The best umbrellas you can buy

Why you'll love it: When you're far from home, you need to be able to trust the gear you have with you, and the Samsonite Windguard Auto Open Umbrella is compact, capable, and reliable.

The astute reader will note that this umbrella is not the smallest on our list, which might make one wonder why I'm recommending it for travel. Wouldn't the tiniest, most lightweight choice serve better? No, because when you're far afield you need to be able to count on the things you brought with you.

Yes, at 17 inches when collapsed, the Samsonite Windguard Auto Open Umbrella is larger than many choices. But its two-tiered, Teflon-coated canopy is made out of durable polyester supported by rugged steel ribs, so you can trust it to holds its shape even in heavy rains and high winds.

The canopy of this umbrella provides ample coverage for one person and adequate shielding for two, provided they are willing to stay pretty close together. As the name suggests, it pops open at just the press of its button. While the smallest folding umbrella is great for daily commutes, this slightly larger, much tougher choice is ideal for travel.

One Samsonite Windguard Auto Open Umbrella owner calls it "large yet light" with a "substantial, high quality feel." Another praises its "very good quality" and was impressed with its performance "in moderate winds."

A Good Housekeeping write up noted this umbrella's "very good water resistance" and "spacious canopy" that provided ample user coverage.

Pros: Durable frame and canopy, impressive wind resistance, ample coverage for single user

Cons: Heavier than comparable models

Buy a Samsonite Windguard Auto Open Umbrella from Bed Bath & Beyond for $24.99

Why you'll love it: As you rightly expect from a golf umbrella, the G4Free Automatic Double Canopy Golf Umbrella is big and rugged.

Here's the thing about a so-called golf umbrella: Most of the time, they're not actually used for golf. But that same large canopy that could indeed keep clubs, caddy, and golfer dry save for at those critical moments of teeing off or driving, can keep you and a couple of other people dry in a downpour.

The G4Free Automatic Double Canopy Golf Umbrella has a 68-inch wide canopy that is supported by hardened steel ribs. It was designed to last a lifetime according to G4Free, and it comes with a lifetime warranty.

Along with that great big size comes a good deal of weight, of course. This umbrella weighs in at almost five pounds, which is five times the weight of many smaller umbrellas. But when you need serious rain protection and an umbrella that won't bend or break in gale force winds, you're going to have to give somewhere, folks.

By the way, this umbrella is so resistant to wind partially just because it's a beast, but also thanks to a double canopy design that wind pass up through it but prevents air from coming down onto you.

With some 850 reviews posted on Amazon, the G4Free Automatic Double Canopy Golf Umbrella has a fine 4.4-star average rating. One satisfied buyer gets right to the point, saying "this umbrella is awesome," and adding that it can fit "up to three people" and "withstands high winds."

A write up from HonestGolfers called the G4Free Automatic Double Canopy Golf Umbrella a great value umbrella that is more than "large enough to shelter you comfortably" against downpours.

Pros: Wide coverage area, great low price, sturdy design

Cons: Quite heavy compared to other choices

Buy a G4Free Automatic Double Canopy Golf Umbrella on Amazon for $20 to $30

Why you'll love it: The BLUNT Metro Travel Umbrella can withstand heavy rains and wind gusting at up to 55 miles per hour.

If you've ever stuck your hand out the window of a car traveling at 55 MPH, you know that air moving that fast is pretty powerful stuff. But the BLUNT Metro Travel Umbrella is tough enough to resist flipping out of shape even when the wind blows that hard thanks to a unique radial tensioning system.

The canopy is held in place by ribs much like any other umbrella, but it is reinforced with additional hardware to ensure the umbrella will stay open and in dome shape even in the worst weather. The BLUNT Metro Travel Umbrella is a rather expensive one, but if you're tired of your umbrella flipping itself every time the wind blows and if you want an umbrella that will last for years, this is the one.

The 37-inch wide canopy provides plenty of coverage for one person, and at 14 inches when folded down and weighing less than a pound, this umbrella is ideal for commuters or travelers. Also, as it features no tips that could accidentally poke or scratch, it's a good choice for use in busy areas or around kids.

We tested it out, and we loved it. Even though it's expensive, it's worth the investment. As Connie Chen explains in her review, "It costs $60, which is reasonable when I think about the scores of cheap umbrellas that I've wasted money on that definitely add up to more than $60. With BLUNT, you won't be throwing your umbrella away within a few uses."

With nearly 300 reviews posted to date, the BLUNT Metro Travel Umbrella has a solid 4.2-star average rating on Amazon. One customer speaks for many when she calls it the "best umbrella [she has] ever owned," calling "lightweight and durable."

A Wall Street Journal reviewer called it an "impressive" umbrella that stayed "open against the wind" thanks to its "fully tensioned canopy."

Pros: Great wind resistance, durable construction, available in multiple colors.

Cons: Rather expensive

Buy a BLUNT Metro Travel Umbrella on Amazon for $59

Why you'll love it: The LifeTek FX1 Windproof Travel Umbrella packs down to less than a foot and weighs less than a pound.

If your daily commute takes you far from home, you need to be ready for all sorts of conditions. This is all the more true if your commute involves any time spent walking city blocks, waiting for trains or busses, or even just sprinting across a big parking lot. That is, assuming you're sprinting not because you just can't wait to get to work, but because it's pouring.

With the compact, plucky LifeTek FX1 Windproof Travel Umbrella, you can bring along your personal rain shelter everywhere you go, even when rain is only a slight possibility, because at just 11.5 inches when collapsed and 15 ounces in weight, this umbrella will tuck into just about any backpack, handbag, or briefcase.

And while it may be small while packed down, when opened up, the FX1's canopy has a 37-inch diameter with a 42-inch arc, offering you plenty of coverage and enough depth to tuck your head and shoulders into. It pops open fast at the push of a button and collapses easily, the blend of steel, aluminum, and resin reinforced fiberglass hardware ensuring proper function and durability.

Coolest of all, though, is a grace note LifeTek added to the micro-weave fabric of the canopy: it's coated with Teflon. This hydrophobic coating not only helps the umbrella shed rain, but also ensures it will dry out quickly once you're safe inside.

With more than 1,000 reviews posted on Amazon at the time of this writing, the LifeTek FX1 has a 4.3-star overall rating. A customer named Lucy called it "sturdy and well made" and called it's push button function "a lot smoother" than that of other umbrellas she had used. A buyer named Shiori said it "could hold its own in the wind."

Do note that a writer from OutdoorGearLab said that while it was "easy to use [and] portable," this LifeTek umbrella did flip its canopy rather easily.

Pros: Very compact when closed, fluid opening mechanism, Teflon coated canopy

Cons: Flips inverted too easily

Buy the LifeTek FX1 Windproof Travel Umbrella on Amazon for $26.95