Voited Packable Rain Poncho review: weighty but watertight coverage for torrential days in the hills, urban treks and festivals

Voited Packable Rain Poncho: first impressions 

Tired of having to pull on a waterproof jacket and a rain cover for your backpack every time the heavens open? This packable rain poncho covers everything from crown to knee, leaving loads of room to move and allowing you to reach your gear without unzipping. Made from 50D recycled polyester fibers and with a 2.5-layer membrane inside, there’s little chance of much water sneaking past this giant cape, which also features an adjustable hood with metal visor to keep a driving rain out of your eyes. It covers you up to just past your fingertips and below your knees, so with a pair of wellies or waterproof trousers, you’ll be bone dry on the wettest days.

A 3/4 zip and four metal-snap closures on each side provide a comfortable, secure fit and make this poncho extra versatile. It’s large enough that you can use it as a mini temporary shelter or spread it out on the wet ground to sit on when you stop for lunch. It comes packed inside a pouch that turns into a large chest pocket easily big enough for your map and compass if you end up having to wear it all day. It’s certainly a bit heavier than your average hiking rain jacket, but the weight helps make it a bit less flappy on windy days. Though it’s a little unorthodox for the lightweight hiker, it definitely keeps you dry and is an arm and a leg cheaper than any of the waterproof jackets we’ve tested.

Voited Packable Rain Poncho: in the field 

This is my first non-disposable rain poncho, and if I’m being honest I was a little skeptical about it as a performer for hiking where I tend to want my clothes closer to my body. Perhaps I’m being a little unfair, but I tend to associate ponchos with people who don’t spend a lot of time in the hills. Regardless, I was curious to test it out and see if it really does the job on a wet hike, and fortunately I live in Scotland so there are plenty of rainy days here to give it a shot.

I have to say, overall I’m quite pleased with how this performs. The first main advantage for me is that it’s massive. This means I can easily pull it on over my backpack, but I’m still able to rummage around and reach anything that I have in my pack or jacket pockets without unzipping it. If I was wearing a raincoat, I’d have to move everything from my fleece jacket pockets to my waterproof jacket pockets or keep unzipping and getting wet. It also means it provides plenty of coverage, from my hands down to just below my knees. I recently wore it on a rainy hike near Loch Lomond and with a pair of fast-drying hiking pants and waterproof shoes, I was by far the happiest out of my group at the end of the day. I also really appreciate the adjustable hood with visor to keep the rain out of my eyes, and the giant chest pocket, which provides storage for everything you could possibly want.

It’s so big that you can easily spread it out to sit on for a picnic, or even use it as a temporary shelter. And finally – this may be a bit too much information – but it provides a perfect “modesty tent” for when you have to go for a pee and there aren’t any trees to hide behind, and quite frankly this is probably my favorite thing about it.

As for things I don’t like, it’s advertised as being a lot lighter than it is. I could tell it was a lot heavier than my raincoat, and when I weighed it, it was nearly twice as heavy as it says on the website. For that reason, I might be more likely to just carry my jacket for light rain, however you also don’t have to carry a tarp or backpack cover if you have this, so remember the weight might even out. One good aspect of the weight is that it’s definitely not as flappy in the wind as it might otherwise be. 

Also, I don’t know any other way to say this other than it just looks slightly insane. I mean, if you like a superhero vibe then you’ll love how it looks, but I do feel a bit self-conscious walking about in the hills (and in town) wearing a giant, flappy pink cape. But that’s totally personal. One other thing that’s annoying is that it came in a pouch that turned out to be the chest pocket – great idea, except I’ve never quite been able to figure out how to get it back in. I can stuff it in no problem but I always seem to be left with velcro on just one side to close it. Maybe I’m just not smart enough, but I like these things to require zero brain power, it's just folding up a poncho after all. 

Finally, I am on the small side, but I’m not petite, and I do find that it’s almost too big and the hood hearly obscures my vision – I think if you’re an XS hiker or smaller, you’ll find even the smallest version far too big to be functional.

All of that said, it keeps you super dry and if you’re keen on a rain poncho, this is a lot cheaper than any of the waterproof jackets I’ve tested for Advnture and pretty sturdy, too. For warmer wet weather, it's far more breathable than a waterproof jacket, too.

Here’s how it performed:

Sizing and fit

It’s massive and covers your arms, hands and knees. May be too large for a petite hiker.

Comfort and breathability

It’s plenty roomy and, because it’s a poncho, very breathable, even if a bit heavy for warm days.

Weight and packability

It's reasonably heavy and packs down to the size of a small camping pillow.

Durability 

Very sturdy constructions and materials.

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