Dutch Rain Poncho, Olive Drab, surplus

This is a nice piece of kit. Even in a torrential rainfall, the only place water appears to have bled through was at the seam, and it wasn't enough for me to feel wet (even though all I was wearing was an undershirt. Two notes: One, this should probably not be machine washed. Wipe it down with a sponge and a little dish soap to remove some of the surplus smell (which was mild). Two, This needs to be worn with the appropriate pants. The design leaves your arms more free than the BW rubberized tarp/poncho, but it will dump water on your legs, right around knee level. Still, it will keep your cell phone pocket dry long enough for you to get to shelter.

It's a great option for rain wear and does everything I want it to do. The only downside is the collar. I've got a pretty thin neck and it feels a bit like choking when I do up the top button. Aside from that it's great.

I was issued the British made poncho in the Air Training Corps in '81. They are made of rubberised canvas and make a good single person groundsheet. When worn, they make a hopeless waterproof, especially in the usual gale force winds and driving rain one gets on RAF stations in the middle of nowhere. The collar is an excellent rain funnel, so that one's '70 pattern heavy cotton combat smock can slowly but surely absorb it all. Also, it runs straight off the bottom edges into one's trousers and down into one's boots, for that special extra boost to morale that only having wet feet can give. I think those ponchos were designed to be worn with the British Mk1 helmet as a sou'wester type of hat, but we only had berets (the most useless piece of military headgear ever invented). A beret being made of wool, would complete the job of absorbing several pints of rain and whatever industrial by-product was contained in it (we had factories in Britain in those days). Note the stylish angled cut of the poncho, which means the mutant rain can home in on the side of the body with least protection whilst one is standing around on whatever duty/dicking one's officers can leave one on with the parting comment of "We'll get you relieved in a bit!" before they fuck off to the mess to get drunk at lunchtime. Two seconds later, boredom sets in. So, if you are going to buy one of these ponchos, buy waterproof trousers and a big hat as well.