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- A rainy day can ruin your plans, your outfit, and your mood, but with a great umbrella in your hands, rain need not put a damper on the day.
- The Repel Windproof Travel Umbrella is our top pick because it's impressively rugged given its small size and affordable price tag.
They were the inspiration for a sensational hit song back in 2007. They have been featured in Japanese woodblock prints and Impressionist paintings. They even played a pivotal role in the classic movie "Mary Poppins." Yet, you probably don't think about umbrellas all that much until the moment you realize that you need one, which is often followed by the realization that you don't have one.
Humans have used umbrellas for more than 2,000 years at least, with evidence of umbrella use found in Ancient China, Ancient Greece, Mesoamerica, and beyond. In the 19th Century, Europeans carried umbrellas for both practical purposes and for style. Modern umbrellas have evolved to be lightweight, sturdy, and quite compact when folded down. With exceptions made for purely ceremonial objects, all umbrellas used in all eras of human history were designed with the same basic purpose in mind: To prevent foul weather or relentless sunshine from causing discomfort.
A good umbrella can keep you dry in a downpour and will keep its shape intact even in high winds. A great umbrella can keep you dry on a rainy, blustery day and then also pack down small enough to be stored in a backpack, handbag, or the glove compartment of your car.
That's why we've sought out a number of compact, lightweight umbrellas perfect for travel or for the commuter. Of course, there are those times in life where bigger is better, which is why our guide also features umbrellas large enough to shelter two or even three people beneath their mighty canopies.
You're sure to find an umbrella or two on our list that will help keep you dry during the next rainstorm. The only issue is whether or not you'll remember to keep one close by. My wife and I keep an umbrella in each car and several in the house, and we have compact folding umbrellas along every time we travel. This is partially for our own comfort, but largely because if there's one thing young kids hate, it's getting soaked in the rain. Lesson learned.
Here are the best umbrellas you can buy:
- Best umbrella overall: Repel Windproof Travel Umbrella
- Best umbrella for travel: Samsonite Windguard Auto Open Umbrella
- Best golf umbrella: G4Free Automatic Double Canopy Golf Umbrella
- Best heavy duty umbrella: BLUNT Metro Travel Umbrella
- Best ultra compact umbrella: LifeTek FX1 Windproof Travel Umbrella
Updated on 02/04/2019 by Steven John: Added the LifeTek umbrella, removed out ouf stock items, updated prices, and redid formatting.
Read on in the slides below to check out our top picks.
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