The Hoochie is a piece of equipment used by the Australian Army as a shelter. It is excellent for everyday carry, survival situations and tactical scenarios. The Hoochie is made out of rubberised nylon, and the original version was olive green in colour. The Australian Army started using the Hoochie in the early 1960s at the start of the Vietnam war.
The Hoochie joins with others by nylon loops, metal rivets, and press studs around the edge to make shelters for one person, to many people, or equipment items. The manufacturer of the Hoochie reinforced the corners so a soldier could use paracord or Hoochie cord to construct a shelter with pegs, a tree, sticks, antenna or wire Hoochie line.
The Hoochie is a versatile, lightweight, and rugged piece of equipment. In war and on exercise, soldiers use the Hoochie as an easy-to-erect shelter to cover the turret of an armoured vehicle, a gun pit or to shelter a soldier for the night. The Hoochie is erected low to the ground to reduce its silhouette at night. It is secured with a quick release line so the shelter can fall to the ground to help conceal a defensive position quickly. The Hoochie can make a backpack float, hide an observation post, carry a wounded person, collect rainwater for drinking, shade from the sun, protect against a cold wind, and many more uses.
JustGoodKit sells a modern version of the Hoochie so why not check it out here?