I am former Britsih Military, Royal Engineers, I happened to receive a woobie whilst serving in the Balkans 1992. It was a complete revelation, we had a decent Issue Poncho, but the addition of the liner brought so many other options. I still have my original, it is a lot thinner due to a massive amount of use and even now I use it on hotter evenings even at home. I have recently bought a new one in flektarn for outdoor adventures as i dont want to damage the original, it has been through so much with me over the years and gone through some rough times with this little bit of comfort. I would certainly advise anyone to invest in this amazing bit of kit. Thanks to the donations made by the US to me back all the years ago.
"And you have your pack back there, and nobody knows the difference"...😄 Is that Don? Nope, just the hunchback of Notre Dame! Great rundown of how versatile the woobie is.
Did a 25-year career between Regular Army/Guard/Army Reserve, with a lot of active duty here in the States during the wars. Much appreciated, BTW. However, your thinking does seem to be affected by the govt's Perception Management on our society. The whole "Thank a veteran for your freedom"-thing is a crock of crap. No one since Vietnam (In addition to the war itself being illegal at the international level, due to the U.S. disrupting the 1954 Geneva Agreement. South Vietnam was supposed to be allowed to vote on it's future, and the U.S. and their installed puppet kept that from happening) has actually fought for anyone's freedom in this country. Civil rights took a hit in the 1960's starting with COINTELPRO and other surveillance programs, and went into full gear on steroids after 9/11. You should sympathize with them for their hardships, and as people who got used by the gov't. That's about it.
I always look for those. Seems like nobody wants to give up much surplus stuff anymore. I did find a desert storm era poncho at the pawn shop. Had the loops sewn on the inside of the front chest area. It was like $12 so i couldn't pass that up.
I was on active duty in the army’s 5th Infantry division at Fort Polk and later in West Germany guarding nukes and everyone I talked to called them poncho liners. I think I first heard the woobie term with the national guard in the 90’s? Regardless of what you called it, I loved it. Our M113 had a broken heater in Germany 🇩🇪 and I would’ve froze to death in that ice box without the extra protection of my poncho liner; which I still have almost 40 years later.
I never used the poncho as a poncho but i carried two, one as a ground cloth and the other with my poncho liner. it was one of the older solid green as i was in during the early 80s. these two items were the most valuble items next to my buttpack. GO CAV!
I still have mine when i was in the service. I found a wool blanket about the same size and had them sewn together. Great heavy blanket in the wintertime.
Hell, I have my dad's woo in from 90 91. It's been floating around grandma's house for 30 years. When she passed I took it along with some old wool blankets, and it is still incredibly warm.
I have two from when I was in the service. One in my truck and one in my bug out bag. I bought a third a few years ago for my get home bag from a friend of mine I served with who didn't use his any more.
My poncho from the early 70's finally disintegrated last year. I salvaged the zipper, the oversized buttons, and the liner. The liner has the same material as a woobie and I use it often. I also have a couple of woobies for my packs. I swear by them.
Poncho liners were great at the beach and picnics as well as sporting events. When i lived in the barracks we would sleep on top of our made beds underneath a PL so in the morning when we went to go do PT it only took less than a minute to make (tighten up) your bunk..
My dad brought one of these home with him when he returned from Vietnam in 1966. I'm snuggled under it right now. It is the softest, most comfortable, lightweight "blanket". Blanket in quotation marks because it feels like two pieces of parachute material sewn together with a very little bit of polyester fill inside. Veterans from my dad's generation (30 years service, two tours of Vietnam) call it a poncho liner. My dad, upon hearing soldiers started calling it a Woobie in the 90s:- "it's a poncho liner, goddamnit. I don't know when a$$holes started speaking baby talk, but that doesn't change what it is." He won't even say the word "woobie."
We always called it a woobie. I never went anywhere without it stuffed in my assault pack. One of the best features is that you can take a completely full rucksack and grab the wobbie by a corner and start stuffing and it will ft.
My first PL was aquired while in the Marine Corps in the 60s. Actually, depending upon the weather, in cold times, we used the poncho, liner AND a GI wool blanket. If you did not have duty during the night, you could get up to go to the head and air out the bed roll for a few minutes. Another issue is one size poncho and PL (only the tan Artic ponchos and liners were slightly bigger and they were treated like gold). "Pack light, freeze at night" was a frequent expression. After I got married, my wife got used to being warm at night. That meant me and placing a PL over her blankets. There are plenty of liners in our house. If you are tall, when using this bed roll, you are SOL as one end is not warm. You are right, we called them LINER or PL. I have also suggested professional ball teams make these in team color blankets for sale at games. Buy several. Keep one in every vehicle, Go bag (with GI poncho), and several around each house and camp site. They make great gifts. For the ladies, you can use Rit dye on the previous army pattern PLs in their favorite colors. Thanks for the video.
Sootch is right about the basic, bare-bones ranger roll not being a cold weather sleep system, but there are ways to make it a Winter sleep system. It's not a sleep gear system made for comfort, it's made to keep you from freezing to death while you get some sleep in the field ( especially in hostile and unknown territory ). Grunt Proof and ReallyBigMonkey 1 have great ways and very in depth and informative videos on how to do that. Really big monkey 1 makes the best, most "cover as many bases as it possibly can for what it is" system, but it requires skills and a high power and high grade sewing machine to make it exactly the way he does. I've mulled and considered many ways to make my own variation to cover a wider range of temperatures ( it gets cold as hell up here in these mountains in the Winter, despite it being in the South ). It basically follows Grunt Proof's Winter version ( which he calls the "epic ranger roll" ), with some additions of my own. He sets it up, from ground to sleeper, like : Poncho, military wool blanket, casualty blanket/survival blanket/emergency survival whatever ( those kinda tarp-like things with a metalized side to reflect body heat back to you, not those $2 "space blankets" ), woobie. My version is the same except that it adds more stuff and is ( from ground up ) : Ground sheet ( can be a military type, contractor bags, tarp, a vinyl shower curtain liner, etc..., they all weigh nothing and pack nice and compact ), military closed-cell foam sleep pad, poncho, military wool blanket, survival blanket thing metal side up ), woobie. I also add a military tarp made into a sort of wide "A" frame above that to protect from wind-driven rain, snow, etc... If the weather is really cold, I would slip into an "emergency/escape bivvy sack" ( they have a metalized interior, weigh nothing, and fit in your hand when rolled and in their included cinch bag. A bunch of companies like SOL, 4 Patriots, Bear Hard, Rothco, Voodoo Tactical, 5-11, and many more produce them ) and use that inside the ranger roll. I will test it probably in late October/early November in the woods around my house just to see how it does in that weather
my woobie was picked up at Fort Ord ( RIP Ft ORD), and was eventually given to a homeless Vietnam veteran, and now my wife makes them for me. If you do not have one, you need 3.
Carried a poncho liner sewn in to the poncho as my bed role for years in the 70's in the 82 airborne. A lot lighter than a sleeping bag and just as warm except in extreme cold..
Do you know what the temperature rating is on a standard USGI Woobie/Poncho liner? I just got one as a bundle w/ poncho and its warm as hell but im curious down to what temp they’re effective
@@ProjectSerpo90 I used a poncho, poncho liner and isomat one January night during combat training in a North Carolina swamp. I froze, got no sleep and never looked at a poncho liner for the rest of my four years active duty. Fast forward to present day... I found a like new US Army surplus multicam poncho liner with a built in zipper, from the manufacturer, to make it into a rectangular sleeping bag! I live in Florida now and it's not near as cold as North Carolina, so I'm looking forward to trying it out soon.
@@Minuteman_Expeditions-wo2cpI certainly wouldn't chance one of these if I was going anywhere temperate during winter. I have one, and often wondered when anyone would use one of these in the field!
if you think a poncho liner is good (i NEVER heard it called woobie in the Marines) you should try the field jacket liner and (hard to find) trousers liner. same material but more effective.
I have a field jacket liner. I use it all the time when it’s cold enough. Same with my poncho liner. My wife steals the covers, so the poncho liner is all mine. 😂
One of the great pieces of military issue gear, and one that I have had at least one of since 1978. All the Vietnam vets I knew called it a poncho liner, first heard the "woobie" nickname post-Grenada from Batt-boys.
I slept on a very thin German folding sleeping mat with 2 woobies, under a poncho lean-to shelter, near a small fire in 19F snowy weather. I was very cold and it was not a good night of sleep. You will definitely need something better than just a woobie for cold weather. However, the woobie is still great to stuff inside a sleeping bag to beef up its insulation. You can probably convert a 3 season bag into a 4 season simply by adding a woobie.
These poncho liners are made by Winston-Salem Industries for the Blind. They employ visually-impaired American workers and they make many different products.
I was in the Army from ‘86 to ‘14 and I only heard it called a “woobie” til the last year of my career. Even so, I can understand why. Troops basically used it like a field bathrobe/comforter since way before I came in. Many still do. One thing that’s really awesome is that if it gets wet it dries out really quick in warm weather or by a heater or fire. I have a BDU pattern one and some civilian variants. I have a Polish version that can actually be used with a military poncho as it has a hood. It’s also water resistant on its own. I have a civilian version robust enough to be used as a hammock and has a bag that allows it to be used as a pillow.
I like my woobie I take 2 good 5 by 7 reusable space blankets and two poncho liners and put them together to make a sleeping bag I’ve used it with clothes on down to about 35°
The nickname is from the movie (Mr. Mom). I entered service in 1978, and served in the 2/325th airborne infantry from 1979-1983. Since many times all we had in the field was what we could put in the rucksack we'd be jumping in, the bulky sleeping bag was left behind. We were fiercely devoted to our poncho liners, but I never heard it called a woobie while I was among the guys using it the most. Mr. Mom came out in 1983, and it was after that time later in my career that I first heard someone call it a "woobie". I immediately made the connection, since the poncho liner is as indispensable to a field soldier as a security blanket is to a toddler.
Yeah, I know what you’re saying. Was in 1/508 then 3/505. The poncho liner and poncho were all we used even in January and February which isn’t warm at Bragg. Some of us bought Goretex sleeping bag covers and sewed the liner inside which worked well.
I understand that you little guys start out with your woobies and you think they're great... and they are, they are terrific. But pretty soon, a woobie isn't enough. You're out on the street trying to score an electric blanket, or maybe a quilt. And the next thing you know, you're strung out on bedspreads Ken.
Nobody used these as a survival item, it’s a comfort piece of kit. Nobody used ponchos either, ponchos funnel water right into your boots, we used wet weather gear(jacket and pants). A poncho was used to cover rucks or make a hasty shelter. If your smart you either modify it or take it to a tailor and have them mod it with a zipper so it now becomes a light weight sleeping bag. This with a bivi sack(has been issued the last 30 years) will serve you much better than a poncho.
I have the very first woobie I was issued in the Army back in 1976. I have several more as well. One goes in every kit bag we have in the family... Wouldn't leave home without one! Thanks for the vid Sootch!
Another legend is that the Woobie was named because it looked like a children's/infant's blanket wrapped around a soldier, especially when walking around with it slung over the soldier. A "woobie" was slang for a child's blanket in the 1960s.
I am not american or expert on history, but if previously the wool blanket was affectionally "woolie" why not calling the synthetic versions be called "woobie"?
Check out the swagman roll by Helikon-Tex. Its basically a upgraded woobie that is fully functional as a poncho liner, sleeping bag, sleeping bag liner, hammock underquilt, blanket. Fits up perfectly with a USGI poncho. Durable as can be. Best piece of kit i own right now.
@Mills Rickman its expensive. I got mine for roughly $115. They go from anywhere to 115-180 depending on where and when you get it. I got mine straight from helikon-tex. Worth its weight in gold though.
I'll back the Swagman roll too. It IS expensive, but if you can shell out the coin, it's nice. Quite a bit more versatile than than the woobie, and in my humble opinion, warmer too. Don't get me wrong, I love my USGI poncho liners, but if the poo hit the fan and I had to pick one, it would be the swag...
Wouldn't doubt it. Their utility uniforms are awesome: A cross between the old Jungle Fatigue and modern velcro'd utilities that can be worn sleeves-up. Very sharp looking.
I have one , and a wooble ... and thats right the woobie isnt for cold weather ... I have a duck down hammock liner , a swagman and a woobie ,, ALL fit under a poncho ( in my case a plash planka )
I have several. One in each of the get-home bags I gave to my family members. I sent my original 70's woobie to my son when he was in Iraq in 2007. Made sure he gave it back!
The poncho, poncho liner, a wool blanket an your sleeping pad, oh an dry cloths, an you would be surprised at what type of weather you can comfortably sleep in. Training at Fort Campbell during a ice storm I sleep like a baby with mine. Thank you sir, love you vids!
Love my woobie's! I have 3 from Desert Storm and my dad still has his from Vietnam. I use them backpacking and camping, and have one in my bug out bag.
I switched out my poncho for a thermal reflective tarp which they issued medics. Way warmer and that combo has been a life saver when I didn’t have my whole kit with me.
23 years in the infantry (1982-2005) and it was always a 'woobie' as far back as I can remember. Typically, only line unit personnel had such names for their equipment, as the REMFs never saw their gear, except for inspections, much less used it enough to have nicknames for items. Lots of Army personnel never called it that, but the vast majority of combat arms personnel used the name consistently. We loved self deprecating terms for our dirty miserable careers, for example, all comfort items like the 'woobie' are classed as 'snivel gear'. People like to make fun of the grunts, but no one loved making fun of us more than we did.
Never liked the poncho liner. Back in the 80s, I was stationed in Germany, took a wool blanket to a tailor off post and had it made into a poncho. It worked alot better than the nylon liner we were issued.
bullshit... you must been in a waterboy unit. wool blankets are huge you'd never get that into a ruck and they absorb water and never dry out.. poncho liners were for male only infantry units
Did that with my wet weather top. Two layers! Bought a brand new jacket, a good condition surplus blanket and SHAZAM. Perfect for baumholder, graph, or wildflecken..
@@Gloomshadow100 guessing you are a young pup. Yes, we were issued poncho liners, and artic gear. (ADA, if you know what that is) Guessing you weren't even born when the wall came down, I was there. Also likely you were nowhere around during Shield/ Storm. Best case, you were shitting your diapers about that time. The 80s was the last of the old Army. Not like this new pc weak crap that wears the uniform now.
Have one folded on my bed. The poodle uses it at night for a sleeping pad. I worked around the Army for twenty years, and never heard it referred to as a woobie.
I've placed a marker on my woobies on the side that is going to be closest to my body, touching my clothes, so when its night/dark/I'm tired, I can be sure that the same aide that faces out will get dirty and the side that I prefer to keep clean will be against me. I don't mind much if I'm dirty but more so my gear that needs to remain clean like rifles and cooking equipment and etc
I saw the notification for this video and moved towards my phone only to realize it was on top of my oldest woobie from 2008 before everyone got UCP or OCP pattern ones. Just that Vietnam era OD. Take a while to feel warm in if it’s bitterly cold, but they get very warm within half an hour and nothing else is better for when it’s raining. If you are roughing it on dirt or rocks, at least you can cushion your head and keep your body warm. But combined with a good field cot? I used to get amazing sleep that way back when I was still in the Army.
Oh man you are right , what a great sleep and rest all your ack's and pains were gone when you got up . Still got my army cot wool blanket poncho from when i was in the army in the early sixties . Used mine when i was on some job in the middle of no were and hunting . People don't know how good that combation works , if they did they would never buy a $500 mattress ...lol....
I’m gonna get petty here for a second but woobie rhymes with woody. It’s not a wooooooobie. But yes it is a Soldier favorite. I’ve seen many a Soldiers take nothing more than this and their bivvy sack into the field even when it’s cold.
You had me at "woobie" although I don't think we had nicknamed them yet back in the early 80's ;) I've actually still got one (in excellent condition) from the 80's that I couldn't bear to leave behind when I was checking out of CLNC.
I had my wife slit my PL in the center and sew velcro onto both edges. That way I could actually wear the poncho and liner together, or use them as a bedroll without a pneumonia hole in the small of my back! My CO had a heavy poncho cut into a field jacket and a PL sewn into it as a liner, by a Korean tailor while he was in the Nam. Best field jacket I ever saw.
I just realized when I tried to find spare snap button to repair my poncho that suppliers call it "Gypsy Stud". The one that contains both male and female on opposite sides and it's not easy to find.
Have five of them, all woodland camo. Always have at least two with me when I hike or camp, most times that is all I use as a sleep system in the summer. Use a modular sleep system in the winter when truck camping, but still carry the poncho liners. Always one on my bed at home. The poncho and poncho liner fit in the older butt packs worn on the LCE. Never heard it called a woobie till after I got out of the Army.
During my time as an active army soldier in the early 2000s we called it a woobie, but pronounced wuby. Not wew-by. Or just go with the original source here to clarify the pronunciation. I think if an enlisted soldier called it a wewby he would have been laughed out of the barracks.
I was in USMC and in Nam in 1970. It may have just been my company but we called them our Snoopy Blanket. At night you were hard to see when wrapped up in one. When not in base camp we were always on the move so the only shelter I had was a poncho and poncho liner. Never did tie it into the poncho, used the poncho as a shelter and the liner as a blanket. One thing nobody ever mentions is you can be soaked and the poncho liner can be soaked and you wrap up in it and it will make you warmer. If you don't move your body heat will dry it out in no time. Still have and use the one from Nam ( 50 years + ) as a sleeping bag liner.
Used one while in service inside the old duck feather mountain sleeping bag to sleep snuggly in single digit temps. Mine is ERDL camo, Vietnam era, and still going strong, with a few runs and picks.
Been sleeping with my surplus poncho liner on my couch for 6 months. I'd sleep with my wife but my 3 year old son keeps claiming my side of the bed every night at midnight like clockwork. Not gonna transplant in the middle of the night. I love the poncho liner. Perfect temperature regulation.
Sew one to the inside on the military rain jacket for a built-in liner. We would either get a woobie or wool blanket and have the tailor shop sew it into the jacket. The wool blanket was a little warmer. The tailor would usually sew in an inner pocket with the poncho liner material. They were called "Hawk" or Graf" jackets. I sure do miss mine.
@@ronbo39339 The rain jackets were a little oversized, so even with a liner sewn in there was plenty of room, comfort & breathability/ventilation. Your idea would be like using the M65 liner inside the rain jacket. The Hawk jackets w/ liner were actually worn over the M65 without the liner in the jacket. (In the extreme cold you could put the M65 liner into the M65 jacket.) Or, the Hawk jackets could be worn as a regular coat. They were ideal for temps from 25-50 degrees F, especially when it was raining or very damp conditions. Outstanding for European fall/winter/spring weather.
Excellent review Thanks! I never want to be that guy, but must admit to a twinge every time you pronounced woobie. Close but... 🤣 guessing you never saw the movie. That is a great price! Amazon is out of their bloody mind, sellers wanting $45 and up💩💩
I never found the poncho liner to be particularly warm. They're better than nothing, but that's about it. You can combine a poncho, a poncho liner and a casually blanket for a ranger taco. Problem is that it's fairly heavy in comparison to other options There were some after market non military products that look similar but included a thinsulate layers that were a little warmer than the issued poncho liner
Got 7 for use in & outdoors. Lose @ least one in every big backyard get together. Replace it unbegrudgingly each time. -11b4p 82nd Abn. Div. back in '74.
I've had a woobie in a vacuum seal bag in my bug out bag for about 6 years now. The vacuum seal bag flattens it out really nice. I wish I had room for the actual Poncho but my pack which is very well-equipped is about 26 lbs., heavier than I would like but I will definitely not starve, freeze or die of thirst trying to get home.
I’ve always called mine a poncho liner since my days in the Marine Corps. I have about a dozen of them and they are such a great, versatile utility blanket.
Look like a great idea, but why wouldn't they cut a hole to put your head through? I own two poncho liners made by Helikon, they come with the hole and a hood, so they are even one level more versatile. :)
Went in the Marine Corps infantry in 1996 and it was called a Woobie then. I remember an instructor at SOI East talking about your “Woobie” being your best piece of equipment.
I am former Britsih Military, Royal Engineers, I happened to receive a woobie whilst serving in the Balkans 1992. It was a complete revelation, we had a decent Issue Poncho, but the addition of the liner brought so many other options. I still have my original, it is a lot thinner due to a massive amount of use and even now I use it on hotter evenings even at home. I have recently bought a new one in flektarn for outdoor adventures as i dont want to damage the original, it has been through so much with me over the years and gone through some rough times with this little bit of comfort. I would certainly advise anyone to invest in this amazing bit of kit. Thanks to the donations made by the US to me back all the years ago.
"And you have your pack back there, and nobody knows the difference"...😄 Is that Don? Nope, just the hunchback of Notre Dame! Great rundown of how versatile the woobie is.
Still have mine that I used in IRAQ/SAUDI/KUWAIt in '91and love it! Never called it a "woobie" and probably never will.....
For all the veterans chiming in, I can’t personally thank you all but let me say: to all who have served in the US military, THANK YOU!
Did a 25-year career between Regular Army/Guard/Army Reserve, with a lot of active duty here in the States during the wars. Much appreciated, BTW.
However, your thinking does seem to be affected by the govt's Perception Management on our society. The whole "Thank a veteran for your freedom"-thing is a crock of crap. No one since Vietnam (In addition to the war itself being illegal at the international level, due to the U.S. disrupting the 1954 Geneva Agreement. South Vietnam was supposed to be allowed to vote on it's future, and the U.S. and their installed puppet kept that from happening) has actually fought for anyone's freedom in this country. Civil rights took a hit in the 1960's starting with COINTELPRO and other surveillance programs, and went into full gear on steroids after 9/11.
You should sympathize with them for their hardships, and as people who got used by the gov't. That's about it.
You should thank the politicians, the lobbyists and the corporations. Without their greed there would be no need for.their service.
AMEN
@@erwin643 I know what you are talking about. I was in Laos and others near by countries. Had a good tour then extended. I was drafted
❤❤❤🤙🏽🙏🏽 Thank you for your support Miss.
Found mine at a goodwill. $10. What a find. They didn't know what they had.
Ii check the blanket rack every time I'm in a thrift store. No one around here gives up a poncho liner.
I always look for those. Seems like nobody wants to give up much surplus stuff anymore. I did find a desert storm era poncho at the pawn shop. Had the loops sewn on the inside of the front chest area. It was like $12 so i couldn't pass that up.
Always check Goodwill, they do show up👍
Most* of us
And not just Woobies. G.I. GORTEX Jackets, field jacket liners, etc.
People love these so much. That you can get clothes in poncho liner materials. I have one in a sweat shirt style and it is a pretty good layer.
It is called a Woobie because you Would Be cold if you didn't have one.
😂
You woobie cold, yes.
Still have
my PONCHO LINER 34 years after getting out of the corps. Still one of the happiest days of my life.
I was on active duty in the army’s 5th Infantry division at Fort Polk and later in West Germany guarding nukes and everyone I talked to called them poncho liners. I think I first heard the woobie term with the national guard in the 90’s? Regardless of what you called it, I loved it. Our M113 had a broken heater in Germany 🇩🇪 and I would’ve froze to death in that ice box without the extra protection of my poncho liner; which I still have almost 40 years later.
I never used the poncho as a poncho but i carried two, one as a ground cloth and the other with my poncho liner. it was one of the older solid green as i was in during the early 80s. these two items were the most valuble items next to my buttpack. GO CAV!
I still have mine when i was in the service. I found a wool blanket about the same size and had them sewn together. Great heavy blanket in the wintertime.
I do the same, the Army Surplus Wool Blanket with a Woobie makes a great, comfortable system.
I had a friend in 5th group who did that. He also sewed a winter poncho as the outer cover... he was always dry and warm.
@@mikepreslar8686 Which do you put on the outside?
@@mortsnerd5100 The Wool Blanket
Desert Storm it was still called a Poncho Liner in the Army. The name change definitely happened after that.
Storming Norman called it a woobie.
Hell, I have my dad's woo in from 90 91. It's been floating around grandma's house for 30 years. When she passed I took it along with some old wool blankets, and it is still incredibly warm.
I have two from when I was in the service. One in my truck and one in my bug out bag. I bought a third a few years ago for my get home bag from a friend of mine I served with who didn't use his any more.
I think its one of the best items I (and also my son) feels we were both ever issued...
Been looking to buy a woobie myself lately. This video is a great help.
My poncho from the early 70's finally disintegrated last year. I salvaged the zipper, the oversized buttons, and the liner. The liner has the same material as a woobie and I use it often. I also have a couple of woobies for my packs. I swear by them.
Poncho liners were great at the beach and picnics as well as sporting events. When i lived in the barracks we would sleep on top of our made beds underneath a PL so in the morning when we went to go do PT it only took less than a minute to make (tighten up) your bunk..
My dad brought one of these home with him when he returned from Vietnam in 1966. I'm snuggled under it right now. It is the softest, most comfortable, lightweight "blanket". Blanket in quotation marks because it feels like two pieces of parachute material sewn together with a very little bit of polyester fill inside. Veterans from my dad's generation (30 years service, two tours of Vietnam) call it a poncho liner. My dad, upon hearing soldiers started calling it a Woobie in the 90s:- "it's a poncho liner, goddamnit. I don't know when a$$holes started speaking baby talk, but that doesn't change what it is." He won't even say the word "woobie."
We used to snap 2 or more ponchos together to make a tent or a shelter during a downpour or a very hot day.
I was in active Army 90 to 93 and reserve army 93 to 97 never heard poncho liner called woobie. Yes cool blanket got one.
I've got a woobie hoodie... Seriously comfortable and warm. I've also got a regular woobie in my Go Bag...
Omg!!!! I miss mine...thanks for reminding me. 7th Inf Light 4/21...Whoooaaa
We always called it a woobie. I never went anywhere without it stuffed in my assault pack. One of the best features is that you can take a completely full rucksack and grab the wobbie by a corner and start stuffing and it will ft.
My first PL was aquired while in the Marine Corps in the 60s. Actually, depending upon the weather, in cold times, we used the poncho, liner AND a GI wool blanket. If you did not have duty during the night, you could get up to go to the head and air out the bed roll for a few minutes. Another issue is one size poncho and PL (only the tan Artic ponchos and liners were slightly bigger and they were treated like gold). "Pack light, freeze at night" was a frequent expression. After I got married, my wife got used to being warm at night. That meant me and placing a PL over her blankets. There are plenty of liners in our house. If you are tall, when using this bed roll, you are SOL as one end is not warm. You are right, we called them LINER or PL. I have also suggested professional ball teams make these in team color blankets for sale at games. Buy several. Keep one in every vehicle, Go bag (with GI poncho), and several around each house and camp site. They make great gifts. For the ladies, you can use Rit dye on the previous army pattern PLs in their favorite colors. Thanks for the video.
Thank you for your service, sir!
Thank you for your service!
LOVE MINE , HAD IT SINCE 1975.
Sootch is right about the basic, bare-bones ranger roll not being a cold weather sleep system, but there are ways to make it a Winter sleep system. It's not a sleep gear system made for comfort, it's made to keep you from freezing to death while you get some sleep in the field ( especially in hostile and unknown territory ). Grunt Proof and ReallyBigMonkey 1 have great ways and very in depth and informative videos on how to do that. Really big monkey 1 makes the best, most "cover as many bases as it possibly can for what it is" system, but it requires skills and a high power and high grade sewing machine to make it exactly the way he does.
I've mulled and considered many ways to make my own variation to cover a wider range of temperatures ( it gets cold as hell up here in these mountains in the Winter, despite it being in the South ). It basically follows Grunt Proof's Winter version ( which he calls the "epic ranger roll" ), with some additions of my own. He sets it up, from ground to sleeper, like : Poncho, military wool blanket, casualty blanket/survival blanket/emergency survival whatever ( those kinda tarp-like things with a metalized side to reflect body heat back to you, not those $2 "space blankets" ), woobie. My version is the same except that it adds more stuff and is ( from ground up ) : Ground sheet ( can be a military type, contractor bags, tarp, a vinyl shower curtain liner, etc..., they all weigh nothing and pack nice and compact ), military closed-cell foam sleep pad, poncho, military wool blanket, survival blanket thing metal side up ), woobie. I also add a military tarp made into a sort of wide "A" frame above that to protect from wind-driven rain, snow, etc... If the weather is really cold, I would slip into an "emergency/escape bivvy sack" ( they have a metalized interior, weigh nothing, and fit in your hand when rolled and in their included cinch bag. A bunch of companies like SOL, 4 Patriots, Bear Hard, Rothco, Voodoo Tactical, 5-11, and many more produce them ) and use that inside the ranger roll. I will test it probably in late October/early November in the woods around my house just to see how it does in that weather
I’ve had one in my car since 1998 when I got out of the Army. Also never called it anything but a poncho liner.
Active Army 91-98, always knew it a a poncho liner as well.
USMC in the 80’s never called a poncho liner a whoobie, and never will.
Roger that! Semper Fi 🦅🌎⚓️🇺🇸
Twenty years in a ground combat MOS and never once heard it called a “Woobie” and will never call a poncho liner such a thing.
woobie does the trick in a pinch
my woobie was picked up at Fort Ord ( RIP Ft ORD), and was eventually given to a homeless Vietnam veteran, and now my wife makes them for me. If you do not have one, you need 3.
Carried a poncho liner sewn in to the poncho as my bed role for years in the 70's in the 82 airborne. A lot lighter than a sleeping bag and just as warm except in extreme cold..
Do you know what the temperature rating is on a standard USGI Woobie/Poncho liner? I just got one as a bundle w/ poncho and its warm as hell but im curious down to what temp they’re effective
I couldn’t get my hands one in Nam.
Thank you for your service, sir!
@@ProjectSerpo90 I used a poncho, poncho liner and isomat one January night during combat training in a North Carolina swamp. I froze, got no sleep and never looked at a poncho liner for the rest of my four years active duty. Fast forward to present day... I found a like new US Army surplus multicam poncho liner with a built in zipper, from the manufacturer, to make it into a rectangular sleeping bag! I live in Florida now and it's not near as cold as North Carolina, so I'm looking forward to trying it out soon.
@@Minuteman_Expeditions-wo2cpI certainly wouldn't chance one of these if I was going anywhere temperate during winter. I have one, and often wondered when anyone would use one of these in the field!
if you think a poncho liner is good (i NEVER heard it called woobie in the Marines) you should try the field jacket liner and (hard to find) trousers liner. same material but more effective.
I agree with your idea of field jacket and trouser liners light in weight and easier to keep warm.
I have a field jacket liner. I use it all the time when it’s cold enough. Same with my poncho liner. My wife steals the covers, so the poncho liner is all mine. 😂
I still use my field jacket liner I have had the same one for 20 years
Woobie Tuesday? Thank you Stones.
One of the great pieces of military issue gear, and one that I have had at least one of since 1978. All the Vietnam vets I knew called it a poncho liner, first heard the "woobie" nickname post-Grenada from Batt-boys.
I think Woobie came from that kid’s blanket in Mr Mom movie. My generation (X) called them poncho liners. Millennial Soldiers called them woobies.
@@Maryland_Kulak "Millennial Soldiers call them woobies". Awww ... that's so cute! 😉Precious little snowflakes that they are.
@@rogerharris3951 Try saying that to a Batt-boy who is a millennial.
I slept on a very thin German folding sleeping mat with 2 woobies, under a poncho lean-to shelter, near a small fire in 19F snowy weather. I was very cold and it was not a good night of sleep. You will definitely need something better than just a woobie for cold weather. However, the woobie is still great to stuff inside a sleeping bag to beef up its insulation. You can probably convert a 3 season bag into a 4 season simply by adding a woobie.
These poncho liners are made by Winston-Salem Industries for the Blind. They employ visually-impaired American workers and they make many different products.
I was in the Army from ‘86 to ‘14 and I only heard it called a “woobie” til the last year of my career. Even so, I can understand why. Troops basically used it like a field bathrobe/comforter since way before I came in. Many still do. One thing that’s really awesome is that if it gets wet it dries out really quick in warm weather or by a heater or fire.
I have a BDU pattern one and some civilian variants. I have a Polish version that can actually be used with a military poncho as it has a hood. It’s also water resistant on its own. I have a civilian version robust enough to be used as a hammock and has a bag that allows it to be used as a pillow.
I (only) heard it called that lol. Albeit I was an infantry guy.
Hooah dude 😎
@@W7Mike5150 When did you enlist? I was also 11B, and enlisted in '99. I never heard the term "woobie" until years after I had been out of the Army.
@@mattjack3983 Bro, weird my dude. 2000-2004 Fort HOOD. We always referred to them as woobs. Coulda been a command experience thing? Idk
When I was on AD, (76-82) we never called this a "woobie". We called it a Poncho Liner. (I was also in Bn. We didn't call it that when I was there.)
We called it a "Snoopy Blanket " 1979 82nd Abn
Awesome vid and brilliant presentation my friend. Thank you & be well ;-)
Still have my pops woobie he brought back from Vietnam!
If you have a a Woobie, you woo-bie warm.
😄😄😄
I can confirm that Army guys love these.
I like my woobie I take 2 good 5 by 7 reusable space blankets and two poncho liners and put them together to make a sleeping bag I’ve used it with clothes on down to about 35°
The nickname is from the movie (Mr. Mom). I entered service in 1978, and served in the 2/325th airborne infantry from 1979-1983. Since many times all we had in the field was what we could put in the rucksack we'd be jumping in, the bulky sleeping bag was left behind. We were fiercely devoted to our poncho liners, but I never heard it called a woobie while I was among the guys using it the most. Mr. Mom came out in 1983, and it was after that time later in my career that I first heard someone call it a "woobie". I immediately made the connection, since the poncho liner is as indispensable to a field soldier as a security blanket is to a toddler.
Thank you for your service, sir!
Yeah, I know what you’re saying. Was in 1/508 then 3/505. The poncho liner and poncho were all we used even in January and February which isn’t warm at Bragg. Some of us bought Goretex sleeping bag covers and sewed the liner inside which worked well.
They never issued us a poncho liner, Desert Storm era.
I understand that you little guys start out with your woobies and you think they're great... and they are, they are terrific. But pretty soon, a woobie isn't enough. You're out on the street trying to score an electric blanket, or maybe a quilt. And the next thing you know, you're strung out on bedspreads Ken.
White Falcon brother here. AATW!
Nobody used these as a survival item, it’s a comfort piece of kit. Nobody used ponchos either, ponchos funnel water right into your boots, we used wet weather gear(jacket and pants). A poncho was used to cover rucks or make a hasty shelter. If your smart you either modify it or take it to a tailor and have them mod it with a zipper so it now becomes a light weight sleeping bag. This with a bivi sack(has been issued the last 30 years) will serve you much better than a poncho.
I have my Woobie from 1984 Ft Wainwright Alaska. Army, I have and sleep with it today.
I have the very first woobie I was issued in the Army back in 1976. I have several more as well. One goes in every kit bag we have in the family... Wouldn't leave home without one! Thanks for the vid Sootch!
Another legend is that the Woobie was named because it looked like a children's/infant's blanket wrapped around a soldier, especially when walking around with it slung over the soldier. A "woobie" was slang for a child's blanket in the 1960s.
First I ever heard of it: th-cam.com/video/t2-NFhEI-DM/w-d-xo.html
I am not american or expert on history, but if previously the wool blanket was affectionally "woolie" why not calling the synthetic versions be called "woobie"?
The pic at 6:27 had me do a double take.
Thought one guy was mounting the other, both doing a weird frog pose...
Check out the swagman roll by Helikon-Tex. Its basically a upgraded woobie that is fully functional as a poncho liner, sleeping bag, sleeping bag liner, hammock underquilt, blanket. Fits up perfectly with a USGI poncho. Durable as can be. Best piece of kit i own right now.
@Mills Rickman 5 PLs.
@Mills Rickman its expensive. I got mine for roughly $115. They go from anywhere to 115-180 depending on where and when you get it. I got mine straight from helikon-tex. Worth its weight in gold though.
I'll back the Swagman roll too. It IS expensive, but if you can shell out the coin, it's nice. Quite a bit more versatile than than the woobie, and in my humble opinion, warmer too. Don't get me wrong, I love my USGI poncho liners, but if the poo hit the fan and I had to pick one, it would be the swag...
Wouldn't doubt it. Their utility uniforms are awesome: A cross between the old Jungle Fatigue and modern velcro'd utilities that can be worn sleeves-up. Very sharp looking.
I have one , and a wooble ... and thats right the woobie isnt for cold weather ... I have a duck down hammock liner , a swagman and a woobie ,, ALL fit under a poncho ( in my case a plash planka )
I was in Germany in the 80's and never called it a woobie until the last couple of years. I bought one on eBay and sleep with it on my bed.
I have several. One in each of the get-home bags I gave to my family members. I sent my original 70's woobie to my son when he was in Iraq in 2007. Made sure he gave it back!
Thanks just bought-30 sleeping bags for GHB but will add those as well
The poncho, poncho liner, a wool blanket an your sleeping pad, oh an dry cloths, an you would be surprised at what type of weather you can comfortably sleep in. Training at Fort Campbell during a ice storm I sleep like a baby with mine. Thank you sir, love you vids!
Love my woobie's! I have 3 from Desert Storm and my dad still has his from Vietnam. I use them backpacking and camping, and have one in my bug out bag.
My freind was the in the sigz
I have three woobies. I keep one in the house for those days when I don’t want to turn the thermostat up.
I switched out my poncho for a thermal reflective tarp which they issued medics. Way warmer and that combo has been a life saver when I didn’t have my whole kit with me.
Thank you for your service, sir!
I switched out my poncho liner for a five star hotel room when I became a field grade officer.
Pillow Talk with Sootch
Why is all my subscriptions coming up as not subscribed !!? I have been subbed to you for years
23 years in the infantry (1982-2005) and it was always a 'woobie' as far back as I can remember. Typically, only line unit personnel had such names for their equipment, as the REMFs never saw their gear, except for inspections, much less used it enough to have nicknames for items. Lots of Army personnel never called it that, but the vast majority of combat arms personnel used the name consistently. We loved self deprecating terms for our dirty miserable careers, for example, all comfort items like the 'woobie' are classed as 'snivel gear'. People like to make fun of the grunts, but no one loved making fun of us more than we did.
I was in in 1985-89. I was a REMF ...FOR SURE! . Didn't get a woobie. I got to go the "field" once for NCO School. ;)
Be all you can be.
Semper Fi
Nobody wants to be a grunt but everybody wants a CIB.
God bless you cold war era fucks
75-89. Poncho liner, but I was always jungle ops trained.
Never liked the poncho liner. Back in the 80s, I was stationed in Germany, took a wool blanket to a tailor off post and had it made into a poncho. It worked alot better than the nylon liner we were issued.
bullshit... you must been in a waterboy unit. wool blankets are huge you'd never get that into a ruck and they absorb water and never dry out.. poncho liners were for male only infantry units
Did that with my wet weather top. Two layers! Bought a brand new jacket, a good condition surplus blanket and SHAZAM. Perfect for baumholder, graph, or wildflecken..
@@Gloomshadow100 guessing you are a young pup. Yes, we were issued poncho liners, and artic gear. (ADA, if you know what that is) Guessing you weren't even born when the wall came down, I was there. Also likely you were nowhere around during Shield/ Storm. Best case, you were shitting your diapers about that time. The 80s was the last of the old Army. Not like this new pc weak crap that wears the uniform now.
@@Gloomshadow100 "Male only infantry units"?
Infantry units are Always male only, at least they were when I was in from 1972-1975 (Vietnam era).
@@Gloomshadow100, you’ll learn to appreciate water-boys in a desert environment. There’s a place for everyone.
Have one folded on my bed. The poodle uses it at night for a sleeping pad. I worked around the Army for twenty years, and never heard it referred to as a woobie.
I just got my 16th one about a week ago.. can't have enough
I've placed a marker on my woobies on the side that is going to be closest to my body, touching my clothes, so when its night/dark/I'm tired, I can be sure that the same aide that faces out will get dirty and the side that I prefer to keep clean will be against me. I don't mind much if I'm dirty but more so my gear that needs to remain clean like rifles and cooking equipment and etc
I saw the notification for this video and moved towards my phone only to realize it was on top of my oldest woobie from 2008 before everyone got UCP or OCP pattern ones. Just that Vietnam era OD.
Take a while to feel warm in if it’s bitterly cold, but they get very warm within half an hour and nothing else is better for when it’s raining. If you are roughing it on dirt or rocks, at least you can cushion your head and keep your body warm. But combined with a good field cot? I used to get amazing sleep that way back when I was still in the Army.
Oh man you are right , what a great sleep and rest all your ack's and pains were gone when you got up . Still got my army cot wool blanket poncho from when i was in the army in the early sixties . Used mine when i was on some job in the middle of no were and hunting . People don't know how good that combation works , if they did they would never buy a $500 mattress ...lol....
We use to fold up our shelter halves and packs and cover them with the poncho and camouflage the poncho for patrol.
..the poncho liner and the musette bag with the two coolest things to come out of that god-awful mess..
I’m gonna get petty here for a second but woobie rhymes with woody. It’s not a wooooooobie. But yes it is a Soldier favorite. I’ve seen many a Soldiers take nothing more than this and their bivvy sack into the field even when it’s cold.
I still have two from my active duty days.
Not only are they comfortable, they are lightweight and extremely versatile.
Okay Y'all've gone too feckin' far! Civlilians don't need to know about the Our feckin' WOOBIE!
You had me at "woobie" although I don't think we had nicknamed them yet back in the early 80's ;) I've actually still got one (in excellent condition) from the 80's that I couldn't bear to leave behind when I was checking out of CLNC.
I had my wife slit my PL in the center and sew velcro onto both edges. That way I could actually wear the poncho and liner together, or use them as a bedroll without a pneumonia hole in the small of my back! My CO had a heavy poncho cut into a field jacket and a PL sewn into it as a liner, by a Korean tailor while he was in the Nam. Best field jacket I ever saw.
I was in the service from 84-88 never heard it called that. One of the best pieces of equipment we had. We put it in a cargo pocket
Thank you for your service, sir!
John, I was in exactly the same years. Ft. Stewart GA then Baumholder Germany (11B).
Don't know about that, but I've got several poncho liners..
I just realized when I tried to find spare snap button to repair my poncho that suppliers call it "Gypsy Stud". The one that contains both male and female on opposite sides and it's not easy to find.
Oh my goodness, I always thought a woobie was just a Nick name for a blanket. 😂
Have five of them, all woodland camo.
Always have at least two with me when I hike or camp, most times that is all I use as a sleep system in the summer. Use a modular sleep system in the winter when truck camping, but still carry the poncho liners. Always one on my bed at home. The poncho and poncho liner fit in the older butt packs worn on the LCE.
Never heard it called a woobie till after I got out of the Army.
🇺🇸
They make a coat now that does turn into a sleep system
During my time as an active army soldier in the early 2000s we called it a woobie, but pronounced wuby. Not wew-by. Or just go with the original source here to clarify the pronunciation. I think if an enlisted soldier called it a wewby he would have been laughed out of the barracks.
I was in USMC and in Nam in 1970. It may have just been my company but we called them our Snoopy Blanket. At night you were hard to see when wrapped up in one. When not in base camp we were always on the move so the only shelter I had was a poncho and poncho liner. Never did tie it into the poncho, used the poncho as a shelter and the liner as a blanket. One thing nobody ever mentions is you can be soaked and the poncho liner can be soaked and you wrap up in it and it will make you warmer. If you don't move your body heat will dry it out in no time. Still have and use the one from Nam ( 50 years + ) as a sleeping bag liner.
its even warmer if you find a Rock-Ape to cuddle with
Wow. Thank yoo for those incredible story.
My Woobie was my summer sleeping bag. In the winter when I used my actual sleeping bag my woobie was my pillow.
The poncho liner is the best issue item. Mine was modified with a full length zipper to use as a summer bivy. Still travel with it to this day.
Me too. I used a 110" nylon coil zipper. I LOVE mine
Used one while in service inside the old duck feather mountain sleeping bag to sleep snuggly in single digit temps. Mine is ERDL camo, Vietnam era, and still going strong, with a few runs and picks.
Thank you for your service, sir!
Been sleeping with my surplus poncho liner on my couch for 6 months. I'd sleep with my wife but my 3 year old son keeps claiming my side of the bed every night at midnight like clockwork. Not gonna transplant in the middle of the night. I love the poncho liner. Perfect temperature regulation.
i love my woobie. the og one i was issued i always take with me on backpacking trips, can never go without it
I understand now. I never understood where your head went through but it doesn't...
Sew one to the inside on the military rain jacket for a built-in liner. We would either get a woobie or wool blanket and have the tailor shop sew it into the jacket. The wool blanket was a little warmer. The tailor would usually sew in an inner pocket with the poncho liner material. They were called "Hawk" or Graf" jackets. I sure do miss mine.
Just make it into a jacket & use as removable liner.
@@ronbo39339 The rain jackets were a little oversized, so even with a liner sewn in there was plenty of room, comfort & breathability/ventilation. Your idea would be like using the M65 liner inside the rain jacket. The Hawk jackets w/ liner were actually worn over the M65 without the liner in the jacket. (In the extreme cold you could put the M65 liner into the M65 jacket.) Or, the Hawk jackets could be worn as a regular coat. They were ideal for temps from 25-50 degrees F, especially when it was raining or very damp conditions. Outstanding for European fall/winter/spring weather.
For cold wet weather Wool is great!
I recomend anyone that can aford it,to get a real loom knitted Alpaca Poncho.
thats another story!
Thanks man👍
Excellent review Thanks! I never want to be that guy, but must admit to a twinge every time you pronounced woobie. Close but... 🤣 guessing you never saw the movie. That is a great price! Amazon is out of their bloody mind, sellers wanting $45 and up💩💩
I never found the poncho liner to be particularly warm. They're better than nothing, but that's about it. You can combine a poncho, a poncho liner and a casually blanket for a ranger taco. Problem is that it's fairly heavy in comparison to other options
There were some after market non military products that look similar but
included a thinsulate layers that were a little warmer than the issued poncho liner
You sound a bit down sir. Rest well and take plenty of drinks
Snugpak makes a good woobie
Got 7 for use in & outdoors. Lose @ least one in every big backyard get together. Replace it unbegrudgingly each time. -11b4p 82nd Abn. Div. back in '74.
I appreciate your channel. You give good everyday wisdom and products. As a senior woman, I say thank you for the discounts information.
👍❤️👍
I've had a woobie in a vacuum seal bag in my bug out bag for about 6 years now. The vacuum seal bag flattens it out really nice. I wish I had room for the actual Poncho but my pack which is very well-equipped is about 26 lbs., heavier than I would like but I will definitely not starve, freeze or die of thirst trying to get home.
How long could you survive without resupply in your environment in your bob?
I’ve always called mine a poncho liner since my days in the Marine Corps. I have about a dozen of them and they are such a great, versatile utility blanket.
Look like a great idea, but why wouldn't they cut a hole to put your head through? I own two poncho liners made by Helikon, they come with the hole and a hood, so they are even one level more versatile. :)
Went in the Marine Corps infantry in 1996 and it was called a Woobie then. I remember an instructor at SOI East talking about your “Woobie” being your best piece of equipment.