US "Woobie" Poncho Liner, Woodland, Unissued

NOS! This means “new old stock”, which in turn means these wonderful things are unused – not everyday you come by such classic military items in almost pristine condition! So, this here is called a Woobie, because "without one, you woobie cold!" A very nice light blanket that has more uses than you'd think thanks to the tie strings everywhere.

Originally used in the Vietnam War, this lightweight rain poncho liner was meant as a replacement for the wool blanket and tied up with the rain poncho to make a light sleeping bag. Compared to the blanket, this is a lot lighter, a bit warmer dries faster, and can be packed into a very small space. Not only praised by Vietnam War veterans but veterans of more modern conflicts as well - this thing is still very much in use.

If you want to read more praise and interesting bits of info, head over to Task & Purpose, and read their educational and entertaining article.

Technical specifications

Materials used are lightweight ripstop-nylon and polyester batting. Being as these are genuine army surplus, the materials, and overall quality is excellent.

• Measurements: about 160 x 205 cm / 63” x 81”
• Weight: 620 g / 1.4 lbs

Converts into a sleeping bag

After being introduced, the rain poncho & liner combination soon became the standard-issue sleeping gear for hot climates or general summer use. It's very simple to make a summer sleeping bag of the two:

• Tie the liner to the grommets of the poncho
• Snap the poncho sides together to make a tube
• Get in and sleep

The US Army states that the lowest manageable temperature is about +10°C / 50°F, i.e. a proper Indian summer rating.

Note: This woobie is also compatible with the British jungle sleeping bag!

The Särmä Rain Poncho is a bit more narrow than the woobie, but it has grommets in the right places if you're fine with a somewhat sloppier coupling.

Works as a thermal cape and underblanket

The Woobie is essentially a light on-the-go thermal & camouflage cape or an ad-hoc blanket to make the best of situations where you can stop to take a nap. The fact that it's easy to quickly throw off in a hairy situation fits well into military purposes but the ease of use definitely helps hiking and outdoor life in general. The Woobie is also usable as an extra insulation with "proper" sleeping bags.

If you're into hammocking, this thing can work as an underblanket. If the tie strings aren't enough, it's easy to modify them. You could get two and tie them together for extra warmth.

The only thing the Woobie lacks, funnily enough, is a hole in the center for your head, so it can't actually be worn as a poncho with a rain cape. Some adventurous users have made a slit in the center to rectify this. However remember to reinforce the cut seams and do make a little insulation flap on it. This can also be as simple as two hook-n-loop strips.

Genuine US surplus

Condition is NOS, unissued. There are no signs of use, and the fabric colors have only seen the test of storage time.