Anyone here own a US military poncho liner and bring it along on hunting/hiking trips? I've been on other bushcraft-type forums and they all rave about these things. Just wondering if these ever have a place in your pack when hunting.

Great gear, I always bring one on hunts. A lot of uses and lightweight. I bought my dad one several years ago and he wouldn't go without it now. You can get them for some pretty good prices at Sportsman's Guide.

Great Item. I always bring one on hunts.

I don't always carry it. It depends on the weather.

A "Ranger Rick" modification really helps the verstility.
It involves sewing in a neck opening so it fits like a poncho.

I used to use one for the summer. The temp rating would only get me down to about 55-60 degrees, I might be able to push 50. I still have it but I now have a Gen 1 Kifaru Woobie I take. It packs up smaller and is lighter than the poncho liner. It will keep me warm to 40 degrees, though 45 is more comfortable.

For the weight and bulk to warmth, I usually pack something different such as light tarp, and extra clothes (watch cap, light puffy jacket and fleece underwear bottoms). The liner without a poncho (issue ponchos are heavier than you'd guess) gets pretty breezy and I've been pretty cold wrapped in one above 50 degrees. I know from experience that I nap better and warmer in those extra clothes than I do in a poncho liner.

It's a good piece of gear but I usually have better options handy without spending big money or carrying extra weight

I have one left over from my army days. The thing is it weighs as much as a dedicated sleeping quilt and is only about half as warm.

+2 on the Kifaru Woobie.

The Woobie compresses down to the size of a large Grapefruit and will keep me warm down to 40 or so with my Microtex hunting gear alone. Add Smartwool long underwear tops and bottoms, I can get down near the freezing mark. Add some insulation layers (Kifaru, Micro puff etc....) and get 20's.

The Woobbie works well as an overbag to extend your sleeping bags rating. I have used it INSIDE my bag with great results also.

Simply put the Woobie is a very useful multi function piece of kit. One of my favorites.

Ditto on that! But their is usually one stuck in the gear somewhere.
G

Thing is though, I don't use one for dedicated stand alone sleeping, it's a supplement to my heavier bag for warmer nights or wrap up inside on colder, always worked well for me. Maybe I"m just used to them from back in the Army days...the Woobie it nice, I've seen them but never used them, but for $100+ ($140?) it should be. You can get the poncho liner for less than $20 used or just over $20 new and weighs about 8 oz more. Not bad for the money.

Poncho liners rock. Nothing nicer than having one to wrap around you while in a blind or laying in a hide.

On patrols as a infantry officer. I often took the poncho liner with a goretex bivvy sack as my only sleeping gear for 3 out 4 seasons.

question for the kifaru guys.

Woobie or doobie, at double the weight is the doobie worth the extra money versus the extra warmth.

I used the poncho liner many many days to stay warm while serving in the Army. I still bring one along hunting and camping but I am sure there is better gear to keep warm.
Will check out the woobie

Wiggys makes one out of a material called Lamilite or something like that. It is substantially warmer than a poncho liner. I have both. The Wiggys is substantially more expensive too, but worth it for a cold weather addition to sleeping gear or just to wrap up in.

My poncho liner sees daily use these days on the couch in the basement for watching TV. The Wiggys is what gets thrown in a pack when gear gets grabbed.

Tim I don't know about the Doobie as I have only used the Woobie. The difference is that the Doobie uses the 20 degree insulation weight while the Woobie uses the 40 degree weight. I like using the woobie in warm weather as I prefer a blanket type sleep system. When it gets cold enough to use the Doobie I prefer a sleeping bag. I like to be able to vent and spread out when it's warm and when it's cold I like to be able to cinch it up and get all snugged down for the lack of a better term.

I know as far as the extra money the Woobie is it is worth it to me for how much warmer it is over a poncho liner. Especially when I don't want or need the weight, bulk, or temp rating of a bag. I've froze too many times in a poncho liner so the money for the upgrade was worth it to me.

A long time ago I bought a thinsulate poncho liner from Brigade Quartermasters, which I haven't seen sold there for a while. It's lighter and warmer than the standard ones. I added a full-length zipper and a drawstring to turn it into a sleeping bag, and for a few years it was my summer bag until I could afford something nicer.

There are other quilts out there that are warmer & lighter than military poncho liners... look up Jacks R Better, Titanium Goat, Nunatak, and Mountain Laurel Designs to name a few.

You can get away with a pretty thin sleeping bag/quilt and stay warm most of the time; you just have to expect to use your clothes as part of your sleep system. The ultralight hiking crowd typically uses a 40F quilt for 3 season backpacking.

The woobie is one of the most underrated pieces of gear that a soldier has. I knew guys that sewed two together, then sewed a stitch down the center, fold over and sew the bottom and 3/4 of the side for a bag to crawl into. The old woobie jacket liner rocked too.

A poncho liner is a tad heavy for the warmth it offers, and I oughta know, as I've huddled in one waiting for dawn a time or two. This looks like lot more bang for it's carry weight:

http://www.uscav.com/productinfo.aspx?productid=20751&tabid=548

Well, you are not the only one with the nice experience of shivering into a new day covered with a poncho liner. I still like it alot because it is so cheap that I do not have to care about it.