Ponchos and capes have been popular for centuries and for good reason. During the day they can be worn to protect you from the elements and at night, they double as blankets. Unlike cotton, wool retains it’s insulative qualities even when wet. Good quality wool capes can be found on sites that make items for renaissance fairs or you can make one yourself from an old wool army blanket or two. If you use a wool cape as your travel jacket, you will always have the basis of a shelter wherever you go. (Another advantage is that it also allows you to draw your weapon unnoticed.) One winter night in upstate New York when my car was out of commission I attempted to walk home. It was too far and instead I curled up in the woods on the ground in my wool lined trench coat. It was warm and I slept well. A friend of mine has lead shot sown into the two front bottom corners of his cape. Swing it into someone’s head and lights out. As a flexible weapon, it can’t be easily blocked as it will continue it’s arc around an outstretched arm. Who would expect to get knocked out by a cape??? Sewing valuables into clothing is common for refugees that may have to turn out their pockets at checkpoints and to highwaymen. I’d say that about 14 American Eagles or Krugerrands in each corner should do the trick. A cape can also be thrown over an attacker to temporarily disorient them or used to deflect an edged weapon.
Here’s another trick. If you do find yourself out in the cold in a urban/suburban environment with minimum shelter for the night, try stuffing newspaper (crushed into balls not as sheets) in your pants and jacket. I learned this trick from a hobo. (Hobos are excellent sources of survival information). On another poorly calculated winter night, the newspaper trick saved me from possibly freezing to death.
You may also want to look at the German military sleeping bag that converts into a jacket. These are still available if you look around. – SF in Hawaii
Letter Re: Ponchos, Capes, Sleeping Bags, and Improvised Insulation
