Super product! I bow hunt elk in Colorado for two weeks every year. I'm often out for days on my own in the wilderness and I need to pick my equipment seriously for weight and performance. This product went through a BEATING and passed with flying colors. It rained for days up in the mountains. I was finally forced to retreat to base camp some 5 miles away. I mean it was miserable and I climbed through some serious terrain. I LOVE the design and material. It was light and flexible more akin to fabrics than pvc. I stayed dry standing and sitting. I went through dense horrible forests navigating through groves of fallen trees and it NEVER snagged or tore. On top of all that when it finally did stop raining, with a couple of shakes the water beaded right off and it was ready to pack away. Very impressive. If - "IF" I had to say anything negative about it - it would be that if your pack has a bedroll on top as mine did it will not fit over it. If and when you're in this situation and have to put you pack over it (AND your pack weighs as much as mine - approx 70lbs) the waist belt will slide down placing more weight on your shoulders. Obviously this did not bother me enough to not give it 5 stars but after 5 miles of climbing over the backside of hell it does get to you a bit ;)
Totally worth the money!

I've had a chance to wander around my yard in a couple of downpours and so far so good. The water beads well off the fabric. The hood is huge and very deep but has no built in visor. So far that hasn't been a problem at all. It hangs far enough in front of my face to keep my glasses dry and prevent water from running down my neck but hasn't become "floppy". Time will tell if this will continue but wearing a baseball cap would fix that problem too.

It reaches to my knees (I'm 72" tall) so with a pair of rain gaiters or maybe chaps you should be waterproof from head to toe. The thumb holes in the sleeves are nice, especially for hiking since that keeps them from riding up your arms. They're some kind of elastic though and they dry much slower than the rest of the poncho so don't accidentally store it wet.

I don't think this will work well in hot weather but then I don't generally care if I get wet. It fits easily over my 60L pack. I wouldn't want to try it but I believe that with a garbage bag for my feet and legs and this poncho for my upper it would serve OK as an emergency bivy. It's definitely long enough I can sit down and pull my knees inside to wait out a particularly nasty storm.

The bottom edge stays put even though there's no drawstring or other attachment around the waist. I had another similar jacket/poncho that had a tab/loop that went between the legs to keep the bottom edge from flapping. So far this doesn't seem to need it but I may add one later.

The stuff sack is kind of small and I can never seem to roll the poncho short or fat enough to fit back into it well. That's really my only gripe. Well, that and I should have probably gone with a brighter color.

This is nice. It allows your hands to be free. I am a little Leery about using it in the woods. but just walking around in the rain keeps me dry. It can be a little noisy. I like the pouch in the front it kept my phone dry. It blocks the wind nicely.

It is durable and the pouch makes it compact. Just add a carabiner to put on your belt loop or backpack when it is the rainy season. Remember to air it out and hand wash/air dry it every once in a while so it doesn't make it smell. It will get you through hard rain to a certain extent for a short time. Being 6ft+, it will not save you knees and below on hard rain. If you got long arms, thumb holes are worthless if you want to bend your arms. I'm guessing after too long it moisture gets through the seams which I guess you could seal if you want extra protection.

Finally got a chance to try this poncho a couple weekends ago on a day hike. It started raining, and I pulled this poncho out quick and slipped it on over myself and my pack. Plenty of room! I like that the sleeves on this poncho are longer and also elastic cuffed, whereas other ponchos only have the half sleeves which still allow your forearms to get wet. The length of this poncho is great for someone my size (6'1", 230lbs) even with a full pack on. I was covered from head to just above my knees, and the expanded backside hangs just a bit lower but not in my way where I would trip on it.

One recommendation though... before you take this poncho into the field, open it at home first and "prepare" it. The plastic material may not be fully "cured" yet, so it tends to stick to itself from the factory. Extra drying time before balling it up and putting it in its compression sack would probably cure that, but we as consumers can't control it. So, take this poncho out at home and go through it carefully to fully separate it apart where it has stuck together. It won't tear (don't be rough with it, of course) but still take your time. I guarantee you don't want to break this out in the field without doing this step first, or you'll spend 2 minutes trying to get it on right. Once it's prepped, it will slip on in seconds and not re-stick to itself.

Folds up and then rolls up to easily fit back in the included compression sack. Best piece of lightweight rain gear I own, and if there's even a chance of rain on a backpack trip, this comes with me.

Not recommended to leave in a car or hot environment during the summer. The material is relatively thin and I would expect that it would age after a couple years of heat exposure. Keep it in a climate controlled environment when not needed, and get years of use out of this poncho. A tad bit pricey for just a poncho, but the design is worth it to me.