RE: [Philmont]: Novice backpacker with Philmont questions

Ponchos are highly discouraged at Philmont. If you look at the Guidebook to
Adventure (mailed during the spring prior to your trek), you will notice in
their discussion of rain gear that the only rain gear listed is a rain suit,
not a poncho. In my opinion, even a cheap rain suit is superior to any
poncho. With the gusty winds and sudden temperature drops that often
accompany storms at Philmont, a poncho just doesn't cut it. As someone else
already mentioned, the ponchos that cover both the person and the pack are
fine IF you happen to be hiking with the pack. When you're in camp, then it
becomes a choice of whether the person stays dry or the pack stays dry. If
you happen to be wearing the poncho w/o a pack (i.e., on a side hike), all
that extra material is going to blow around and be a pain. It's possible to
spend upwards of $250 on a high-quality rain suit, but adequate ones can be
found for well under $100 -- well worth every penny compared to a poncho.

And yes, I have seen people try to get away with a poncho - a heavy-duty
poncho *may* work, but one Scout tried to get by with the $1 "emergency"
poncho that they sell at Wal-Mart (a trash bag would work better)! Needless
to say, I talked to the leaders and required the Scout to buy new rain gear
at the Trading Post.

Brian Gannon
ASM, T-1113 - Fairfax, VA
Philmont Treks 1994, 1996, 2002, 2004
Philmont Ranger 1997-2000

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Received on Thu Sep 9 15:50:05 2004