Military Poncho Shelter Configurations using Trekking Poles

During my military career, I have been issued a lot of field gear. If you ask me what one piece of gear has been the most useful, it is the U.S.G.I. poncho. I cannot think of one piece of field gear that is more versatile than a poncho. Thinking back over the many nights that I spent in the field. The only shelter I had was the one that I built from my poncho. Today I am issued a Litefighter tent, but I still carry an issued poncho.

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

The U.S.G.I. poncho has been made from different materials and configurations over the years. It wasn't until the Vietnam War. That the military provided Soldiers with a lightweight poncho. This was to help keep the troops dry during the jungle rains and help keep them warm at night. The poncho is made from waterproof lightweight ripstop nylon. With grommets and snaps down each side. The hood of the poncho is oversized to fit over the combat helmet. The U.S.G.I. poncho measures 68"x 80" and weighs in at 1-1/2lbs. What the military calls lightweight. What outdoor enthusiasts call lightweight are two different things. For military use, the poncho has to be durable, so it can only be so lightweight.

Sure there are lighter tarps out on the market. But if you haven't thought about the U.S.G.I. poncho as part of your 10 essentials. Then I hope after this post you will. The poncho shelter should be thought of as a temporary shelter. For things like getting out of the sun, wind, and rain. It can also be used for an overnight bivouac shelter if needed. I want to share with you different shelter configurations that can be made from a single poncho. While all these configurations can be set up using a ridgeline. I am going to show you how to use your trekking poles instead of using a ridgeline. 

Supply List:

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

Knots Used:

• Overhand loop knot  (quick)
• Figure 9 Loop knot
• Taut-line Hitch
• Shear Lashing (also need to know how to tie a clove hitch)

Preparation:

The number one single point of failure for a leak is at the hood. To prepare the poncho, I start by pulling the drawstring, which will close the opening of the hood. You will still be left with a small opening.

Start with closing the oversized hood.

Roll the hood up and wrap the drawstring around the hood roll that you made. This should keep any rain from leaking in from the hood. The rolled-up hood is also going to provide an attachment point for a guideline.

Something to think about is the type of tent stakes that you will use with the poncho. You really have two options. If you decide to use a traditional aluminum hook-style tent stake. They will fit in the grommets on the poncho. If you decide to use the MSR Groundhog stakes. The Groundhog stakes are too big and won't fit in the grommets. Since I had MSR Groundhog stakes on hand. I had to add a loop made from 550 cords to each grommet in the four corners of the poncho. I believe going this route gives some flexibility in the placement of your stake. 

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:

First, determine which direction will be the front of your shelter. In this configuration, the 68" ends will be the front and back of the shelter. Place a tent stake at each corner of the rear of the shelter. Next, place the front trekking pole into the right front grommet.

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

On the front guideline, you can use an overhand loop knot or a figure 9 loop knot. Slip the loop over the tip of the trekking pole. Used a taut-line hitch on the stake end of the guideline. This will make it easy to adjust the guideline. Next, attached is a guideline for the draw cord of the hood. Fully extend the rear trekking pole, wrap the 550 cord around the tip, and add another taut-line hitch. 

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

Attaching the rear guideline to the hood helps lift the poncho up. Providing more room in the interior of the shelter.

 

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: You have to put the stakes and guidelines in the order that is mentioned. If you stake the three corners and then add the trekking poles to the rear of the shelter. The poncho will not be up high enough to provide room inside the shelter. Geometry will work against you! **

The Cave:

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

This configuration starts with staking down the 80" side of the poncho. Next, place the front trekking pole in the center grommet. Then attach the rear guideline to the hood, and then to the rear trekking pole. The last step is to stake out the two front corners. 

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

The Cave provides more overall protection from the elements. But will be a tighter fit for taller people. The exact amount of supplies and knots are used in this configuration as with the Plow and Flying V.

Lean-to with closed side:

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

The lean-to with a closed side is a modification to the classic lean-to shelter. This configuration uses the same supplies and knots as the other two shelters. 

Modification to the classic lean-to shelter.

This is a great configuration to get out of the wind while preparing a trailside meal. I think this is a bit sturdier than the classic lean-to.

Pulling the hood out would improve this configuration.

Because I limited myself to constructing this shelter. Using only the supplies I listed at the start of this post. This handicaps the overall set-up of this shelter. Unable to attach a guideline to the hood, doesn't allow you to pull the back of the shelter out. This would allow more interior room and would help keep the back of the shelter from bowing in due to wind.  This can easily be fixed by using a limb that is above the shelter and tying a section of 550 cord to the hood of the limb. Also, a tall stick could be used just like the trekking pole. 

Lean-to:

The classic lean-to.

The classic lean-to is what you normally think of when building a poncho, or tarp shelter. The lean-to is quick and easy to set up. Because the hood area of this configuration wants to sag. It's a little harder to lift the hood area just using 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 I used with the other configurations. The trick here is how to get the hood pulled out or up without using another pole or limb. I took a section of 550 cord and attached it to the hood drawstring. I then ran the other end of the 550 cord to the tip of one of the trekking poles. 

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

Use an overhand loop knot to attach the 550 cord to the trekking pole. Then adjust the guidelines to add more tension to the trekking poles. This helps pull the roof/wall of the shelter out to provide more interior room. 

Guidelines attachment point. 

A-Frame:

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

The A-frame tends to be a more challenging configuration to build than all the others. There are two reasons. First, you need to be able to tie a shear lashing. If your lashing skill is lacking, now is a great time to brush up! Second, the poles are slick, so it is harder to keep the lashing in place due to the pressure of the attachment point.

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

The A-Frame is no different than the other shelters. The need for the hood to be pulled up to provide more interior room. I ran 550 cords from the hood to one of the trekking poles and then ran the tail as a second guideline. 

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 useable poncho shelters that you can make. But the list of what you can do with a poncho is endless. While all these shelters could have been set up using a ridgeline, more stakes, and guidelines. My point here was to demonstrate that you don't need trees. With minimum supplies, you can set up a shelter in a matter of minutes. That can protect you from the elements.  

My favorite set-up out of all the poncho shelter configurations. Is the Plow/Flying V.  I feel that it provides the most room and is the sturdiest out of all of them. 

With any fieldcraft, you should practice before you need to use the skill. This post just shows you how I would set up the different poncho shelters using trekking poles. Are there better ways to do it?  Could I have used different knots? Sure, but that is not the point. This post was to get you thinking about how a poncho can provide you temporary shelter when needed. 

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?