Cannot go wrong with golite price tag of $60, as opposed to $160 for cuben fiber models. The difference would be in construction/cut/seam seal etc. I think all of these "non cuben fiber" models use "silicone impregnated ripstop nylon" material. I think he dislikes their marketing claims "breathable/waterproofness". Yes Alyssa, Nick didn't favour the new golite model. As one reviewer put it "golite is a poncho rigged for tarp" whereas the "MLD is a tarp with a great hood". Of these golite has the best reviews when used as a poncho. Given i cannot wait that long, the best alternatives, in the lightweight and durable category, include Golite or Integral designs or Equinox (campmor).
Two companies make cuben fiber based ponchos zpacks and MLD (Mountain laurel design). The amount of breathability in the material would not help someone who sweats a lot under constant rain. It's not perfect and is vulnerable to very heavy winds with heavy rain, but by that point I'm either going to ground or staying inside. I never needed to put on actual insulation, and I stayed comfortably dry the entire time. I handled reasonably gusty winds w/o issue. For roughly 10 days, I walked in almost constant rain and the temp never got above 40 F (4-5 C) the entire day.
WATERPROOF PONCHO PLUS
This system worked without an insulation layer (I just used a merino wool/poly tee shirt and a standard Columbia synthetic backpacking shirt plus my wind jacket and umbrella) on my 2013 camino. Coupled with that, I add in a backpacking umbrella (my favorite is the GoLite Chrome Dome), which does just fine even in strong and gusty winds if I'm willing to stow my walking sticks. Even after sweating it out, the wind protection is still good at blunting the worst effects. I agree with the main premise of the article, although I would offer a slightly different perspective not well addressed by the article.īecause a cool wind on sweat is often a chilling factor, a very lightweight windjacket (4 oz or less) with durable water repellent treatment is highly breathable (I generally won't sweat it out until under significant exertion AND temps in the low 70s or higher).