Well, first things first; what are Rain ponchos? This handy piece of clothing is worn by people to protect themselves from the rain. Rain ponchos, naturally, are water resistant and come in a variety of materials. The first and most common kind of poncho is made of plastic usually of a petroleum derivative like PVC. Although cheap, environmentalists will despise them as they are non-biodegradable and consist of many harmful chemicals which turn poisonous if burnt or if you leave them lying around long enough to start degrading on their own. But this is not to say that all plastic ponchos are a threat to the environment. There are many which are biodegradable and, though a little more expensive, does its job well and saves your conscience a lot of anxiety.

Degradable ponchos are also made from plastic but the big difference is that these plastics can get degraded with the help of the sunlight, heat or even the mechanical stress. The plastic used is usually mixed with a small percentage of TDPA which is what causes the plastic to degrade finally. There are also biodegradable plastic rain ponchos which degrade naturally by the action of the micro organisms. If this wasn’t strange enough, consider that the stuff you eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner is the same stuff that will be protecting you when you go out in the rain. Many plastics used in the making of rain ponchos are derived from natural products like the vegetable starch of potatoes and cassavas, but a bit of advice, don’t try to eat it; it’s bio-degradable, not edible

One good thing about rain ponchos is that they are not only water resistant but also thermal insulators. Most of them come equipped with a handy hood attached to cover your head so you really will need nothing more when you venture out into the wind and rain. As far as fashion is concerned, rain ponchos are made for both men and women. Of course, it all depends on you; i.e. what you want and how much you are willing to spend. A well cut poncho is naturally going to cost more than a simple, drab, everyday use one, then again, aren’t all rain ponchos for everyday use? Rain ponchos are usually on sale (meaning at a large discount, not that you can’t buy them at any other time of the year) during the rainy season. Also many organisations use rain ponchos to advertise themselves. They would print their logo or a catchphrase on it to attract attention to their enterprise.

A huge advantage which rain ponchos have over umbrellas is that while an umbrella can only cover part of you and really can’t do anything to save you from getting splashed in a muddy puddle when a car speeds past you, a rain poncho keeps you safe from every angle. Full length rain ponchos keep you dry and warm from head to foot. So ultimately it is all down to convenience; it all depends on how much of it you want.