HAZARD 4 Mens Rain Poncho Villa TM Technical Soft-Shell - Black Black Classic

Ok, I convinced myself to by this, as it looks very cool from the photo. I am not military or anything but like tactical products. My thoughts were to try it, with prime, and return it if it was just a 'consumer' whim purchase. Now, I bought the Evac Rocket(TM) Urban Sling Pack w/ MOLLE by Hazard 4(R) bag too. I have to say the bag is very very nice and fits a laptop. So, I put this poncho in it, and still has plenty of room for a laptop. My thoughts were: it makes it easy to carry, provides xtra waterproof for the laptop, and can be used to free up space when needed. I walk a lot, and hope to travel again, and figured it would come in handy. Now, I wore it the other day when it was raining hard, but rain stopped by the time i got out. Still, I had noticed looks, and a stranger walked by and said 'nice poncho' (reminding me it was called poncho villa) and some kids called me 'batman'. I am short, 5' 6", and need to lose a little weight, but my point is i feared it would be too big. It actually fits great, lightweight too. I am sure I could wear it in miami weather when i move back, as it rains a lot. Also, I have plenty of space if i use it over the bags. I even thought if I get to brazil one day, or travel other places, it could serve as a very nice cover to protect from pick pockets. I lived in spain, and there were a lot of pick pockets. Thus, it could be good for a layer of protect for that too. I probably will never use the folding option, but it is still a nice thing to have. I really like the velcro front pouch as it can hold a lot of stuff when walking. Again, I WANTED to like it, but actually do. I probably will start using it as a style type normal jacket, and the neat thing is you could use this to cover other jackets, they may be more trendy or smart looking but not weather proof. I am happy with the purchase and although I am new to Hazard products, I am now a fan! I know the bag is a bit pricey, 120$, but it really is made of high quality material. I have bought some skater type trendy looking backpacks, 50$, where they were simply school type bags that the zipper fell off. I feel these products are great for long term travel wear. I even fit a bullet / knife proof vest in it, small one, double rolled a bit, but just to see if i could. I was thinking like a 'poor mans' bullet resistant back pack. The only thing is that now in the states everyone is a bit crazy, so not sure what would happen if i was searched and what would they think me having that! Still, they are marketing children now a days with those bags. I also bought the guitar gun case, I do not have guns though; my idea was if i have to travel with these few bags and one med size travel luggage it would be a unique way to walk with lots of stuff. I like the guitar bag too. Now, i think i could use it for clothes, suit, etc and with the hazarad shoulder patch works fine. Again, they all look tactical so I may be considered a security threat to over zealous police with all this stuff. As well, it does say hazard on it, so any progressively tactical police type people may think i was carry guns. So, with these two bags and the poncho, I believe I have a tactical / multi-optional way of having to carry things without a car. I believe i could carry most of my limited wardrobe and things with these bags and the medium carry under armour suit case. Again, i was thinking it would not be too fun having to carry two medium or one large suitcase and the guitar case adds flexibility. Also, I imagine people will think i am simply some guitar music lover. Perhaps, it does not matter to you what they think but the idea of walking around with obvious suitcases could make me look like i am new to a place or simply struggling to carry lots of stuff. So, it is sort of a tactical luggage set for me. Heck, if i ever got into guns etc..i would have everything! If you can afford it, its quality stuff and fashionable too! http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003ZWS8AY/ref=oh_details_o06_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Read more

I get this out up front. This is not a tiny little poncho you carry in your pocket. This is a full up tactical poncho that has multiple purposes. From water protection to shelter, to water collection. You name it this can do it. It is also made out of a breathable waterproof material. I don't think it is Gortex but it is something very similar. Also, it has reinforced holes on the corners for securing this via 550 cord. There are other similar touches which make this such an outstanding poncho. This poncho folds down into the front pocket of the poncho so that pocket becomes the convenient carrying case. I keep it in my car in my Condor 3 Day Assault Pack so I always have it handy. It fits nicely into the big pocket just on top of the main compartment. In my life, I have used quite a few ponchos and none of them have even come close to how nice this poncho is. Read more

I haven’t got to use it in the rain yet, but this product was recommended to me by some buddies of mine. We all work in the movie industry where we spend hours on end outside. This product kept them rather dry on a 16 hour day in the hard rain and that’s why I bought it. It not only looks bad ass but it works. After getting mine I took a fine look at it and it’s great quality and lightweight. I am 5’7” and it comes down to about by knees which is great for keeping as much of me out of the elements as possible. I highly recommend this to anyone looking to have that extra layer and cover yourself. I wish it came though with instructions on folding it back into its pocket. A bit confusing. But a great feature to keep it small and condensed. Read more

I'm an "amateur" storm spotter in the Southern United States and in the hot and humid springs/summers in the South I can't wear a rain jacket because my arms and back get so sweaty that my shirt is literally soaked with sweat. So I decided on a poncho because of it's openness at the bottom to promote air flow and allow greater arm movement. I didn't want one of those cheap $4 disposable ponchos you can get at Wal Mart. So after a few sleepless nights of shopping around online I found that the Hazard 4 Poncho Villa was about the only one that looked like it was good to go for the long haul. It's also very tactical-like with the Velcro panels on the back, chest, shoulders and head. I plan to put some reflective strips on the chest and back panels to stay visible in the dark and rain. It's very nicely designed and well made. Tough enough that you can take it hiking and not have to worry about tree limbs or rocks tearing holes in it. It even has grommets in the corners so that you can make a small tent out of it with some paracord or other small rope. Now for the cons: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ (1) It's rather bulky and heavy as other reviews have stated. If you're the type of hiker or camper that's always trying to shave those ounces off of your load-out weight then I would pass on this one. (2) The price is waaay too high. It should last me my whole life but the $130 price tag is outrageous. In my opinion it's only worth about $100 (at the most) but I had to make the sacrifice because there was really nothing else like it on the market. (3) My ***BIGGEST*** complaint about this poncho is that the hood is kind of small. I wear glasses and when I have the hood on and I turn my head to the left or the right the hood tightens up and pushes my glasses up against the side of my head and puts a lot of pressure on the sides my nose as well. Almost impossible to wear the hood with my glasses on. I've decided that I'm going to have to buy a rain hat to wear with this poncho to get total freedom of head movement with my glasses on and still keep my head dry. Not a big deal though. I would still recommend this to anyone who needs a rugged poncho. Read more