Military Poncho Shelter Configurations using Trekking Poles

Throughout my military career, I've been issued a wide array of field gear. But if I had to pick the one piece that stands out as the most useful, it's the U.S.G.I. poncho. I can’t think of a more versatile piece of equipment. Reflecting on the countless nights spent in the field, the only shelter I had was the one I crafted from my poncho. Even now, though I'm issued a Litefighter tent, I still carry that trusty poncho with me.

I cannot think of one piece of field gear that is more versatile than a poncho.

The U.S.G.I. poncho has undergone various iterations in both material and design over the years. It wasn't until the Vietnam War, however, that the military issued a lightweight version to Soldiers. This was designed to keep troops dry during the heavy jungle rains and provide warmth at night. Made from waterproof, lightweight ripstop nylon, the poncho features grommets and snaps along each side. Its oversized hood is designed to fit over a combat helmet, ensuring full coverage. The U.S.G.I. poncho measures 68" x 80" and weighs about 1.5 lbs, which the military considers "lightweight." However, when compared to what outdoor enthusiasts typically define as lightweight, there's a noticeable difference. For military use, durability takes precedence, which means the poncho can only be so light.

While there are lighter tarps available on the market, if you haven't considered the U.S.G.I. poncho as part of your 10 essentials, I hope this post changes your mind. The poncho is an incredibly versatile shelter that can protect you from the sun, wind, and rain. It can also serve as a temporary shelter or an emergency bivouac if necessary. In this post, I'll demonstrate various shelter configurations you can create with just one poncho. While these setups are often done using a ridgeline, I'll show you how to use trekking poles instead.

Supply List:

• 1 U.S.G.I. poncho
• 2 trekking poles
• 550 cord
• 5 tent stakes

Knots Used:

• Overhand loop knot (quick tie)
• Figure 9 Loop knot
• Taut-line hitch
• Shear lashing (requires knowing the clove hitch)

Preparation: The most common point of failure for leaks is at the hood. To address this, I start by pulling the drawstring to close the hood opening. Although this will still leave a small gap, it significantly reduces the chance of water entering the shelter.

Start with closing the oversized hood.

Roll up the hood and secure the drawstring around the roll you’ve created. This will help prevent any rain from seeping in through the hood. Additionally, the rolled-up hood serves as a convenient attachment point for a guideline.

When choosing tent stakes for your poncho, you have two main options. Traditional aluminum hook-style tent stakes will fit directly into the grommets on the poncho. However, if you opt for MSR Groundhog stakes, you’ll find they’re too large to fit into the grommets. Since I had MSR Groundhog stakes available, I added a 550 cord loop to each of the four corner grommets. This modification not only makes the stakes compatible but also adds flexibility in how you position them.

Simple loop made out of 550 cord. 

Once the prep work is complete, we can make any poncho shelter configurations that we want to use

The Plow or Flying V:

Start by deciding which direction will be the front of your shelter. In this setup, the 68" sides will serve as the front and back of the shelter. Begin by placing a tent stake at each of the rear corners. Then, position the front trekking pole into the right front grommet.

Use an Overhand Loop Knot to attach the 550 cord guideline.

For the front guideline, you can use either an overhand loop knot or a figure 9 loop knot. Simply slip the loop over the tip of the trekking pole. On the stake end of the guideline, tie a taut-line hitch to allow for easy adjustments. Next, attach a guideline to the drawstring of the hood. Fully extend the rear trekking pole, wrap the 550 cord around the tip, and secure it with another taut-line hitch. This will help stabilize the shelter and keep everything in place.

Use the poncho hood as an attachment point for the rear trekking pole.

Attaching the rear guideline to the hood helps lift the poncho, creating more space inside the shelter and improving overall comfort.

 

Wrap the 550 cord around the tip of the rear trekking pole.

Stake down the last corner and make any adjustments. To the trekking poles and guidelines as needed. 

Front view of the Plow or Flying V.

The left side view shows the guideline attached to the hood.

Note: It's important to follow the staking and guideline sequence as described. If you stake the three corners first and then add the trekking poles to the rear, the poncho won’t be elevated enough to create adequate interior space. Trust me—geometry will work against you!

The Cave:

The Cave might be a better option for all-weather protection.   

Start by staking down the 80" side of the poncho. Next, position the front trekking pole into the center grommet. Attach the rear guideline to the hood and then connect it to the rear trekking pole. Finally, stake out the two front corners to secure the shelter in place.

To get overall protection you have to be willing to lose some interior space.

The Cave configuration offers greater protection from the elements, though it may feel a bit cramped for taller individuals. The same supplies and knots used in the Plow and Flying V setup are required for this configuration as well.

Lean-to with closed side:

The construction of this configuration can be either right or left.

The lean-to with a closed side is an adaptation of the classic lean-to shelter. This setup uses the same supplies and knots as the other two shelter configurations.

Modification to the classic lean-to shelter.

This configuration is ideal for sheltering from the wind while preparing a trailside meal. I find it to be sturdier than the classic lean-to, offering extra stability in windy conditions.

Pulling the hood out would improve this configuration.

Since I restricted myself to using only the supplies listed at the start of this post, the shelter’s overall setup is limited. Not being able to attach a guideline to the hood prevents the back of the shelter from being pulled out, which would provide more interior space and help prevent the rear from bowing in due to wind. However, this can be easily fixed by using a tree limb above the shelter and tying a section of 550 cord from the hood to the limb. Alternatively, a tall stick could be used in place of the trekking pole to achieve the same result.

Lean-to:

The classic lean-to.

The classic lean-to is the shelter most people envision when setting up a poncho or tarp. It’s quick and easy to set up. However, because the hood tends to sag in this configuration, it can be a bit more challenging to lift the hood using just trekking poles.

The classic lean-to is what you normally think of when building a poncho or tarp shelter.

Using the same supplies and knots as in the other configurations, the key challenge here is finding a way to pull the hood out or up without adding another pole or limb. To solve this, I attached a section of 550 cord to the hood’s drawstring, then ran the other end of the cord to the tip of one of the trekking poles.

Using a guideline helps pull the hood out and provides more interior space.

Tie an overhand loop knot to attach the 550 cord to the trekking pole. Then, adjust the guidelines to add more tension, which will help pull the roof and walls of the shelter out, creating more interior space.

Guidelines attachment point. 

A-Frame:

Out of all the configurations, the A-frame is the most challenging to set up.

The A-frame configuration is more challenging to set up than the others for two main reasons. First, it requires the ability to tie a shear lashing, so if your lashing skills are rusty, now’s the perfect time to practice! Second, the poles can be slippery, making it harder to keep the lashing in place under the pressure of the attachment points.

The trekking poles allow you to adjust how high you want your shelter to be.

The A-Frame shelter is no different from the others in that it requires the hood to be lifted to create more interior space. I ran a 550 cord from the hood to one of the trekking poles and used the remaining cord as a second guideline to provide additional support and tension.

No matter how you set up your poncho shelter always try to pull the hood up.

Due to the size of the military poncho, there are only so many viable shelter configurations you can create. However, the possibilities for what you can do with a poncho are virtually endless. While all these shelters could have been set up using a ridgeline, more stakes, and guidelines, the point here is to show that you don’t need trees. With minimal supplies, you can set up a shelter in just minutes that will protect you from the elements.

Out of all the poncho shelter configurations, my favorite is the Plow/Flying V. I find it offers the most room and is the sturdiest overall.

As with any fieldcraft, it’s important to practice before you need the skill. This post demonstrates how I set up various poncho shelters using trekking poles. Could there be better ways to do it? Could I have used different knots? Absolutely. But the goal here is to get you thinking about how a poncho can provide temporary shelter when necessary.

Now It's Your Turn-

Leave a comment on your favorite military poncho shelter set-up. Do you normally use a poncho as your shelter?