Charles River ApparelMen's Pacific Rain Poncho

We have a small non-working farm and often have to go out in the rain to take care of our animals. I have to carry feed pans and buckets which requires two hands. Holding an umbrella just did not work for me so I looked for inexpensive ponchos for my husband and my self. I found these Charles River Unisex ponchos and they exactly fill the bill for us.There is a snap on each side to make "arms" and to keep the sides together which I find very helpful and there are also two snaps at the neck. I like to snap them close to make a better fit. The hood has a drawstring to be able to gather it around my face but I do wish that the hood was a little deeper. The material is heavier than the thin little see through ponchos that can be carried in a purse and yet this poncho is not ungainly in weight. Just right.It comes in a very nice matching pouch with an attached loop for hanging or carrying and I have no trouble refolding the poncho to fit back in it once it's dry. I was afraid with my less than perfect folding that there would be creases in the material but it hangs out immediately. The poncho is very roomy and covers me completely if I sit in a stadium seat or sit cross legged. I got a maroon one for me and a deep green for my husband. We could not be more pleased.We enjoy going to outdoor ball games and often sit in the drizzle and rain and these will be perfect to take along and not have to mess with an umbrella and I'm sure that the people who sit behind us will appreciate that fact also!

If you have to walk around in the rain a lot and need to keep dry, this is the way to go! I have no car and live about 1 1/2 miles from school. When it's all rainy and windy an umbrella is virtually useless. The wind blows the umbrella about, perhaps turning it inside out and meanwhile blowing rain all over you. Your head may be dry but practically nothing else is and you pray your laptop didn't get damaged as you remove all the soaking wet items out of your backpack.Enter the hero of the story, the Charles River Apparel Poncho! I can now get to school with dry clothes, except the bottoms of the pant legs, but that's what rain boots are for right? The little pull strings are made of a bungee type material and can be tightened to hug your face and the little plastic adjusters hold it tight so the wind doesn't constantly bow it off. It also has snaps around the neck area so you can decide how snug you want it to fit there too. I noticed that some people said they didn't have two snaps off to the sides around the arms but mine had both and I find these quite useful as well. Keeps the poncho from getting blown about too much but gives you the option to unsnap it if you need to. The quality of the material is good and I can tell it will last me a long time. The blue is a nice bright blue, very noticeable but not blindingly extreme. I like wearing a bright color while walking about when visibility is low for drivers. The size is perfect to cover me (5' 8", Medium build) and my somewhat large backpack fully. Comes down to around my knees, maybe a bit below them, in front.I highly recommend it!

I purchased this poncho for day hikes in the North East. I was looking for something small enough to fit into a small backpack, but tough enough for repeated use. I am pretty happy with this poncho, and I would recommend it.Fit:I wear this poncho over medium weight hiking gear with a small day pack, and I am 6 feet tall.It covered my entire backpack and came down to the tops of my knees.The arms are just flaps created by snaps on the sides of the poncho. They cover the shoulder and half of the upper arm.The hood is a good size that covers the entire head without significant loss of vision. The two neck snaps close the throat and the drawstrings create a decent seal around the face.Function:The poncho was tested in light to moderate rain. It was heavy briefly, but moderate for quite some time.The first thing I noticed was that the arms were not covered enough, but that was easily solved by pulling them in the poncho. The arm snaps I left in place as they controlled the billowing of the poncho in the wind. I may consider getting some light rope or para cord to use as a belt, but overall it kept most of the wind out.Once the hood was up, the neck snapped, and the drawstrings pulled snug, my neck stayed warm and dry. That was nice as the temperature dropped quite a bit when the rain started.My knees took the brunt of the rain. Because the hem of the poncho sat just above them all the rain from the front soaked into my pants. Granted, this is a shorter poncho and I expected that. The backs of my legs and my upper legs were dry, and wet knees was the trade off for light weight and smaller packing size.There was plenty of warmth under the poncho, and it was easy to control my temperature by unsnapping the neck or putting my arms outside of the poncho when I got a little too hot. Once the rain stopped, it was comfortable to hike with the hood down while I let the poncho dry.Pack Size:It was a bit larger than I thought when I got it. It comes with it's own pouch for storage, but I tossed that. That gave me a bit of a smaller package to work with. It was approximately 13x8x1. I didn't weigh it, but it seemed to be around 1lb. The material is thick and strong, so I am willing to accept the larger pack size.Overall, a good poncho for the price. I am sure you could get better just as I am sure you would pay a premium for it. This poncho will be a good addition to a day pack, for outdoor festival use, as part of a car kit, and probably good enough for a hike lasting a few days. Any more than that, and I would want to move up to a larger poncho that can be converted into a shelter or a dry bed liner.

Ya tenía uno y pues acá estoy nuevamente comprando algo de calidad.

Please do not get misled by this review. This is an excellent *poncho* that covers your upper body and head, but if the water is coming from the sides, you will still get wet. However, it is a poncho and it serves its purpose perfectly: avoids your camera/bag, upper body and head to get wet. I bought it and arrived the night before of my trip to Iceland. It was most useful for all the waterfalls there. Fabric-like in the inside, waterproof plastic on the outside. Carrying bag makes it compact enough for a small backpack. Worth the money.

Ok

This feels much nicer than I expected. I thought it might be plastic-bag-ey, but it doesn't feel cheap. The studs seem well-attached, the hood fits well, and I went out in torrential rain, and stayed mostly dry ( ie dry above my knees). Not great when it's very windy, but very useful.

I haven't had to wear this poncho more than a few times, so it could have vulnerabilities I'm not aware of. But it seems pretty sturdy -- it's not that thin plastic that rips right away -- is easy to throw on when needed, and provides good, waterproof coverage even in a pouring rain. My only regret is that they don't have a bright orange version for those of us who live in hunting country.