Best Rain Poncho

A rain poncho was once just a way to stay dry out in the cold.  Today the poncho has evolved very little in style, however, the quality of the product and its many uses have multiplied exponentially.  A poncho is basically a large sheet of fabric with a hole cut out in its center for the head.  They were originally crafted out of the prevalent fabrics of the people and society and evolved with technology and crafty human thinking.

Today, ponchos are issued to military forces all over the world and used by nearly everyone who dares to survive in the wild for sport or recreation.  They are used to keep the body warm or erect a shelter.  In desert environments, survival experts can even use them to gather morning dew and drain it to a canteen waiting in the center opening.  This can only be accomplished with a water resistance version, which is the most common among western countries.

Like many of the household items, we enjoy and may take for granted today, the ponchos greatest advancements were realized on the field of battle.  Ponchos were originally made of fabrics that, like any similar material, would soak up a great deal of water during a rain.  This would add unnecessary weight to the wearer, and make him/her cold.  People generally lose body heat 24 times faster when wet.  So naturally, the military having a general belief that their fighting men need to be both warm and dry, quickly adapted the materials to better suit their function.  The U.S. military now issues a water resistant poncho to ever man or woman that joins.

Today's ponchos are light weight, durable, functionally sound and best of all: inexpensive.  That final factor is obviously a key goal for military forces as well.  Because they are cheap, soldiers and Marines sometime make a habit of cutting up ponchos and gluing them to other items of their gear load, like the lining of their backpack to make it more waterproof.  Most ponchos today have metal or hard plastic eyelets around the edges so they may be staked to the ground or hung in trees to make a limitless number of shelter styles.

Having served many countries, fighting men and the general population, rain ponchos are also a simple staple of some peoples' wardrobes.  However, used for function or fashion, the poncho is here to stay and will continue to adapt to the surrounding environment.