Stuff You (Hopefully) Never Need

So, this is emergency gear. We just want to make that clear.

The tent is the kind of tent you have on you for when you didn’t know you’d need a tent. And the poncho is similar. Looking for something to wear while watching your kid’s baseball game in a light drizzle? That’s not what this is. An unexpected storm rolls in when you’re hiking solo miles from the trailhead? You’ll be glad to have this.

Another thing we should make clear: it’s good emergency gear. The tent, for example, earns a 4.6 out of 5 on Amazon based on over 10,000 reviews.

User True West highlights many of its appealing qualities in a 5-star review where he calls it the “Best in class for an affordable survival shelter.” One especially important point: its weight.

Of course, as a ‘survival item’ it may well spend 100% of its life packed up. On that count, the Go Time really does manage to be lighter than its competitors, and compresses easily.

In other words, as long as it’s packed, you won’t even know it’s there. And that’s good because you don’t want to have any reason not to pack this thing. Plus, it’s pretty sizable when fully set up, according to Stuart Mantel.

I set it up in my backyard to test it and it went up easily and is large enough for me to fit in comfortably (6’1 250 lbs).

The ponchos don’t have the same robust review count (just 254) but those who did rate them gave them similarly high marks.

User John speaks from experience in a 5-star review titled “Better to have and not need, than to need and not have!”

Have used only once so far. What I could tell: it was indeed quite warm, and quite voluminous. Will easily go over a large backpack. Dried it off and re-packed it. So it can be multi-use with some care.

Gandalf Greyhame, meanwhile, argues they’re not just for outdoorsy situations.

A bit smaller than a beverage can, this poncho is a must-have for a car emergency kit–for handling that roadside issue in the rain, or in the cold. The Mylar keeps your loss of body heat minimal, and if you know how, the poncho can easily be turned into a makeshift shelter.

But why, Gandalf, would you convert this thing to a shelter when the bundle includes a tent (and also some paracord and an emergency whistle that can be heard by rescuers from up to a mile away)? Oh, right, because that’s the bundle we’re selling. And for a few bucks cheaper than just the ponchos cost on Amazon.

So get this emergency survival stuff. And then pray you never have to use it.