The Importance of a Military Poncho and Poncho Liner
Well, any NESA GSAR graduate should understand the importance of packing a military poncho in your 24 hour gear. First of all these nylon ponchos are virtually indestructible, I have abused mine for a few years and never had a problem with a rip. The nylon used in these ponchos is also amazingly thin, it is very easy to fold up a poncho and stick it in your buttpack and have plenty of room left over. As stated before these are extraordinarily durable ponchos, but better yet they make great tents in the field if you didn't pack a proper camping tent. As seen in the diagram below you can make a wide variety of shelters with one poncho and even better shelters if you buddy up with someone and button 2 ponchos together.
The main complaint I have heard about these shelters is they do nothing to keep out insects, and yes that is true. However, there are ways to make the sleep a little more enjoyable. First of all, do not spray the tent with insect repellant, this will make your poncho less water repellant. Some people spray the ground around their tent with repellant but its effects are not very significant. The best thing to do is cover up as much exposed skin as possible. Personally when I have used poncho tents I sleep in my BDU's with the pants tucked into my socks and the sleeves tight around my wrists. This will keep insects off the majority of your body. This still leaves your face exposed, and the best solution to this is a $3 insect head net you can buy at most surplus stores. These are fairly comfortable to sleep in and do work at keeping the bugs off your face and neck. Another simple way to help with insects is to use a simple ground tarp on the bottom of your poncho tent. I personally used a heavy duty military casualty blanket as a ground tarp, it is about the size of the poncho, its green on one side and silver on the other. It will cover more than enough space for you to sleep on and is waterproof. Like the poncho it to folds up and fits nicely in the bottom of your buttpack, and yet another advantage is in an emergency situation it for be used for its intended purpose, as a space blanket.
A military poncho liner is a valuable addition to any 72hr pack. Its main function is to function as a slight weight blanket/sleeping bag. If you already have a tent, it can be tied into the poncho which will make a waterproof sleeping bag. It can be used alone as a blanket or sleeping bag, or on hot nights as a pillow. The poncho liner is smaller and easier to pack than most sleeping bags and works great for anything other than winter climates.
An expensive alternate to the poncho line sleeping bag is this
http://www.geocities.com/Pentagon/Quarters/2116/lwsb.htm
Buying tips for military ponchos and poncho liners: First of all make sure it is a genuine military item, the market is filled with import copies that are poorly made. The best way to do this is to check for a tag or ink stamp on the item. When a tag or stamp is located check to make sure it has a DSA or DLA contract number. These will look somehting like DLA120-83C-4772. This number is also great for dating the item as the middle number, 83 in this case is the date of contract or manufacture. If you are buying a used item make sure that it is still in working order, check for rips, tears, missing grommets, missing buttons, etc.
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