I hiked with an umbrella...proudly

[Mike P.]

Saw some peaople during the heat wave use them walking amongst the tourist attractions in DC.

I've hiked with an umbrella twice. once doing Waumbek in a hard pouring rain. For the first part of the trip I was real smart but higher up when the trail got narrow, I had to turn it enough times that I was just as wet as if I had sweated in my g-tex. (I smelled less though)

Used a golf umbrella & a pole (the golf umbrella was almost as long as the pole) on a trip up Goodnow in the ADK's. Forecast was threatening but I got up & down without needing to open the umbrella. This trail was wife enough that the umbrella would have been great.

Umbrellas are a good option on wide trails without a lot of wind.

I'd be curious how the Go-lite does in the wind, any users of the Go-Lite Decent golf umbrellas usually do well in urban wind tunnels between buildings while smaller umbrellas get turned inside out.

 

[sierra]

I was climbing in the Sierras and ran into a very famous mountaineer who was using an umbrella, at first I went, what the hell?, then went and bought one, always in my pack now for 20 years now, beats the heck out of sweating in a shell and quite imasculating as well.

 

[stu]

I have to say I have also hiked with an umbrella a few times. Got a few weird looks and comments, but it worked great...but not above tree line. Great ventilation and it kept the rain out of my eyes.

 

[Neil]

Let me rephrase that. I wonder about an umbrella being a lighting rod. My umbrella has metal in it and would consider replacing it with one made without metal.

I wouldn't put an umbrella up in an electrical storm no matter what it was made of. Especially if I was on a ridge above treeline.

 

[Little Rickie]

I wouldn't put an umbrella up in an electrical storm no matter what it was made of. Especially if I was on a ridge above treeline.

I wouldn't be out in a thunder storm if I could avoid it but I don't want a lighting rod straped to my pack. I wonder about hiking poles too. All hell I'll just keep me & my anxities at home.

 

[Stash]

I wouldn't be out in a thunder storm if I could avoid it but I don't want a lighting rod straped to my pack. I wonder about hiking poles too. All hell I'll just keep me & my anxities at home.

Trees are made of wood and get struck all the time. How does lightning know your umbrella or hiking pole is metal before it strikes? I don't believe the metal attracts lightning; it's merely a better conductor which is why they used to put metal poles on the roof as the highest point and connect them, via more metal, to a ground...

So as long as you find someone taller than you to hike in a storm with you're all set!

 

[BorealChickadee]

I wouldn't be out in a thunder storm if I could avoid it but I don't want a lighting rod straped to my pack. I wonder about hiking poles too. All hell I'll just keep me & my anxities at home.

After my first hike in a thunderstorm I named my hiking poles "Thundersticks", and that's what I call them to this day.

 

[kicker]

If it is raining hard all day, do you think that the unbrella would help?

I have found that there is truly no such things as water proof, given enough time, water will always find a way.

 

[DougPaul]

If it is raining hard all day, do you think that the unbrella would help?

I have found that there is truly no such things as water proof, given enough time, water will always find a way.

The problems with an umbrella are wind damage to the umbrella and rain doesn't always come straight down. For instance, the Go-Lite umbrella is about 20 inches in diameter--enough to protect your head, but your legs and body could easily get wet.

Doug

 

[Andrew]

I almost always hike with an umbrella as my first option for rain, but always carry & pull out the parka when conditions require. There is nothing better in a downpour than having a nice dry little cover over you and your pack when your fishing around in it and taking a break. I greatly enjoy hiking in the rain, and part of that is cruising in comfort observing the deluge instead of being beaten by it into a drowned rat. But I spend most of my time in forest cover but all kinds of challenging terrain.

I use a Birdiepal that doesn't collapse, and a Sea to Summit that does. The Birdiepal has a non-metal pole and both are very durable all around. I even use them as a bushwhaking aid to push wet branches apart- you get used to a technique, but of course in many cases they hinder you.

 

[jrichard]

My brother and I used umbrellas for two weeks hiking the Cohos trail. It rained a decent amount during those two weeks.

They actually worked quite well. My feet were wet, my legs were wet, but my head and torso were dry. (Well, as dry as could be expected given the humidity.) During brief storms or light showers, we wouldn't bother to put on a pack cover since the umbrella gave some coverage. It was also good to keep off the sun during the (soon to be vanquished) long road walks.

There are some overlooked benefits - we didn't have to take off our packs to get cover. This is great for scattered showers. The umbrella affords a much better view (as Forestnome found) and better directional hearing. And you can move at a normal pace without swimming in sweat.

We also used them to block off the ends of the tarp on stormy nights.

I did also bring rain gear. We sometimes used rain pants on narrow trails with wet vegetation. And a rain suit is better for exposed windy ridges and doubles as a windbreaker and extra layer for cold nights.

I tried to make my own umbrella, as Jardine's book describes, but I couldn't find one that was light enough that could handle winds without inverting. So I ended up buying a GoLight Dome. It handles the winds well. (Otherwise, I can't really vouch for the reliability of this particular model. I need to replace the "waterproof" skin, it has started to leak and now is patched with duct tape.)

We've also tried using them on family trips... let's just say that everyone should have their own umbrella. Sharing with your SO might seem romantic, but even with a huge umbrella arguments will arise about who has the edge.