Sea to Summit Nylon Tarp Poncho

 Sea to Summit has two ponchos. One is the Ultrasil - costing upwards of Rs 9,000. The other is a nylon poncho at 6K plus. While Ultrasil is very light and thin the nylon tarp is thicker. After much research I settled for the cheaper one. My main objective is to have it during trek and take it out during a big shower. Because it covers both the man and the backpack.  

I am afraid I didn't find too many online reviews for it. Almost all the reviews are about its usefulness as a tarp (Americanese for tarpaulin). There is this growing trend among western hikers to ditch the tent and go more minimalistic with just a tarp that you can pitch as a shelter with your walking stick for support etc. or by tying it to two trees with a rope. I don't see myself doing that in the near future. 

I wanted to see comments about its usefulness as a poncho. People say you are likely to sweat a lot in it. More than in the Ultrsil. That is true for all rain protection gear. I have a Colombia rain jacket that makes me sweat. I get so wet that sometimes I wonder if it would've been better to get drenched in rain water than in salty sweat. But that which cannot be cured must be endured.

I am yet to unpack the poncho. It looks barely larger than a cricket ball. It is so well packed that I am afraid I might not be able to pack it back. But I have to do it before my trip because  discovering it in the trail can have catastrophic effect on my comfort. 

Like my S2S Sprint bag this is also going to go on my cycling trips. 

 

Sea to Summit Sprint

 Last evening (30th March, 2025) my latest gear arrived by post. A 20-lit backpack from Sea To Summit. The model name is Sprint. It costs upward of Rs 9000. But I organised a six month EMI scheme with S2S India. I intend to pay for it from my monthly pension. And thanks to them for trusting me in good faith.

The bag is supposed to be water proof and extremely light. It has a roll top closure that requires 4 folds minimum to make it waterproof. I bought it with a view to take on treks where I personally carry only small items that's needed on the trail. Rest I outsource to porters/mules. I have so far been using the larger Deuter backpack for this purpose. This S2S is much lighter and water proof which are two very major plus points. 

But it has a few disadvantages too. It does not have any waist belt and there is no external pockets for water bottles. The model that has these things (and some other features too like a much firmer back panel) costs Rs 26,000. If I was still in service or if the stock market was booming I would probably buy that :-) But let's get on with what I have and not fret over what I don't have.

Last night, in my excitement to try out this new gear immediately, I went out for a short walk. I loaded it with two fat Dalrymple books and a 1 lit water bottle. So the total weight must have been around 3 kilos. It sat very well on the back. It did not bounce against my back as I suspected and I almost did not feel it was there. I was missing the waist belt but that is perhaps a more psychological requirement than anything real.

It has a thin layer of back panel to sit comfortably on the back. I hope it does not soak in and transfer all my sweat from the back. It also has a string on the outside to stuff a jacket or something. They call it compression system. That is you can pull the string tight to make the bag more compact.

My idea for it is to carry my camera, some dry food, a poncho, a towel and a jacket in it on the trail. And of course water bottles. I usually carry two one litre bottles in my Deuter. One of them is filled with electrolytes. In this I wish to carry two 750 ml cycling bidons because their top closure is a lot more dependable to not leak. I might carry another small bidon in the pocket of my shirt (I have carried 1 lit Kinley bottles in them in the past). I have to put these things for real in the bag and go out a few times to see how it performs. Carrying water bottle and camera side by side does not agree in my mind. I might end up carrying a very thin S2S dry bag - purchased in Amsterdam - as a double protection for the camera. 

Ditching the old trusted Deuter for something this small and thin will take a lot of mental strength. But it's a very handy bag that has another advantage over the Deuter. Suppose I am going from Siliguri to Yuksom in a shared jeep. The large Forclaz duffle will go on top of the jeep. If I have the Deuter the jeep conductor will want to put it on the roof too because it's larger and will not be comfortable to carry on my lap in the jeep. The S2S is small and looks very light and handy. No one will ask me to put it up on the roof. Actually I might even put it in the duffle and put everything up on the roof. My only concern is the camera.

The inside of the bag has a waterproof lining and white. That makes looking inside the bag for things rather easy. The seams are entirely sealed. I hope they stay well for a long time. The Lowe Alpine dry bags I had purchased from Trek Kit did not last for too long. Same with my Marmot tent. They flake off. 

The base of the bag is quite thick. It's a 420D material. But the upper part is really thin that makes it extremely light. They say the buckles are field replaceable. That would imply I carry a star key of the right size and a spare buckle. Good luck with that. But at home I can. 

While I will use it in Goechala for sure, I see myself using it as almost a daily back pack. I was thinking of rucking on a regular basis and this bag would be ideal for that. But I do not want to put iron barbel weights. Concentrated weight may not be good for the fabric. I see it as a must take gear for any cycling trip for sure. Light, form fitting on the back and waterproof. But I guess this is targetted at ultra marathoners - it lacks a hydration pack pouch though. But hydration packs require a hole for the pipe to come out. That would compromise the waterproofness of it. 

I will keep updating the other pros and cons of the bag as I go.