Best Combination for Personal Raingear, Pack Cover, and Gear Hammock?

[Insaniac99]

I am looking to upgrade and replace a part of my backpacking kit. I have three cheap, but functional items that I really want to combine to shave weight and space, I figure it is the best way to shave off the bit of weight.

I have a red ledge rain jacket, an REI pack cover, and an ENO gear sling that I got when I first got into hammocking many years ago.

I know there are some ponchos that are designed to go over pack covers, and some pack covers designed to double as gear hammocks, but I don't know of any that combine all three.

I'm still open to completely separate systems, but I would like to upgrade my kit at least a little bit and what to know what you (Yes you!) use and why?

[Boston]

I have a Ghost Whisperer jacket, and use a pack liner. I've been thinking about making a tyvek or sil rain skirt/door mat for lower body coverage. You could make a rain skirt double as a gear hammock also.

The pack liner will be more effective than a pack cover, which is especially good if you use down. I use a trash compactor bag @ ~2oz. The Ghost Whisperer weights ~2oz and has kept me dry in a downpour. So 4oz total for summer gear. Maybe 1-2oz more for a rain skirt when you can't tolerate your leg's getting wet.

My pack hangs from a tree.

[Loki]

I use this one. http://www.thepacka.com/problems-wit...ing-rain-gear/

Hang my (mostly empty) pack under tarp on hammock suspension

[mros2stf]

Personally, because I backpack/hike, I stay away from ponchos. In an emergency, I can't get my pack off very quickly with a poncho covering the pack as well. I use Frogg Toggs Dri-Ducks Ultra-lite 2 http://www.froggtoggsraingear.com/DriDucks.shtm . They only weigh 10.4 oz, but you have pants and jacket. They stuff down pretty small as well. Probably too much weight for some, but having needed to get a pack off quickly in the rain, I'll stay away from the poncho. You can always leave the pants home if you don't care about your legs getting wet.

The Frogg Toggs DriDucks Suits are constructed of an ultra lite, waterproof, breathable, nonwoven polypropylene construction.

[gmcttr]

I would want a gear hammock separate from my raingear. Otherwise, you would have to empty the gear hammock to venture out from under your tarp in a heavy rain.

[Drewmon71]

I use a contractor trash bag as a pack cover, goes around the whole pack and works!!

[will_j]

I use my trusty military poncho. It is capable of doing all 3 with a little diy mod and can be had for cheap.

[Ben Guss]

Being that you are on the dry side of wa- your rain worries are not too bad.
I'm with this guy + a good quality rain jacket.

I use a contractor trash bag as a pack cover, goes around the whole pack and works!!

Here on the wet side I have a good rain jacket, rain pants and a compactor bag/bag cover.
I'd spend the $ on the big 3 and look at saving weight there.

[Gravity]

Frogg Toggs Driducks Ultra-lite 2 Poncho (8 oz) :
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

ZPacks cuben fiber rain kilt (2 oz):
http://zpacks.com/accessories/cloudkilt.shtml

Better air circulation than jacket and pants.

The poncho reviewed in Amazon:
"I recently went to Spain to hike el Camino de Santiago (the last 75 miles). I had bought a raincoat and the backpack had its own rain cover. It started raining early in the morning. I put my raincoat on (an expensive one with all the bells and whistles), and covered the backpack with its rainproof covering. I got 3 miles into the walk and my clothes under the raincoat were soaked as was my back pack. So off came the raincoat and I donned the poncho I am rating. Even in a brief period of torrential rain (I worried about flash flooding at that point) I stayed warm and DRY. I used the poncho the rest of the trip. It WORKS, covers your backpack, and is EASY to carry. Worth every penny and then some."

[will_j]

Frogg toggs gear works well I can attest to that. I keep a set in my Jeep all the time. Thanks for that link Gravity I didn't know that they made a poncho.