Tent or poncho shelter?

Shelter thinking.
Your environment will largely dictate the sort of shelter you need.  If you live in the tropics you might be able to get away with a rain fly or a tarp as a shelter year round.  If you live in the arctic circle.....move.

Seriously though, what you will need for shelter in conjunction with your Jump Bag will depend heavily on your environment but there will be other factors at play as well.

Solo or Family.
If it's just you and the weather is favorable you can probably do fine under a poncho with a light blanket or sleeping bag.  Something to keep the rain off and stay warm and you should be fine.  You might even have a tent if you want to carry one. 

If you're part of a larger family unit that is executing a bug out, this might not work.  Small children may not fare well in the open or with limited protection from the elements.  You need to think about this when you develop your shelter plan for your Jump Bag

Some of the things I've read suggest that a bug out from an urban setting requires less consideration for shelter since the environment already has plenty of places to shelter.  And I suppose this will be true to some extent.  Abandoned buildings, underpasses, parks, all of these locations might provide you shelter from the elements, but shelter is more than that.

Shelter is both protection from the elements and also protection from detection in a bug out situation.  As I've mentioned before a disaster tends to bring out the two basic kinds of people.  The best, and the worst.  You might feel safe in your tent in the city park, but if someone with less than noble intent decides that you might have something they want, your tent will not provide any real protection.

Consider camouflage when thinking about shelter.  It doesn't matter if you're using a poncho as a hasty shelter, or a tent, give some thought to cover and concealment.  This obviously doesn't apply to a situation where you might be looking for rescue.  Then you want to be seen, by rescuers at least.

Options.
There are all manner of ways to shelter yourself from the elements.  Assuming you've given thought to camouflage then let's focus on the actual shelter stuff.

I intend to use a hammock if possible with a rain fly.  If this isn't practical I can always find a bush, burrow into it's branches and wrap up in my poncho liner and rain fly. This should give me cover and concealment as well as some shelter from wind and rain.  When I was in the Army I slept in worse conditions, and in case of emergency I would like to think I can do so again if the need arises.

I have a tent in my truck.  My Jump Bag is in my truck most of the time, and lately I've put the two man tent in there with it.  I can decide when the situation warrants if I want to carry the tent or not.  If I'm with the truck, and I need to camp, and the situation seems safe enough, I can put the tent up. 

If you don't have a hammock, or a tent, then you need to think about something.  You can get a tarp, one of those blue tarps you see everywhere.  That shouldn't set you back too much.  There are a number of YouTube videos that can show you how to create a lean to or rain fly using these tarps.  As for something to sleep in, a blanket is better than nothing.  A wool blanket, maybe one from the surplus store, is a good inexpensive solution.  Wool if a great fabric for use in the out of doors. 

Shelter is one of the big three.  Food, water, shelter.  The thing is that most people don't think it's as important as the other two.  Depending on your environment it might be the most important.  You can survive days without water and perhaps weeks without food.  In adverse climate, you can be dead in minutes.

What's your shelter plan for your Jump Bag?  Let me know in the comments.  I'd love to know what you're going to do and why you've decided to do that.