Best rain ponchos

[mshanson3121]

Can you share some links to the best rain ponchos to take in the summer in case it rains? For adults and children? Or are rain jackets better? Or just cheap dollar store ponchos?

 

[BrianL]

I like the dollar store ones because they fit in my pocket and they can be thrown away after. I hate travelling with a lot of stuff, so that works for me. Also, the little baggie they come in can be used to store other things that you don't want to get wet on a water ride. They ARE cheap and tear easily, but they do the job.

 

[aaarcher86]

The Disney ones are fabulous.

 

[bookgirl]

I prefer the inexpensive ones I've gotten at walmart or the sporting goods store. I don't want to carry a jacket if I can avoid it. Heck usually unless it's a steady rain I don't even bother with the poncho. I know it's wasteful but it's so nice to have a poncho and put it on for the afternoon shower then dump it. Feasible with an .89 cent walmart special, not so much with a jacket that then has to be dried or put in a bag to be carried in your backpack or park bag or just held.

 

[mrzrich]

I hate ponchos. They make me so darn hot and sweaty.

 

[IrishNYC]

I just bought some disposable Coleman brand ones in Target today for $1.42. Like someone else said, I don't want to deal with carrying a wet jacket when the rain stops.

 

[goofy4tink]

I bring the cheapo ones. I can carry one in my pocket. If I have to use it, I get a small shopping bag from a shop and then fold the poncho up when it's not being used and slip it in the bag. I then loop the bag through a belt loop to carry it. It's out of the way and I can use it later in the day if I need to. I usually have a poncho for every other day.

 

[DaisyLou2]

I brought some of the cheapo ones with me, which were great and handy in a pinch, but then I saw someone with the nice Disney one on and I decided to get one. Then later on my husband and daughter were getting soaked and each got one too. They are longer and fit me much better than the other kind.

 

[Lmans77]

The Disney ones are fabulous.

Agree 100%. Plus they will replace them for free at any shop inside WDW if they tear. We had to replace one last year. Just hand it over, they give you a new one and off you go.
Plus at disneystore.com, they are only $5 when you buy 2 or more. I don't mind carrying them around since I carry some sort of park bag. they fold up small, and stash them in a ziploc and the wetness isnt' an issue.

 

[xcskimomma]

We will be there in August. I am still unsure which ponchos to purchase, but it is nice to know that Disney will replace their brand for free. Thanks for the info.

 

[raven69david]

We use the Disney ones because if they tear during your trip, they can exchange them for you at no cost. Makes it much more convenient without having to go offsite.

 

[slp87]

I also like the cheap ones. Dollar Tree has 2 for $1. They work great and I just toss it when I'm finished.

 

[nkereina]

Another vote for the Disney ones. Not only are they good quality, long, and with an adjustable hood but the price isn't bad for them and you can just buy them when you need them rather than carrying others around with you. We've done the dollar store ones and they are useless - they are sleeveless, short, no adjustment for the hood and it's a slippery plastic so if you have hair it will fall down. Definitely better to go with the higher quality. You get what you pay for.

One other time I bought Coleman brand ponchos for about $5 each at Big Lots. A couple dollars cheaper than Disney ones and equally good quality, but we were stuck lugging them around until we needed them.

 

[Kimly]

The Disney ones are great and thick, if you plan on using them again and again the price is worth it. The thicker Coleman ones are good too.

 

[ktlm]

In our experience, the Disney ones are the best. We have brought the dollar ones before- they are fine if you pull them out for just one ride like Kali or Splash and throw them away. For a rainy day they don't work well because they rip really fast, especially if you are getting in and out of rides. We have brought the more expensive keeper ones from Target and Walmart- those the hood would fall down over my eyes or water would come in the neck- DD had the same issue- we threw those away and got Disney ones. We usually wear the Disney ones to football games at home too, but one year we decided to buy the expensive team ponchos -they were brand name-I think Coleman, but I could be wrong. They were big and bulky and like the other ponchos- the hood had 2 positions it would stay in- over my eyes, or so far back that the whole front of my hair was getting wet. Now, we only do Disney ponchos-- although I do usually take some dollar store ones in my bag for water rides on cooler days, or before ADRs.

 

[Wheelwatcher]

I just bought some disposable Coleman brand ones in Target today for $1.42. Like someone else said, I don't want to deal with carrying a wet jacket when the rain stops.

Yes, the Target Coleman ones are the ones we like best! They come in several (sheer) colors, which can be coordinated with the color of your magic band! They are thin, but they do the trick. And, my cell phone fits perfectly in the little ziploc bag the poncho comes in. Last July at MK when we encountered a downpour, my family was all color-coordinated with ponchos matching their magic bands, and cell phones protected from the rain. Score another one for Mama.

 

[disnut8]

You will tons of advice on ponchos and even if you should take them so here are my experiences with over sixty trips.

At first, I never took a poncho because I didn't want to be loaded down. And then a day at Animal Kingdom with eh rain coming down sideways and I "folded" (no pun intended). Next trip, I took cheap dollar store ponchos and those were OK but not that thick. So I got ponchos at Wal Mart that were thicker but still not that great. Then I threw in the towel (again, no pun intended) and got the Disney ponchos. The "old" yellow ones (I think the last year those were available). Those go with us now every trip.

If you decide on any poncho, do NOT expect to shove the thing back into the original bag. For the first time, take a gallon size zipper bag and use that. No need to make sure the poncho is correctly folded, you can just shove it in the bag and seal when on an attraction. As time goes on, you will be able to fold it up smaller and smaller (trust me) and the bag size can decrease. I can now get those dollar store ponchos (still using them for quick things) into a quart size bag (two of the ponchos in there).

The things to remember about ponchos is that *you* might be dry from the thighs on up but be careful around people who aren't. Turning around quickly in a wet environment while the poncho goes flying around you is not a good idea to those who aren't protected. This includes umbrella holders since the water from your poncho will splatter them under the umbrella. Also, please take off the poncho (carefully) as soon as you can once under a covering if going into an attraction. There's no reason to wear a poncho while in a queue line that is covered.

Also, ponchos are good from the thighs on up so there's no guarantee your shoes and/or socks will be dry. Nor will the bottom of your legs be dry. If my legs weren't so short, I'd be taking rain pants with me too.

 

[itchin2go]

I brought some of the cheapo ones with me, which were great and handy in a pinch, but then I saw someone with the nice Disney one on and I decided to get one. Then later on my husband and daughter were getting soaked and each got one too. They are longer and fit me much better than the other kind.

I agree 100%. The cheap ones are fine if it's just sprinkling, but we've experienced some RAIN. In heavy rain, the cheap ones are worthless. The Disney ones are effective, comfortable and durable. Yes, it can be a pain lugging extra stuff around the parks, but it can also be a pain (1) figuring out how to unfold the cheap ones (without tearing them) (2) figuring out how to get the cheap ones on (without tearing them), and (3) continuing to get wet after you've gone through that trouble.

 

[AliceIn]

I swear by the Magellan ponchos. They don't get you all hot and sweaty during July and August when it it downpours every afternoon. They are a little pricey, but they are completely breathable, no rubberized material, they dry really fast, and they fold up into a very small pouch. We love them!

http://www.magellans.com/itemdy00.aspx?T1=MRG747+MERL

 

[happymommy]

I agree that I really don't like ponchos. After the rain clears up (and it's usually short-lived), you have a wet poncho to deal with. Try drying them out in the room - yuck. My DH bought one once, and I had to hang it to get it dry (and deal with it after the rain stopped). They do get steamy too.

I've bought the cheap $1 disposable ones also - good in a pinch if it's really coming down (in addition to an umbrella).

All the stores sell Mickey umbrellas, and they're inexpensive (don't know how much they are now, but IIRC it was only a couple dollars more one trip than the poncho my DH bought (we were split up and he didn't know about the umbrellas).

All in all, I'd say #1 choice is an umbrella, and #2 would be a cheap poncho you can toss.