US20060137731A1

US20060137731A1 - An ultralight backpacking combination cloak and tent

Info

Publication number: US20060137731A1
Application number: US10/905,341
Authority: US
Inventors: Robert Anue
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2004-12-29
Filing date: 2004-12-29
Publication date: 2006-06-29

Abstract

The invention is a single piece of ultralight backpacking gear that can be configured to a cloak, a one person bivy tent and can be joined to a cloak of the same design to form a two person tent.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates generally to rain gear and tents used for backpacking, and more particularly to ultralight backpacking rain gear and tents.

BACKGROUND ART

Backpacking is the practice of hiking and carrying one's gear. Many people backpack into the wilderness to appreciate the beauty of the natural world, and for personal and spiritual renewal. Ultralight backpacking is the practice of refining the gear a person carries so as to carry the absolute minimum amount of weight. Ultralight backpacking is a valuable approach to backpacking, because it results in a much lighter backpack which allows a person to be more comfortable while hiking, and to be able to hike further.
Among the gear commonly taken backpacking, and ultralight backpacking, is a shelter for rain, and gear to wear while walking in the rain.
There are various approaches to backpacking shelters for rain, including tents, bivy tents, rain flies and tarps. Tents come in sizes that accommodate various numbers of people. Typically a single tent is the most weight efficient solution for a given number of people. For example, a two person tent will weigh less than two similar one person tents, and a four person tent will weigh less than two two person tents. Tents also come in varying sizes. A one person bivy tent is a very small tent that is sized to fit little more than a sleeping bag, and typically does not have room to sit up in. Some 4 person tents have room to stand in. Considering tent size, for efficiency reasons a two person tent that weighs as much as two one person tents will have significantly more volume than the sum of the two smaller tents.
Ultralight backpackers tend to favor rain flies, and tarps. A rain fly is the waterproof detachable covering that fits over a normal tent. A rain fly has weight advantages over a tent because it doesn't have the weight of the tent floor, or tent poles. Rain flies are typically set up by suspending them by lines between trees. Tarps are generally even lighter than rain flies because they are simple flat pieces of waterproof fabric that amount to a roof without sides. Tarps are typically pitched by tying the raised corners to lines attached to trees. The disadvantage of using a tarp for a rain shelter is that it is difficult to pitch with enclosed sides all around. In a windy rainstorm where the wind is shifting its direction, it is difficult to stay dry under a tarp because rain gets blown in under the open sides.
Another consideration for a tent is the complexity of setting it up, and the number of separate parts that the tent comes in. A typical tent comes with a stuff sack for storing the tent poles, a separate stake sack for storing the tent stakes, tent poles, tent stakes, a rain fly, and the tent itself. All of these separate pieces add to the time and difficulty for packing and unpacking the tent. The more pieces that the tent comes in, the greater the risk that some part of the tent will get misplaced or lost in the course of a backpacking trip.
There are several approaches to the rain gear that is worn while a backpacker is walking. Some backpackers wear jackets and pants that are water proof. Some backpackers carry umbrellas, and some wear ponchos. Backpacks are inherently not completely waterproof; so many backpackers also carry waterproof covers to fit over their backpacks when it is raining.
Backpackers have unique considerations that affect their choice of rain gear. The most important consideration is that while walking the backpacker is involved in moderate to strenuous physical exercise. This exercise results in the body of the backpacker generating heat and moisture that needs to be dissipated. This generated heat can make a rain jacket uncomfortably hot. When a body is exercising, even though it may not be obviously perspiring, it is generating moisture that needs to dissipate. Generated body moisture can quickly soak a hiker inside poorly vented rain gear, which of course defeats the primary purpose of the rain gear. Many backpackers prefer hiking with an umbrella in the rain, which allows them to maximize their ventilation for heat and moisture dissipation.
The fact that backpackers wear backpacks is an important consideration in their selection of rain gear. The backpack rests upon a large area of the back of the person wearing it, and its shoulder straps, chest straps and waist belt also press against his or her body. All of this compression against the body makes a rain jacket even hotter and harder to ventilate.
Some backpackers wear ponchos that fit over themselves and their backpack. A poncho has the advantage of allowing for considerable air flow around the body because it is not tight fitting and is open at the bottom. A poncho also covers the backpack as well, thereby removing the need for a separate backpack cover. This configuration also has the advantage of keeping the whole backpack covered including the straps and waist belt which would otherwise get wet in the rain if a backpack cover were used.
One ultralight backpacking approach to save weight is to make single items of gear serve multiple functions. One way to save weight is to use a poncho as rain gear, and have it double as a tarp for shelter. Conventional ponchos have a hole and a hood roughly in the middle of the fabric. This works well as rain gear, but when the poncho is pitched as a tarp, this hole for the head becomes a hole in the middle of the tarp which needs to be sealed closed in some fashion to prevent it from leaking in the rain. A poncho with a hole in the middle for the head also has the limitation of not being able to open down the front from the neck of the user, which would be desirable in some circumstances for increased comfort and ventilation.
Thus it can be appreciated that an improved article of multiuse backpacking gear which saves weight by combining the functionality of a rain garment and a tent, fly, and tarp is needed.

REFERENCES

U.S. Pat. No. 5,421,355
U.S. Pat. No. 4,594,735
U.S. Pat. No. 6,393,613

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention is a piece of ultralight backpacking gear, which functions as a rain cloak for hiking and a rain shelter for camping. The rain cloak has functionality that allows it to be worn in two different ways. The first way is as a closed cloak that covers a hiker and his backpack. The second way is as a cloak opened for ventilation when the cloak is opened down the front. The rain shelter can be pitched in four configurations. The first rain shelter configuration is as a lean-to with closed sides. The second configuration is as a small bivy tent fully enclosed on all sides. The third is as a small bivy tent with one side raised up to be a covered porch. The fourth configuration is as a large two person tent made by attaching two cloaks of the same design together.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an outside top view of the cloak laid flat.
FIG. 2 is an inside top view of the cloak laid flat.
FIG. 3 is an outside detail view of the top corner line attachment point.
FIG. 4 is a view of the cloak pitched as a lean-to with closed ends
FIG. 5 is a view of the cloak pitched as a closed one person bivy tent.
FIG. 6 is a view of the cloak pitched as an open one person bivy tent.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION AND BEST MODE OF THE INVENTION

The invention is cloak that is a piece of ultralight backpacking gear that functions as a rain cloak for hiking and a rain shelter for camping. The rain cloak has functionality that allows it to be worn in two different ways. The first way is as a closed cloak of adjustable length that covers a hiker and his backpack. The second way is as a cloak opened for ventilation, with the cloak is opened down the front. The rain shelter can be pitched in four configurations. The first rain shelter configuration is as a lean-to with closed sides. The second configuration is as a small bivy tent fully enclosed on all sides. The third is as a small bivy tent with one side raised up to be a covered porch. The fourth configuration is as a large two person closed end tent made by attaching two cloaks of the same design together.
The cloak achieves significant weight savings for ultralight backpacking because it is a single piece of gear that replaces three pieces of conventional gear: the rain coat, the backpack cover and the tent.
The main body of the cloak 1 is a flat piece of lightweight waterproof material cut 60 inches wide and about 12 foot long, with each end cut to come to a point. The shape of the material is a hexagon elongated in one direction so as to have two long parallel sides. The point at each end is a 90 degree angle, and it is centered along the width of the cloak. FIG. 1 depicts the outside of the cloak laid flat. The outside of the cloak is the side facing the outside when it is worn as a rain cloak, and when it is pitched as a rain shelter. FIG. 2 depicts the inside of the cloak 1 laid flat.
The hood 24 is attached to the outside of the cloak along one long edge, and is stored by folding it up along one long edge of the cloak. It is secured in this stored position by hook and loop tape patches. Hook and loop tape patches are used as fasteners for the cloak in the best mode but snaps, buttons, buttonholes, ties, and magnets could be other examples of fasteners. In the best mode all of the fastener hook tape patches 2, 4, 6, 8, 9 are located on the outside of the cloak. All of the fastener loop tape patches 32, 34, 36, 38, 39 are located on the inside of the cloak. The fastener tape patches 2 and 32, 4 and 34, 6 and 36, and 8 and 38 are directly opposite each other, sewn to each other through the cloak fabric. When the hood is folded up in its stored position, the loop tape patch 39 which is sewn to the body of the cloak is opposite the hook tape patch 9 which is sewn to the hood.
When the cloak is worn as a rain cloak, the folded up hood 24 wraps around the back of the user's neck. The hood in this position can be unfolded and brought over the user's head. The cloak closes and opens down the front of the user. To secure the cloak closed with the right side over the left, a hook tape patch on the left side of the user is fastened to a corresponding loop tape patch on the right side of the user. The cloak can also be closed down the front with the left side over the right, and in this case the loop tape patches on the left side are fastened to their corresponding hook tape patches on the right side. The corresponding fastener patches are 2 on one side and 32 on the other, 4 on one side and 34 on the other, 6 on one side and 36 on the other, and 8 on one side and 38 on the other. It can be appreciated that other fasteners besides loop and hook tape are equivalent for flexibility of fastening left over right or right over left.
When worn, the cloak is large enough to fit over and cover a user wearing a backpack. Sleeves are fabricated in the cloak so that the user can reach his hands out of the cloak while it is worn. The sleeves are fabricated by sewing on three sides a fabric sleeve patch 20 to the outside of the cloak, and cutting an opening 46 through the cloak covered by the sleeve patch 20. To reach through the sleeve, the user's hand passes through the opening 46 and then out from under sleeve patch 20. The openings of the sleeves are oriented so that they shed water by opening downwards in all of the shelter configurations of the cloak.
Two front drawstrings 37, one on each side of the cloak, pass under the loop tape fasteners 38 on the inside of the cloak. The front drawstrings 37 are typically drawn tight when the cloak is worn as a cloak in order to gather up fabric that would otherwise be slack in the front of the user's chest. The casings for the front drawstrings 37 are located close to the edge of the cloak and pass under the side of each of the loop tape fasteners 38 closest to the cloak edge. This is important because the wrinkles created in the cloak fabric when the front drawstrings 37 are drawn tight help carry water from rain away from the fasteners and the cloak opening.
Two height adjustment drawstrings 40 are provided to adjust the overall height of the cloak. This feature allows the cloak to be adaptable for persons of different heights. This feature is important because it allows the cloak to be made in one standard size for a variety of people having various heights or possibly one person having varying height. Having cloaks come in only one size makes the two person tent configuration possible between any two cloaks of the present invention. Being able to adjust the height of the cloak is also important because the ideal height for a cloak varies depending on whether or not the user is wearing a backpack. One end of the height adjustment drawstring 40 is located near the users shoulder when the cloak is worn, and the other end is located near the sleeve in the cloak. The height adjustment drawstrings 40 adjust the overall height of the cloak by raising it up from the sides.
The cloak is designed to be easily packed up after it stops raining, and easily opened up and put on when it starts raining. To help make this possible, the stuff sack 44 for storing the cloak is sewn directly to the cloak as a pocket. The stakes that are used secure the cloak when it is pitched as a rain shelter are stored in the stake pocket 42, which is located over the center of user's chest when the cloak is worn as a cloak. This location of the stake pocket 42 is convenient because the weight of the stakes tend to balance the cloak forward and keep it from sliding backwards off the user's shoulders.
When a user is wearing the cloak and the rain stops, he frequently will not want to pack it up immediately. It is useful to keep the cloak out to let it dry off, and to keep it handy in case the rain starts up again. The cloak opens down the front, and opening the cloak down the front provides comfortable ventilation for the user while still wearing the cloak. A very comfortable way to wear the cloak and have maximum ventilation while backpacking is for to open it down the front except for a few fasteners at the bottom, and to slip the top of cloak backward off the users shoulders and onto the backpack. This allows the user's arms and shoulders to come forward out from under the cloak while the cloak rests securely on the backpack. By drawing the height adjustment drawstrings 40 tight in this position the cloak can be gathered up out of the way so that it rests behind the user's shoulders and hangs closed loosely around the user's waist.
The lean-to with closed ends configuration is shown in FIG. 4. This is a shelter configuration that is open on one full side and provides good visibility for star gazing. The bottom corner line attachment points 10 are staked to the ground and the top corner attachment points 14 are suspended in the air with lines attached to trees or poles. The rectangle of fabric with the two line attachment points 10 and the two attachment points 14 at its corners forms the body of the lean-to. The end attachment points 12 are staked to the ground directly below their nearest top corner attachment point 14. The fabric edge between attachment points 14 and 12 is vertical and held taut by tension on the lines attached to the top corner attachment points 14. The closed ends at the each end of the lean-to are formed by triangular regions of the cloak defined at their corners by the attachment points 10, 12 and 14.
Line pockets 22 are located near top corner attachment points 14 and bivy attachment points 16. The line pockets 22 provide convenient storage for the lines used with these attachment points, and they seal closed with hook and loop tape. This allows the loose end of a line to be rolled up and stored in the line pocket while leaving the other end still tied to the nearby line attachment point. In this way, the line pockets allow the lines that are used to pitch the cloak in its various shelter configurations to remain attached to the correct locations and be ready for rapid use.
The closed one person bivy tent configuration is shown in FIG. 5. In this configuration, the cloak forms a small floor-less tent with closed sides all around. The bivy tent is large enough to fit a person lying down, but not large enough to sit up in. The closed bivy tent shape is the standard tent shape comprised of two sloping rectangular long sides that meet at a ridge down the middle and with a triangular vertical side at each end. One rectangular side of the bivy tent has at its four corners the two bottom corner attachment points 10 and the two bivy attachment points 16. The other rectangular side of the bivy tent has at its four corners the two top corner attachment points 14 and the two bivy attachment points 16. The ridge of the bivy tent is formed by the line between the two bivy attachment points 16. The ends of the bivy tent are formed by securing line attachment point 12 to its nearest line attachment point 14. These attachment points can be secured together by securing them both with the same tent stake. Each of these attachment points is sewn directly to a fastener comprised of hook tape patch on the outside, and a loop tape patch on the inside. The line attachment points 12 and 14 can also be secured together by joining their associated hook and loop tape patches. When the line attachment points 12 and 14 are joined together, a flap of fabric is formed at the end of the bivy tent, and this flap can be secured by fastening together the fastener 32 located midpoint between attachment points 12 and 14 to fastener 18. The fastener 32 is the loop fastener on the inside of the tent opposite the hook fastener 2 on the outside of the tent. This fastener 32 can be easily be joined to and separated from fastener 18 by reaching out under the edge of the bivy tent from the inside.
The open one person bivy tent configuration is shown in FIG. 6. The bivy tent shown in FIG. 5 is a small efficient tent that does not have enough height to sit up in. One of the potential problems with a tent of previous design this small is getting in and out of it. The open one person bivy tent configuration of the present invention has a large opening that allows for easy entry and exit, as well as good ventilation. The bivy tent can be pitched so that it quickly converts between the open and closed configurations. This gives the user the functionality of a door that can be opened for ventilation and to permit entry and exit from the bivy tent, and closed to shut out bad weather.
A simple way to pitch the open one person bivy tent is to first pitch the closed one person bivy tent. Then select the attachment point 14 nearest where the head of the user will be when sleeping, detach it from the attachment point 12 it is fastened to and prop up this attachment point 14 with a stick. The best way to do this is to select a stick with a suitable length, and tie the line coming from the raised attachment point 14 first to the stick, and then run the line out it's full length to a stake in the ground. In this way the line will hold the stick in an upright position. In this configuration the edge of the fabric between the raised attachment point 14 and the closest attachment point 12 which is staked to the ground will have some slack. This slack can be taken out by joining together a fastener 2 to a nearby fastener 32 along this edge.
An open one person bivy tent pitched with a stick propping up the raised corner attachment point 14 is shown in FIG. 6. This configuration can be easily converted to a closed bivy tent by a person lying inside of the tent. This is can be done in three steps. Step one is to reach out, lift the bottom of the stick off the ground, and lay the stick down. Step two is to join together the fasteners near the attachment points 12 and 14, which are now close together at ground level. Step 3 is to reach under the end of the bivy tent, and secure the loose flap of fabric by separating any fasteners 2 and 32 that might be joined together, and joining the fastener 32 located midpoint between attachment points 12 and 14 to fastener 18. FIG. 5 shows what a closed one person bivy would look like after these three steps, with the stick lying on the ground. These three steps can be reversed to convert the closed bivy tent back to an open bivy tent. In this way, with a stick tied near attachment point 14 and the line attached to it anchored to a stake at a distance, the bivy tent can be easily opened and closed. This would allow a user to go to sleep with the bivy tent open for maximum ventilation and visibility, and later close it in the middle of the night if a storm became too wet and windy.
A large two person tent can be formed by pitching and fastening together two cloaks. The two person tent configuration is the most efficient configuration for two people and provides much more enclosed volume than two closed one person bivy tents pitched separately. There is enough headroom inside in the two person tent to allow a normal person to comfortably sit up. The two person tent configuration is a floor-less tent closed on all sides just like the closed one person bivy configuration; the main difference being that the two person tent configuration is twice as wide and twice as high as the closed one person bivy.
The two person tent configuration is essentially created by joining together the open sides of two cloaks pitched in the lean-to with closed ends configuration, which is shown in FIG. 4. The line attachment points 14 on one of the cloaks are folded inward which creates a flap of fabric along the ridge of the two person tent. This flap of fabric covers over the ridge to shed water along the ridge line where the two cloaks join together. The closed ends in the lean-to with closed ends configuration become the doors in the two person tent configuration. Each end of the two person tent has two doors that open and fasten closed together vertically down the mid line of the tent.
FIG. 3 shows an enlarged outside view of the top corner line attachment point 14, the reinforced slot 26, the nearby line pocket 22, and reinforcing material strips 50 and 52.
Here are the instructions for pitching two cloaks in the two person tent configuration. One cloak will be pitched first, and then the second cloak will be joined to it. Begin by tying a separate line to each of the top corner line attachment points 14 of the first tent so that a short length of line about a foot long will be left hanging from the line attachment point when the other end of the line is tied to support the tent from a tree or pole. Pass the long end of the line through the reinforced slot 26 from the inside to the outside, and pull it all the way through so that the end of the line attachment point 14 tied to the line is pulled through the slot 26. The fabric of the cloak near the line attachment point 14 will wrinkle out of the way and the fastener 6 and 36 connected to the line attachment point 14 will be pulled to butt against the slot 26. The short length of line will hang down through slot 26 to the inside of the tent. When this is done, the edge of the cloak between the line attachment points 14 will be folded back against the fabric of the cloak. Now pitch this cloak as you would if you were pitching it in the lean-to with closed ends configuration. The attachment points 10 get staked to the ground. The lines attached to the attachment points 14 run up and away to be tied to poles or trees. The attachment points 12 are staked vertically directly below the attachment points 14. The edges between the attachment 12 and its nearest attachment point 14 is drawn tight, as is the top ridge between the two attachment points 14. The second cloak is joined to the first cloak on the underside of the top ridge by joining the fasteners 36, 38, and 39 on the inside of the first cloak to the corresponding fasteners 6, 8 and 9 on the outside of the second cloak. The flap of fabric along the top ridge of the first cloak between the two attachment points 14, covers the seam where the two cloaks join along the top ridge. The short lines hanging down from the attachment points 14 on the inside of the first cloak are used to pull tight the top corner attachment points 14 of the second cloak. To do this, the short length of line is passed through the attachment point 14 of the second tent, passed back up through the reinforced slot 26 of the first tent, pulled tight to pull the attachment point 14 of the second cloak through the reinforced slot 26 of the first cloak, and then tied off to the taut line leading away from the first cloak. When both attachment points 14 of the second tent are tied in this way, the ridge lines of both cloaks are pulled taut parallel to each other, and together they form the top ridge of the two person tent.
To finish pitching the two person tent, the two cloaks are fastened together down the ends by joining together the fasteners 2 and 4 on one cloak to the corresponding fasteners 32 and 34 on the other cloak. When this is done the ends of the two person tent are fastened closed, and the corner attachment points 10 of the second cloak can be staked to the correct locations to take the slack out of the second cloak. Doors on either end of the resulting two person tent can now be opened up by unfastening the fasteners 2 and 32, and 4 and 34 from the flaps on that end.
In summary, the present invention is superior to a half tent in being useful as a rain garment and as a single person bivy tent. The present invention is superior to two ponchos used together as rain flies in having closable vertical sides and in having sloping surfaces without holes. The present invention is superior to a poncho as a rain garment in having sleeves and being either closable left over right or closable right over left or being held open yet adjusted for the user's height. The present invention is superior to having a separate rain garment and tent by the reduction of weight.

Claims

1. A cloak comprising water resistant material in a hexagonal shape, a plurality of fasteners and a plurality of attachment points having five configurations,

a first configuration being a garment that can be worn for rain protection, said garment opening down the front of the user and having fasteners to secure said opening closed,

a second configuration being a floor-less open sided shelter having a first edge suspended in the air from line attachment points located at the two ends of said first edge, a second edge opposite said first edge being anchored to the ground by stakes through attachment points located at the two ends of said second edge, and triangular panels of material each having one edge defined by the line between one end of said first edge and the nearest end of said second edge, said triangular panels having at their three corners one attachment point on said first edge, one attachment point on said second edge and a third attachment point capable of being anchored to the ground by a stake, and

a third configuration being a floor-less one person closed shelter having two sides closed to the ground and two ends closed to the ground, being anchored to the ground by stakes through line attachment points located at four corners, and having a ridge running in the direction of the long dimension of said one person closed shelter suspended in the air from line attachment points located at the two ends of said ridge, and

a fourth configuration being a floor-less one person open porch shelter having one side closed to the ground, two ends closed to the ground, and one side raised up and open at one end, said open porch shelter being anchored to the ground by stakes through line attachment points located at four corners and having a ridge running in the direction of the long dimension of said open porch shelter suspended in the air from line attachment points located at the two ends of said ridge, said side raised up on one edge having an attachment point at the raised up corner attached to a line connected to a stick propping the corner up a short distance away from said raised up corner, said line running a distance away from said stick to be secured by a stake to the ground, and

a fifth configuration being a first cloak joined to a second cloak of the same design to form a floor-less two person tent having two sides and two ends closed to the ground, said two person tent being anchored to the ground by stakes through line attachment points located at four corners and having a top ridge suspended in the air from line attachment points located at the two ends of said top ridge, said first cloak and said second cloak comprising said tent being joined together by fasteners along said top ridge and down the two ends of said two person tent, the ends of said two person tent functioning as doors when said fasteners on said ends are separated.

2. The cloak of claim 1 in said two person tent configuration, having said top ridge offset towards said first cloak so that material from said first cloak extends past said top ridge forming a flap, said first cloak joining to said second cloak along said top ridge by fasteners underneath said flap.

3. The cloak of claim 1 having reinforced openings in the material of the cloak associated with said attachment points located at the ends of said top ridge in said fifth configuration.

4. The cloak of claim 3 having attachment points comprising a loop of material attached to said cloak, said flap of said first cloak along said top ridge in said fifth configuration being formed by said attachment point loops being drawn through said reinforced openings from the inside to the outside of said two person tent.

5. The cloak of claim 1 wherein some of said fasteners in said first configuration also function as said fasteners in said fourth configuration.

6. The fasteners of claim 1 comprised of pairs of hook and loop patches, said loop patches attached to the inside of said cloak and said hook patches attached opposite said loop patches on the outside of said cloak.

7. The cloak of claim 1 having line storage pockets located near the attachment points used for tying lines to pitch the cloak in said second and fourth configurations, said storage pockets being capable of storing and securing lines which are left attached to said line attachment points.

8. The cloak of claim 5 having a plurality of end fasteners on each end of said shelter in said third configuration, said shelter in said third configuration having loose folds of material at the corners of said ends, and said end fasteners being able to attach to fasteners in said loose folds and secure said loose folds to the ends of said shelter.

9. The cloak of claim 1 having a hood attached in the center of said first edge in said second configuration for use in said first configuration, and having means for folding and storing said hood along said first edge where it is attached.

10. The cloak of claim 1 having a plurality of drawstrings that, in said first configuration, run from the vicinity of the shoulders of the user to the vicinity of the user's hips, said drawstrings being able to raise and lower the sides of said garment in said first configuration.

11. The cloak of claim 1 having a plurality of drawstrings that, in said first configuration, are located along each side of the front opening in the vicinity of the user's chest, said drawstrings being able to raise and gather excess material formed along said front opening in said first configuration.

12. The cloak of claim 1 having sleeves that function as openings for hands in said first configuration, said sleeves comprising a flap of material attached to the outside of the cloak covering an opening in the material of the cloak, being located when the cloak is in said fourth configuration on the ends of said two person tent with said flaps covering openings oriented at a downward angle that sheds water.

13. The cloak of claim 1 having a stake pocket sewn to the inside for the storage of tent stakes, said stake pocket being located over the chest of the user wearing said garment in said first configuration.

14. A method of converting a cloak from the fourth configuration floor-less one person open porch shelter to the third configuration floor-less one person closed shelter comprising the steps:

firstly, lifting the bottom of the stick off the ground and laying the stick down,

secondly, joining the fastener being located at the corner with the attachment point being tied to the line being tied to the stick, to the fastener being located at the nearby corner with the attachment point being anchored to the ground with a stake, resulting in an edge of the cloak being folded to create a loose flap of material,

thirdly, securing said loose flap of material by joining a fastener in the center of the edge of said loose flap to a fastener in the center of the closest end of said shelter.