REVIEW: Carinthia Tactical Poncho

We love practical and versatile gear. CARINTHIA introduced their new products at the beginning of the year - we reported on it - and one of them caught our attention - the Tactical Poncho. Thanks to CARINTHIA, we were able to take a close look at the pre-production model.

This is how compact the poncho is. And also packed in itself. Which is a very nice feature for a daily nap. The Multicam Rip-Stop material is clearly recognizable.

The Tactical Poncho can be easily removed from its carrying bag. Or rather from itself, as the bag is part of the poncho. It measures 2.0 x 1.6 m and is lined with 60 g/m² G-Loft.

The back is in stone grey-olive and the Tactical Poncho is designed as a reversible poncho. To avoid misunderstandings, the Tactical Poncho is a poncho liner, not a rain poncho.

What can you do with such a Tactical Poncho? First of all, simply use it as a blanket. The world can be that simple. This is actually the most common use for poncho liners like this.

The stone grey-olive side is also perfect for this. For those who have some paracord and have practiced knot tying, the CARINTHIA Poncho can also be used to create a privacy screen or shading. Hopefully loops will be provided at the corners for this. They would also be useful if you want to couple the Tactical Poncho with a rain poncho at the corners.

In the middle, you'll find a stowable hood, because the Tactical Poncho can also be worn as one. This is already well visible in the opening image.

Of course, the poncho liner can also be worn reversed here.

The hood can be tightened with a cord elastic to prevent warm air from escaping.

In reality, it looks something like this. Overall, the hood is well cut in size, but you definitely can't fit it over a helmet.

Let's get into the details. On the olive side, the Tactical Poncho offers you a kangaroo pocket, as you know it from hoodies. Very practical and warming.

To prevent the poncho from hanging too shapelessly on your body while wearing it, it is equipped with two pairs of snap buttons that can create a sleeve.

In addition, you will also find a buckle with an elastic band for further fixation. On the Multicam side, you have a zippered front pocket, which also serves as a storage compartment.

When worn, the Tactical Poncho resembles a warm slip-on cape. You won't win a fashion contest with it, but it will keep you nice and warm.

Around the Carinthia Tactical Poncho, there is a zipper. If you know the Swagman Roll, you will know where that leads.

The Tactical Poncho can be zipped into a lightweight sleeping bag with a non-separable two-way zipper. We hope that the final model will have a separable zipper, as then the Tactical Poncho could be used simply and very efficiently as a hammock underquilt. In its current form, this is unfortunately only a makeshift solution.

As a sleeping bag, the Tactical Poncho does a very good job, whether in Multicam or Olive on the outer shell.

In cozy warmth, we happily drift off to the land of dreams in the Tactical Poncho.

When it's time to move on, the storage bag is always with you, very cleverly solved.

CONCLUSION: We really like the CARINTHIA Tactical Poncho. Since it is still a pre-production model, there will probably be some small changes made before its release in autumn 2021. The basic design is extremely solid and very high quality, as you would expect from CARINTHIA. We are looking forward to autumn.

The Carinthia Tactical Poncho will be available from autumn 2021 for approximately 180 euros

CARINTHIA on the web: www.carinthia.eu