UV Backpack Umbrella

this umbrella is fantastic. its sturdy, easy to attach with the included shock cord. it isn't the lightest on the market but its also half the price of those 6 oz umbrellas so no one should complain about the weight. plus, its actually lighter than advertised if you leave the carry case at home. the opening action is very smooth. its bigger than other lightweight hiking umbrellas out there so you pack benefits from the shade too. all umbrella may take getting accustomed using out in the wilderness especially in area with dense forest but boy is it great walking in the complete shade. probably 10° cooler.

I bought this umbrella to use on a 12 day trek in New Mexico. I am a ginger and I needed extra sun protection. My crew made fun of me at first, but I was the one laughing when there was no shade for three days straight. I was in a personal shade pocket while they melted. I was relatively cool and comfortable, even though it was 90°+ F. This is a good size without being excessively large or heavy. When I wasn't using the umbrella it folded up and fit along the side of my pack. I added a selfie to show how it rode on my pack. You can just see the handle sticking up. It is a bit longer than my 55l Durston pack is tall. I also got to use this in a few surprise rain showers including pea sized hail. It held up fine with no damage. It did pop inside out twice when hit with 50-60 mph winds along a mesa. Each time I was able to close and re-open the umbrella to correct the issue. I was happy with the wind resistance for how light the umbrella is. As long as it didn't break, the closing and reopening was a minor annoyance.

I road walked from Key West through the Everglades and Big Cypress for a total of about 300 miles. During the hottest parts of the days, I opened this umbrella to keep the sun off me. It was much cooler in the shade of this umbrella and allowed me to walk through the hottest parts of every day. (I trained for this and carried 8 gallons of water on a cart, don't take the sun for granted, even with a nice umbrella.) My only complaint about this umbrella is that the ribs are fairly weak and in strong wind from passing trucks the umbrella would flip inside out. It became a hassle to fuss with sometimes. But if there was no wind, I loved this thing. It never tore in a month of camping and rough use, even though the fabric feels flimsy--it's stronger than it looks.

The umbrella is very light and with a useful and impressive carrying case. You can attach it to the shoulder straps of the backpack. For those who want their head without attaching a hat and also protection with a larger diameter than a normal hat against the sun's radiation, this product is an excellent fit.

The hands-free straps do not seem to work very well. The umbrella is not secure with them on.

Pros: Lightweight. Has loops at both ends so it’s easy to hook to things for travel. Durable. When wind inverts it just pull it back into shape with no damage. Reflects heat very well. Noticeably cooler under the umbrella. Easy to open and close. Cons: when you get it don’t open the umbrella inside your house because it’s that plastic material that smells like ripe roadkill, if you’ve encountered it before you know what I mean, just open and store it outside where it can breath and it’s great.

Strong. Solid construction - built like a tank.

A pair of these were bought for me and my partner. We took these to the Grand Canyon on a 6 mile hike and they were the best thing we used. Even more than any snack or backpack. The amount of heat they kept out was fantastic. If you're going on a hike with lots of sun, these are absolutely amazing. The bag to carry them is also a super useful add-on for hiking when you don't need the umbrella open.

Lo he comprado para su uso en la montaña y en caminatas por el campo, la versatilidad la veo en que también sirve para protegerte del sol. Parece resistente y es bastante ligero. Ya lo he usado en el monte en un día de lluvia y viento y ha aguantado bastante bien.

I don’t care what anyone else writes or says about this item. It is absolutely fantastic. I have just come back from walking across Spain in temperatures of around 34’, in direct sunlight, and it would have been unbearable, maybe impossible for little fair-skinned me without this product. You put it up and it’s like switching on an air conditioning unit over your head. It is, without doubt, (after the correct boots) the single most useful item I carried. Anything else could’ve been replaced or done without. Not this. There may be better quality, more expensive items available but for 20 odd quid, this is fantastic value. Can even be used in the rain. 5 star. 10 out of 10. 100%. Grade ‘A’.

This is a great umbrella. I love it, except it smells really strongly of copydex, even weeks after using it! So strange!

Very poor quality, it broke on the first use as I opened it up. If it had cost £3 or £4 I would probably have accepted it as my fault for buying cheap rubbish. But, for the price of this I expected the quality control to be much higher.

Appears to be very good design and well made. I like the blue colour and full shade of the silver outer layer. The left open slide works well and keeps umbrella firmly open without need for locking mechanism. The storage bag has mesh to make sure no moisture is trapped while storing. I did not see instructions for how to set up the ties provided to secure for trekking but expect easy to figure out. I am very pleased with this purchase.