Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Everyone's perception of a product is different, so it's not always the best thing to let reviews influence your purchases. That being said, I am very happy with this poncho and am glad I bought it. I'm heading to Scotland in September, and past experience has taught me that there could be some intense rain while I am there. The last time I went, I brought my London Fog raincoat with me. I was very smug, until the day I was caught in torrential downpours. The raincoat's red lining bled all over my clothes, and I was soaked to the bone. So much for London Fog. The best way to describe this poncho is that it is made of the same fabric used to make umbrellas. That should give you a good idea what to expect. It is NOT plastic. Part of its repellency comes from the very tight weave of the fabric. Water can't get through. Just like an umbrella, you don't need to worry about waterproofing it down the road, because it won't need it. It is very supple, and the water just rolls off. It is easy to fold up and put back into the carrying pouch. There are four snaps down each side to create a kind of "arm", and a small elastic hoop at the end of each arm that I can only assume is to hook around your finger/thumb to hold the arm in place. There have been complaints that I've read that the arm isn't long enough, but I find that to just be the nature of a poncho. The hood does have an elastic drawstring, and there are spring-loaded stoppers at each end to prevent the elastic from retracting into the hood, as well as to tighten it around your head. The zipper installation is quite clever, as it has been sewn in--for lack of a better description--backwards. The zipper teeth are facing your body, and the zipper tape faces outward which creates a water barrier of sorts. This is probably only something that a seamstress would notice, but it's a nice feature. As a backup, there is a placket sewn behind the zipper to prevent leakage. There is also one medium-sized zippered pocket. The carrying pouch comes with a plastic carabiner for hooking onto things, but it appears fairly flimsy, and I don't think it will hold up. I plan to replace mine with a sturdier metal one. It is definitely plenty roomy...I can put it on over my backpack purse, and everything stays dry. I think this was probably one of my better purchases.