I am looking for a good solid rain gear for hiking / camping?

I have tried ponchos, and while it seems attractive at first there are too many drawbacks. First they are not a versitile as you might think. If you use it for a ground cloth then you don't have any protection to go out and gather wood, pee, or what ever. And, as a groundcloth it will quickly get little holes from sharp rocks, sticks, thorns etc, then be worthless as a rain jacket. A poncho has no arms so water tends to get your sleeves wet. In wind they blow around and are quite worthless. Because there is no front opening, or for some other reasons, they tend to get condensation from sweat. Those who recommended Gortex jacket and pants or similar water proof breathables are correct. It isn't perfect, ;but it is the best at the moment.

The ideal solution would be a jacket with Event fabric. It breathes and stops water better than Gore tex. But it isnt anything like cheap. The next option would be Gore Tex. It tends to get clammy, especially if youre using it in florida. The next option is a water repellant jacket. These are reliable for short periods of rain, and are more clammy than gore tex. A regular nylon jacket or one with a light water repellent coating and a poncho is a good solution, especially in the south.

I think you should stick w/ the GI style poncho. I have a GI style poncho and find that for the price, it's really nice. The material def. seems tougher than the material on most of the rain gear/ponchos Ive seen at many sporting goods stores, the snap closures are solid, since it's a poncho I can take it on and off without much of a hassle, and it doubles as a ground tarp (amazingly handy when the ground is wet; it's somewhere to sit, keep dry wood on,etc) or simple shelter. The only downfalls are that it's not as breathable as some of the newer rain gear (after a long while humidity builds up inside), it's a bit bulky, small streams of rain roll off the hood and onto the neck/chest during torrential and windy rain.

Sure, you can be soaking wet and miserable in almost anything. Me? I sprang for a very expensive Gore-Tex rain suit which I like. (You can sleep in it, too.) PS: You can, still, carry the poncho as a, 'top cover' if you want to. ;)