Rom Outdoors Pack that is a three in one. It is a backpack that converts into a poncho or a blanket. There is a fleece lining for warmth. At $119 it seems a bit over-priced IMO but it is an interesting concept and water-resistant. Good for day-hikes, skiers. I wondered about refolding it back into a pack but the Rom site provides a video with folding instructions. RōM Pack This guy does a review, said it was a good shooting mat
An interesting bit of kit. I checked the website. Compared to other specialised pack gear, the price really ain't bad.
For $119!!!! P. T. Barnum lives on. How about this? a 5.5 lb wool blanket, swede mess kit w/stove and utensils, tarp, poncho and carrier total cost, about $30 - bought over one summer. You can always do better on your own rather than buying overpriced kit....
I think it's a neat concept , but I don't see it being practical for actually hiking , and getting caught in the rain , what are you going to do with all your stuff if you need the poncho ?
Good question. I guess one would have to pack a garbage bag or something to tote their stuff. Also, if you fatten it out and use it as a blanket leaves and dirt will stick to the fleece. You will be folding all that up when you put it back into a backpack.
There is the optional inner bag to hold the stuff, and two detachable pouches for smaller gear. Don't know about the leafy problem. Carry a light weight ground cloth?
I think this Transformer Backpack is really just playtime gear. It fantasizes well, but I think it would be utterly useless in a sudden sleet-storm when stopping is simply not an option. In the final analysis, if you aren't going anywhere it can be a tent, a poncho, a ground cloth, a blanket, or a shooting mat. Or anything else you can figure. But it can only be one of those things at a time, and if you have to be on the move, it can only be a backpack. Which leaves you without a poncho. And all those other things it might have been, as well. How long does it take to disassemble the pack and convert it into a poncho? If it's more than fifteen seconds, you'll be wet before you can put it on. And all your gear will probably be wet, too, especially if it's laying on the ground. How long does it take to re-configure it back into a backpack? In the dark? With only one hand because you either have to hold a flashlight, or one arm got broken three days ago when you ditched the aircraft? If you have to carry a sturdy bag for everything in your backpack, you might as well sew straps on one and have a dedicated backpack. Then tie your real poncho on top where you can grab it at need without breaking stride. Ditto for the wool blanket DKR recommends. It's not just that it's cheaper--it offers more options without demanding any tradeoffs. Since you can't take the fleece off the multi-backpack, you can only wear a poncho plus a "wool blanket". You can't wear just the poncho. That's fine for cold weather, but not so fine for the tropics. BTW: I have a Dry Bag for gear that I don't want to get wet. It's a military surplus rubberized nylon laundry bag. It's available on Amazon for about $10.00, and it works exceedingly well. Blow it up like a balloon, and it makes a dandy float, even with all its normal contents still inside. And still dry.
