Review – MOLLE Packable Poncho by 5.11 Tactical
Morgan Rogue 07.27.23
I really enjoy ponchos, they’re easy to take on and off, they’re lightweight and they cover a large portion of your body with little effort. I’ve always loved ponchos.
Of course, 5.11 Tactical comes out with a MOLLE Packable Poncho that I just couldn’t pass up the chance to try out!
I’ve had ponchos in the past that claim they’re packable, but not nearly down to the size that this one packs down. I can keep it stuffed in the front pocket of my 5.11 Chest Pack with no problem, always having it available for easy access. Of course, the poncho also has MOLLE on it so you can strap it to just about anything.
It fits well. It’s way more lightweight than my other ponchos. Almost feels like I don’t even have it on. It’s big enough that it could easily also go over a backpack, while continuing to still graciously cover my body.
It has snaps which allows for dedicated arms, instead of just having your arms flap around. You can always unsnap it if you’re going to use the poncho as a shelter.
Speaking of shelter, they added webbed loops on the poncho so you can tie it down as an emergency shelter!
One of the best features is the drawstring hoodie. I haven’t seen too many ponchos where it offers a drawstring hoodie to keep the extra rain out of that particular area. In fact, this often bothers me about most rain gear, I have purchased many that don’t offer anyway to drawstring the hoodie to keep water out of your chest. It’s bizzarre! But 5.11 didn’t skimp on this detail and I appreciate that.
So the question is, while this does claim to be packable, just because you can take it out, doesn’t mean you can put it back in.
Except in this case, that’s exactly what it means! It comes out easily and also packs in just as easily! It reminds me of packing a sleeping bag back into it’s pouch, except this is way easier. I was able to stuff it back into the attached pouch with no problems. Of course, it’s not folded ever so perfectly as it was when you first get it, but the fact that I could stuff it back in and then place it back into the front pouch of my chest pack with no problems; it’s a keeper!
They have thought of everything with this poncho. Lightweight, versatile, packable; what more could we ask for?
I suppose some have complained about the color. It is a bit bright, but I have come to appreciate brighter colors when it comes to many of my accessories. I want to be able to FIND it and sometimes BE found if necessary. Sure, if I were to use this as an emergency shelter, it might stick out like a sore thumb, but that also might be a GOOD thing if I were lost, very easy to spot. I do wish they offered a few different color options, but for now, we’re stuck with the ‘Old Gold’, as they call it.
For just $68, you can get your own MOLLE Packable Poncho! I highly recommend it.
