Quoted By:
>fedora-core
You said it yourself.
People who would like to wear one are worried about looking like retards.
Cloaks have been worn for millenias, and that's quite simply because they're good, but for some reason, people now ignore them because they have "coats". And it's quite handy in the city, but when you're /out/, why would you care? But most people haven't tried a real cloak. Those pieces of wool with a neck strap that you need to keep closed with your arms aren't cloaks. Pic related.
Real cloaks are practical, provide warmth, protection from wind and rain, dry fast, can be used as a blanket, and can fucking close from the inside so you don't need to hold it. Yes, wool can protect you under a pouring rain for a few hours, but I'm talking about quality wool though, not the one most modern cloaks are made of, which confirms the fact that most people haven't tried a real cloak. Saying cloaks are shit based on those shit cloaks is like trying a PVC raincoat and claim Goretex softshells suck.
Cloaks are also large enough to protect you and your backpack, but also anything you'd do: check your map, eat, light a fire, take a shit... and some are large enough to use walking sticks from underneath. And they're of course much cheaper than a waterproof coat, pants, boots, backpack, map...
Same thing applies to ponchos, which are less fedora-core, minus the warmth, but smaller and lighter. I myself use a plashch palatka, made of thick cotton, not as warm as wool, but much more durable than a plastic poncho, allowing you to walk through thorns and use it as ground sheet, and it can even be set as a tent. Well it's actually a tent worn as a cloak. I've used it all around the world, and it's probably my finest piece of equipment.
Cloaks are great and much cheaper than anything else you could use. If you can live with looking like a retard, and want to save money, go for it.
