoyle]

It can be done.



You end up with minimal tarp or jumbo poncho.

The hood- I just copied a hood from a coat I had and liked. Added some extra for seam allowance, etc and sewed the hood into the poncho.

https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/...ad.php?t=22218

[Theosus]

I just bought an $85 coat from REI. It works really well... I did make a rain Kilt for my lower parts, though, as rain coats typically forget you have stuff below the waist you would prefer not to get soaked.

[IRONFISH45]

http://www.therainshed.com/

I bought a pattern from them, it made up just great, covers me and my pack, it also is just the right length for my individual needs. They shipp patterns very quickly, they sell some fabric and findings. Little company, in a hot bed of radicals, very nice to deal with on the telephone.

Folkwear Patterns also has some rain poncho's that you might find interesting, however they are expensive. I really like the Rainshed.

[IRONFISH45]

Does anyone have a good place to get information on making a Rain Poncho with a hood and that can go over my pack as well.

Well, I tried to cut and paste, it did not work for me. Here is the item number for the pattern for a Cagoule and trousers. This is a small company, however, I have found them to be helpful and very reasonably priced. I have purchase six of their patterns and been pleased with the results.
Cagoule Pullover Pants
Item#: 153
RS280 $7.00
Item#: 154
RS500 $7.00

The Rain Shed in Eugene, Oregon

[slugbait]

For a free pattern, google "Roy Robinson poncho". I made one for my son when he was a scout- it worked out well.

[FLRider]

Personally, I am not a fan of hoods. I strongly prefer to have my ears and peripheral vision available to me, and an hood is...difficult for that.

That being said, I've made a poncho/undercover for my hammock system. It's a fairly easy design (though adding an hood would be a little more difficult, it shouldn't be insurmountable):

1.) Start with a waterproof fabric (I used 30d sil from DIY Gear Supply, and it's worked great) and cut it to the dimensions you want. Personally, I used 92" by 56" (to wind up with a finished product 90" x 54" after hemming, matching the size I wanted; I'm 6' tall, my pack rises ~4" above the base of my neck, and my hammock is 54" wide).

2.) Find the center of the fabric and make your head hole cut (I prefer a circular one here, with a slit to add a water-resistant zipper--thanks go to Raiffnuke for the idea on that); essentially, measure it to your head's circumference and then add ~1" for possible error.

3.) Add two folded drawstring points to the center of the short edges, to allow for the gather.

4.) Hem the edges (I prefer a rolled hem here; do the long sides first, so that you can add the drawstrings to the short edges later).

5.) Add the drawstrings (I prefer shock cord, but you could probably get away with regular cord here) to the short edges with your fid. Add a stopper knot at the far ends from the center exit point and tack down with a few stitches to keep the drawstring in place. Add your cordlocks.

6.) Sew the waterproof zipper to the front vent (make sure you have the correct side out on this).

7.) Sew bias tape or grosgrain to the head hole to create a drawcord channel (skip this one and sew the hood to the poncho if you want an hood instead).

8.) Add the drawcord to the head hole (I prefer regular cord here rather than shock cord; it has less of a tendency to strangle me if I pull it a little too far through the cordlock).

9.) Add two patches of no-see-um netting to act as a spot for the gathered drawcords (this way, you can gather the bottom edges of the poncho for colder weather hiking without tripping over the cords).

10.) Add your closure system to the sides of the poncho (I used bra hooks; you can use Velcro or snaps or magnets or pretty much anything you desire).

11.) Add your chosen suspension system for it to be an undercover (the bra hooks on mine double for this, but most folks like a grosgrain loop at each corner that they can attach a shock cord suspension to).

12.) Seam seal the front vent (note that the zipper is likely to be PU-coated fabric while if you use silnylon for the poncho body, well...).

You'll wind up with an usable poncho/undercover. Mine's a critical portion of my rain shelter, but yours need not be if you go with a larger tarp than me.

I'll try and append photos some time today or tomorrow to help make things a little clearer.

Hope it helps!