Ponchos are bought from a photograph and judged on whether they stay on. These four decisions are what decide the second part.

Span is the size, not the size name

Span is the measurement across the shoulders from hem to hem. It is what makes a poncho sit rather than slide, and on a changing poncho it is what makes it possible to get out of a wet swimsuit underneath.

A size name tells you nothing, because a poncho has no armhole to anchor it. Ask any supplier for the span in a number. If they cannot give you one, they are reselling somebody else’s stock.

Length is decided by whether people sit down

A poncho for a standing crowd can be short. A poncho for a seated crowd cannot, because the moment somebody sits the front rides up onto the lap and stops covering anything.

Tell your supplier which it is before they quote. It changes the cut length front and back, and it is the most common reason a giveaway poncho gets left under the seat.

Open sides or snapped sides

Open sides make a cape. Outdoors that is a problem: the first gust lifts it, and in a stand it lifts over the person behind. Snapped sides cost very little and turn it into a garment.

Open sides are fine indoors, and they are better for anything pulled on and off all day over a coat and a rucksack — though for marshalling we still snap them, because junctions are exposed.

Fabric decides what it is for, and what it is not

Anti-pill fleece for warmth. Towelling for changing. Knit for retail and festivals. Certified fluorescent fabric with retroreflective banding for marshals.

None of those are rainwear. If the brief is rain, that is a coated fabric and a different quote, and anyone selling you fleece for it is not paying attention.

What to send when you ask for a quote

Quantity, who is wearing them, whether they will be sitting or standing, indoors or out, and your artwork. That is enough for a real quote and a mockup the same day.

A poncho chest is a wide, shallow canvas, so most logos need repositioning rather than scaling. We redraw free.