Plash Palatka - Плащ-палатка

A Russian Plash Palatka (Плащ-палатка) is a square or nearly square canvas sheet issued to Russian and Soviet soldiers that works as both a rain poncho and a small tent or tarp.

The Russian term literally means a “cloak‑tent” or “cape‑tent”, reflecting its dual role as clothing and shelter. It was introduced in the late Russian Imperial period and remained standard issue through the Soviet era as a multipurpose field item. Soldiers used it as a rain cape, windproof cloak, emergency tent or lean‑to, groundsheet, and even as an improvised stretcher or gear carrier.

These versatile old school cotton shelter halves are getting rarer by the day so get yours now before they are gone forever. They can be used as a groundsheet, shelter half, rain/camouflage cape, stretchers, or a top layer for sleeping bag/blanket. In almost every use it is just a tad too small on its own, part of the rugged charm!

You can also wrap it around your blanket, sleeping bag, or all your worldly possessions and tie the bundle on your backpack. This way the contents are quite protected from rain and other elements.

When used as a cape, one corner works as the hood. Note the drawcords that you use to tighten both the hood and the "collar". Then you fold the opposite corner inside and button it up. The buttonholes on the corner line up with the toggle buttons on the center of the tarp.

Now you can button up the front as little or as much as you like. With the more open approach, you look like a heroic elf lord. If you button it up more tightly, you resemble more of a cone creature but you are better protected from rough weather.

When worn as a cape, you might notice that there are ACTUAL POCKETS under the armholes on the inside. You can stash something nice in them like a golden ring that you found in some deep dungeon or old cavern.

Material

Made from very tightly woven and impregnated wind- and waterproof cotton. The fabric seems even more dense on the Soviet equivalent.

The heavy canvas is durable, relatively spark‑resistant near campfires, and often treated to be water‑repellent, making it popular today among bushcrafters and surplus users.

It is a square canvas shelter half with a hood on the corner, leather grommets, and wooden toggles for buttons. It's traditional and very sturdy, fairly light weight, and comes pretty waterproof/water resistant even without waxing. When you have wandered the realm long enough to wear off the water repellent treatment, you can use fabric wax to reproof it.

They're easily as, if not more versatile (due to their strength and square shape) than a traditional nylon poncho tarp. The coverage is limited, so for a single poncho shelter, a plow point or flying diamond seems to work best. Either that, or connect two of them together.

Details and Dimensions

These poncho capes have been made for a long time so it is natural that the details can vary.

Measures about 180 x 180 cm (70 x 70"). The size can vary a bit because the size isn’t everything, as they say.

Weight some 1,4 kg (about 3 lbs). This can also vary to some extent.

The colours vary from olive green to a tad more forest green. Interior decoration guides would probably say that there are about eight different hues here but for us layfolks, these are fairly similar. The Romanian "Plash-palatka" is just like the Soviet original but in a bit more verdant green.

The shape, colour, and material of the toggle buttons that you can use to attach these together are also a bit different. Some are made of wood, some plastic. Some of these have brass grommets in the corners, some have cloth reinforcements. Some of the drawcords are also more modern than others.