I just got my poncho tarp in today from the super sale going on and opened it up to find a few odd surprises. The card and locks for both the hood and stuff sac are quite large and (relatively speaking) heavy. The same goes for the overdone grossgrain width for the tieouts. For being goLITE I would think they would choose some lighter-weight options. Granted I know they probably don't add up to much but it more of a mindset than anything for me.

So am I missing something? Are these heavyweight choices there for a reason?

Again I understand its fairly minimal weight so please don't berate me.

Daniel,

You're not off base in regards to Golite.

They have been trending to heavier gear for a good while. Their gear could be lighter, but it's a good value for the $. Spend more, weigh less.

Daniel,
When I was using my golite poncho tarp, i swapped both the line and cordlocks for lighter weight options (look at zpacks). As for the stuff sack, i didn't really care that much since i didn't use it anyway.

Thanks for the quick replies. I've already swapped out the cord but it just seems silly to have the monster grossgrain tieouts. I have made tarps twice the size with 1/2" grossgrain with no problems.

I cant see why it would be more expensive to use lighter cord, locks, and tieouts. It wouldn't need to be anything high tech, just smaller.

Heck it may be cheaper depending on what was used.

I also swapped out the cord in the hood for a small diameter shock cord with a cord lock. I am sure it saved a fraction of an oz, but it doesn't show up on my scales any different. (That don't mean that I wasn't glad to do it though...)

I do not plan to use the stuff sack so I saved 100% of that weight! :)

On the note of the stuff sac, I really like the stretchiness of it! I need a pillow so I have been carrying a Exped pillow. This stuff sac may act as a decent pillow when stuffed with some clothes. I have tried the method before with other stuffsacs but the materials have always been extremely unpleasant on my face. Ill have to give this a try!

I'm not aware of any myself.

Since I'm not a gram-weenie, I have no appreciation for things like cord locks. I own the poncho and find it to be a very intelligently designed piece of gear. My only beef is with the tiny head hole. I'm very happy that GoLite provided a roomy stuff sack as it is quick to repack. Not sure why they went with such a fat draw string.

The tie-outs are perfect if you plan on really using it for a shelter - if not then you can cut them off.

I have made shelters that have been in some aggressive weather that only have 1/2" grosgrain and do just fine. That is why I point out the large size.

I made an investigative trip to Academy Sports yesterday looking for a nylon Magellan Backpacker Poncho. It appears that my local Academy doesn't stock it anymore. It is possible that it has been dropped from Magellan's product line much in the same way that GoLite dropped the Ion. ;-(

The digital scale at the Post Office indicates 9.5 ounces for my ripstop nylon polyurethane coated backpacker poncho. If memory serves me I paid right at or below $15.00 for this poncho 4 years ago at Academy Sports.

Recent internet searches for this backpacker poncho / tarp have proved fruitless.

I pulled my poncho out of the gear closet the other day after reading this thread and realized that with the addition of a few pieces of grosgrain I could have something that weighs about the same as a GoLite poncho tarp and costs a lot less.

If anyone else on this forum is interested in poncho tarps as a shelter ask around at your local Academy if they might have some old stock out back. It's possible some locations may still have it on the rack. Some of you may have one lurking in your gear closet like I did. ;-)

Party On,

Newton