While it won't be serving as your permanent rain coat for outdoor adventures, the Emergency Poncho from Coleman does come in handy from time to time and is a nice thing to have in an emergency kit for your vehicle or your backpack.

Basics

There really isn't too much to this poncho. It's made from a durable plastic fabric and is square-shaped. There's an opening with a plastic hood roughly in the middle. It's easy enough to put on and take off. Just slip it over your head and the poncho falls around you covering up the majority of your upper body. It only weighs a few ounces and while I can never fold it up quite as small as it comes in its packaging, it is very easy to fold up and pack. The plastic material is somewhat durable, but will start to degrade over time and it's easy enough to tear or rip if you aren't careful.

Does it keep you dry?

Well I suppose you do stay drier than you would if you weren't wearing it. However since it's not really a jacket, it doesn't fit you quite the way a jacket would and hence you do end up at least getting damp in the process of wearing it, especially in windy conditions since the poncho tends to blow around and you aren't covered that well.

That said, if you don't have anything else, this poncho is better than nothing and will provide some measure of protection. It's also good to use to cover a backpack or some other object. I also use it when backcountry camping as a floor mat to put between my camping mattress and the floor of the tent.

Experiences

I usually keep one of these ponchos in each of our vehicles since there's nothing worse than being stuck somewhere with vehicle problems in the rain. It's not the best option, but it's cheap and small enough to slip in a glove compartment. More often though I use it as the floor mat for my tent when I'm camping, either at a campground or out in the backcountry. The poncho is light and easy enough to pack that it barely adds anything to my backpack. Iit gives me an extra bit of protection between the floor of the tent and my mattress and sleeping bag since you can get a bit of moisture on the tent floor.

Final Thoughts

While it doesn't provide the protection that a dedicated rain coat or shell jacket does, the Emergency Poncho does give you some protection from the elements in an emergency. It is also easy to pack, inexpensive and can serve multiple purposes. I like to carry one with me when backpacking and use it as a floor mat in my tent.  I don't really recommend this poncho as a rain coat, but in a pinch it works and it does make for a great base layer in your tent.

Recommended: Yes