It also now comes in eight colors. It comes with a carrying bag … Its polyester, Teflon-coated canopy showed no sign of dents or fraying stitching—even after the stress tests. The best way to avoid a counterfeit yourself is by making sure the seller is Upper Echelon Products and/or that your order is being fulfilled by Amazon. After using the Easy Touch on and off for about a year in rough city weather, senior staff writer Tim Heffernan says the umbrella has held up well. But once canopies get wider than the 37- to 39-inch range—the typical size of the automatic umbrellas we tested—you start running into weight issues without gaining significantly better coverage. A good umbrella will withstand a stiff breeze, but also invert—flip inside out—when a sudden gust overwhelms its strength limits. But the wooden handle is more slippery than the Repel’s. Every umbrella … During our most recent round of testing, we tried the newly redesigned travel-size Davek Solo, a past iteration of which we’ve recommended. 6.3oz weight and more compact with UV block 3. It’s a bit too sturdy for its own good. After a month of testing patio umbrellas and bases, we think that the Treasure Garden Market Umbrella and US Weight Umbrella Base are the best for most people. AmazonBasics also offers a ventless option for an even lower price, but we found that it didn’t hold up as well during and after our stress tests; if you want something at the same price as the ventless model, we recommend the Lewis N. Clark Umbrella instead. The Balios Prestige Travel Umbrella looks and feels premium—with a wooden handle and solid build quality—and it costs about the same as the Repel. Frame Material: DAC Aluminum handle and fiberglass frame. It stood up well to wind in our tests, inverting only when held directly parallel to the wind on a particularly blustery day in the city, and it snapped back easily and quickly. But its strength comes from a complex truss of multiple ribs and springs that makes it extremely top-heavy; when the wind catches the canopy, it’s like holding a sledgehammer. Although it didn’t break during this year’s testing in a snowstorm, it did look somewhat the worse for wear compared with our other picks, which is why we’re no longer recommending it as an ultralight pick. Just 8 ounces keeps you out of the rain or the sun. They also make great add-on additions to your tent or shelter. It can be straight, curved, cushioned, gripped or covered in non-slip EVA hardfoam. EuroSchirm Light Trek Automatic Flashlite: This EuroSchirm model is like the others, except for some reason it has a small LED flashlight in the handle. It also revealed an alarming similarity and positivity in supposed owner reviews (we’re on record as skeptics of this phenomenon). Davek Duet: With a 48-inch canopy, this large model is built for two. Although we appreciate the Repel umbrella’s sturdy build, we should note that the snappy opening and tight tolerances require a strong spring to drive them. Canopy Fabric: 100% Polyester with Teflon coating. PVC, Nylon and Polyester are great canopy materials because they’re lightweight, yet still durable. Learn more. The representative assured us that the problem has been resolved, but we plan to monitor the Amazon listing of the umbrella more closely, just to be sure. FREE Shipping by Amazon. Its double canopy looks attractive—especially in the orange and blue color combo we received—but makes the umbrella awkwardly top-heavy. Its ease of use put it ahead of other similarly sturdy but more expensive stick models such as the GustBuster Classic, which felt considerably more top-heavy. I use this umbrella for backpacking and for watching the kids play soccer. In exchange for referring sales, we may receive a small commission through affiliate links. Its nine-rib construction held up against gale-force winds, and it’s as sturdy as umbrellas that sell for more than twice as much. Silver canopies reflect the sun’s rays away, whereas black canopies absorb them before they can reach you. For those who like collapsible options, Six Moon Designs created the Silver Shadow Carbon Mini which is very similar to this model. The wooden handle (which the company takes pains to note is “ethically sourced,” though we have been unable to confirm what that means, exactly) lacks a wrist strap and feels slicker than the rubberized handle of the Repel. Regardless of its size, no umbrella will keep you dry from head to toe, especially not if there’s a breeze. Its button-free operation makes it easy to use and avoids any chance for unnecessary defects. The extra rib provides a greater amount of reinforcement across the canopy, and therefore greater durability. A few days later, during a sunny but blustery day, she did a second lap, this time pushing the baby in a stroller. Though it performed decently in our real-world wind tests, inverting several times without breaking, it was difficult to flip back. A guide to the best umbrellas for ultralight backpacking and how to use. That design plus a hard-plastic handle that’s slick when wet makes for a losing combination. That gimmick brings its weight to 13.5 ounces—not a light trekker at all. What sets the Swing Trekapart in this review is its hands-free design. The lightweight fiberglass ribs are considerably more flexible than other umbrellas’ ribs, and as a result the canopy collapses easily when blasted head-on and flexes like a leaf in high winds when held upright. If you want something made of nicer materials or with a more sophisticated finish, and you are willing to splurge a bit, you can find some good options out there. UL Tip: How to minimize the weight of your ultralight umbrella? Although this umbrella weighs in heavier than others on our list, the extra weight from the double reinforced ribs provide durable strength in high winds and rough conditions. View Products. How much coverage do you want from your umbrella? Have a custom made sun shade installed and enjoy life in the shade! Designed with heavy rain protection and durability against high winds in mind, this solid base umbrella is made with super strength alloy in its shaft. But the Tadge Goods model is about 2 ounces heavier, making it a bit harder to handle during strong winds. We also like that it comes in five colors. Backed with a lifetime guarantee, the Ultra-Sil Trekking Umbrella is built with waterproof 30D siliconized CORDURA Nylon. A good umbrella will withstand a stiff breeze, but also invert—flip inside out—when a sudden gust overwhelms its strength limits. With that established, in subsequent years we focused our testing on other aspects of umbrella performance and build quality. A strong umbrella will usually have a shaft made of steel or iron along with solid “rivets” (pieces that connect the ribs). Ace Teah Travel Umbrella: Some readers asked us to consider models with reflective strips. You’ll be better off with an umbrella that opens and collapses quickly and reliably, instead of bending over backwards to get in and out of a car. The Elite comes in three colors: black, blue, or the handsome copper, pictured at the top of this section. A hiking umbrella can be a great piece of equipment to have while out on the trail. Probably. Knirps Xtreme Vented Duomatic: This automatic umbrella feels hefty at 22.5 ounces, but its canopy handily opens to an impressive 48 inches—the size of many stick umbrellas. Price: The print is premium The umbrella … But in our tests of both the Kazbrella (one of the early examples of this concept) and the Sharpty Inverted (the best-selling “stick umbrella” on Amazon at the time of this writing), we found the novel design underwhelming. Say your hiking uphill in 90-degree temps with high humidity and it begins to rain. And when we pressed the automatic close button, they snapped back into place. GustBuster Classic: Though this GustBuster model offers a wider canopy and a cane handle, it has a similar construction to the Metro. Impressive, for sure, but we prefer to save $200 and instead take the still luxe, and more portable, Davek Elite for an umbrella of this style. And although its metal ribs are listed as being made of steel, we are nearly certain they’re actually aluminum, judging from their light weight, lack of magnetism, and appearance. However, that cost is partially justified by Davek’s easy-to-use lifetime guarantee (which includes 50 percent off a new umbrella if you lose your original). The Repel Easy Touch folds up to an 11½-inch-long, 14-ounce package that fits easily into most bags and glove boxes. Our 2015 interview with umbrella guru Center revealed a sad truth: Most—though not all—umbrella making is outsourced to generalist manufacturers, often to the detriment of quality. It has a 9-rib design using resin-reinforced fiberglass to make it stronger than your average umbrella … Do you want a shorter handle or a longer one? After all, some of our favorite destinations like Hawaii and Costa Rica are known for frequent rain showers. In addition to the problems of the Kazbrella, the Sharpty felt cheap and was difficult to deploy correctly, often requiring a few shakes to get the canopy fully unfolded. What matters is its ability to flip back to proper form easily and repeatedly. This will help avoid rust, mildew, or any weird smelly build-up. The idea is to put it somewhere where you can access it quickly without breaking stride. The odd way the canopy deploys and collapses—unfolding down and out like a blooming flower and collapsing up and away from the holder, like a normal umbrella broken by the wind—is supposed to reduce water dripping onto the floor and make it easier to do things like get in and out of a car. While fun to use, they can be a pain to hold one-handed, especially if you’re on the smaller side. Where and how to store the umbrella when not in use? After more than six months of regular use, the Repel has continued to impress us with its resilience. If sun exposure is not a major concern but you like the Montbell brand, the Ultralight Trekking Umbrella is a lighter alternative. ShedRain Windjammer: This model suffered from poor build quality and did a poor job of keeping our mannequin dry in our shower test. However, it can be hard to get a handle on when it will be available. Shaft: Usually made from wood, metal or fiberglass the shaft is the “base” of the umbrella. The comfortable, rubberized handle is relatively long (about 2½ inches), which during our tests meant that Sarah could fit almost her whole hand around it, yet it didn’t feel too small in Tim’s or Daniel’s larger hands. Also lucky for us, these crafty individuals have shared their knowledge with the rest of us! Unfortunately, we learned that it also does a poor job of keeping you dry when the rain blows sideways. Unfortunately, its handle was tiny and slippery, and its shaft felt particularly flimsy. If you want your umbrella to keep you dry for a long time, you need to remember to let it dry. Over the past six years, we’ve taken umbrellas on errands, run them under the shower, attacked them with a leaf blower, and tortured them to the point of failure in gusty winds and even blizzard-like conditions. After half a year of using the AmazonBasics umbrella, travel and outdoors editor Ria Misra reports that it still works smoothly. Because it’s lightweight for its size (16 ounces) and not too pricey, we think it could be a fine sunshade in mild weather. It’s a good choice if you want the coverage but not the hassle of carrying a cane around town. Before our last visit to Rain or Shine, we consulted the work of the good folks at OutdoorGearLab, who have done their own extensive umbrella trials. Inverted umbrellas are a relatively recent development in “holding something over your head to keep water off” technology. Affiliate disclosure: We aim to provide honest information to our readers. However, its handle is smaller and more slippery than some of the others—and its cost is significantly higher. Unlike most other trekking umbrellas, this one does come offered in a variety of colors including black, red and coyote tan. Montbell travel umbrella. It is the heaviest out of the three fabrics, but is also the most effective in sun, heat and rain protection. Whether in the midst of a blizzard or while facing gusts near the top floors of a high-rise apartment building, this umbrella refuses to quit against the toughest gales. Nothing can replace the effect of a sun-reflecting umbrella at 15000' in the Andes or high up on the Continental Divide. It was also the only umbrella that elicited comments from other New Yorkers, with one person excitedly telling James all about his own Solo, which he’d had for years. Do you want to be under more of a bubble or a wider arc? This is a solidly built, easy-to-find umbrella that holds up in high winds. Umbrellas aren’t just for protection against the weather. Take these questions into consideration when looking at the various sizes and builds of umbrellas. Just leave your umbrella open after use—the bathtub is a handy spot. When not using your umbrella, the best place to store it is somewhere on your pack that’s easily accessible, like alongside your water bottle or in another side pocket. Part of the frame, the ribs hold the canopy in place. Curbside Pickup Available NOW! Canopy Fabric: 30D Polyester Teflon, PU Protected. The round handle is comfortable, as is the wrist strap, and the automatic open and close function is as responsive as any we tested. After 66 hours of research and putting 48 umbrellas through five rounds of testing, we’re confident the Repel Easy Touch Umbrella remains the best umbrella. 100% Satisfaction Guarantee Canopy Fabric: Polyester with a Polyurethane silver coating. When the runner moves up the umbrella to open the canopy, the stretchers push outward placing pressure on the ribs which create the arc of the umbrella. She brought her observations to Wirecutter editor Tim Heffernan, who had performed the 2016 tests; together we made a subjective judgment based on factors such as weight, balance, and handle comfort. Not only will the canopy of the umbrella help deflect UV rays, but the shade created by an umbrella has been measured to decrease temps by up to 15 degrees. And it forcefully expands at a touch of a button to reveal an ample 37-inch-diameter canopy that protects your torso and head from precipitation in all but the windiest of conditions. Fully closed, the AmazonBasics is just 11 inches long; the fabric of its canopy, however, is thicker than that of the Repel, so when it’s bundled, it’s a bit stockier as well. But subpar wind resistance holds it back. So in 2015, we tested several umbrellas’ ability to keep a T-shirt-clad mannequin dry beneath the spray of a dual shower head. Because of its folding features, this umbrella takes a bit of maneuvering, as you must manually clip each rib into place when opening its canopy. Because every ounce counts! To save you a few unnecessary ounces, you can get rid of the straps and toss out the carrying case of your hiking umbrella. In fact, the Repel felt just as solid in every phase of our testing as $100-plus models we’ve tested. Having to carry around an umbrella for miles at a time during a thru-hike may not sound very appealing. It isn’t the toughest, but it is quite light and very affordable, and it comes in many colors. We think you’d miss the rain coverage of a full-size (38 inches or so) canopy more than you’d appreciate having a couple fewer inches of umbrella in your bag. Tumi Medium Auto Close Umbrella: This umbrella’s size and compactness are middle of the road, and it didn’t stand out in any particular test, despite its premium price. And as always, keep in mind that the bigger you go, the more weight you’ll have. James has been using the Totes since December 2018, and says it continues to work well in city storms, even though its been used in a few too many bad Gene Kelly impressions. This post may contain affiliate links. EVA hard foam is the material used in products such as yoga mats and shoe insoles. James Austin is an updates writer working on everything that Wirecutter covers, from board games to umbrellas, and after being here for a few years he has gained approximate knowledge of many things. 100% Satisfaction Guarantee The handle also made this one of the longest collapsible umbrellas we tested, measuring 13.5 inches when collapsed. Trudging through the rain is rarely enjoyable, but sometimes it’s unavoidable. A trekking umbrella is a useful piece of backpacking gear for rain and sun protection. In extremely sunny environments, umbrellas have an additional use: portable shade. 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