umbrellas

[newjeep123]

has anyone had good luck using an umbrella rather than rain gear for hiking? The idea sounds appealling but with the weather we get here in Maine, I'm questioning how practical this may be.

 

[Grumpy]

A friend used an umbrella on one memorable rainy day hike we took together. Our midsummer walk took us through woods, out of the wind, along an open trail corridor across relatively easy-going terrain. I steamed and got pretty wet top-to-bottom even beneath a loose poncho. My pal stayed surprisingly dry, from the waist or mid-thigh up. So in that case the umbrella worked very well for my friend. I suspect those were pretty near ideal umbrella-for-rain-gear hiking conditions.

G.

 

[Rik]

I've used an umbrella with some success. I don't know that I would leave the rain gear at home but it is a way to stay dry from rain without getting too sweaty or steamy. On the other hand I have also broken an umbrella so keep that in mind.

 

[carole]

An umbrella is great under some circumstances. Wide trails are good as you don’t get soaked from brushing against wet branches. Light wind (unless your Mary Poppins) and no lightning (think lightning rod). You also have to be comfortable hiking without poles, otherwise it could get quite awkward

That said I often use an umbrella locally for short day hiking/trail running. If I’m heading out to the mountains for a long hike I always have the raincoat.

 

[Doc McPeak]

I'm a full time 2 pole hiker, but found a great solution to that (though I rarely bring an umbrella) while doing some videotaping. Somewhere in my journeys I added a funky bungee strap-thingee to my collection which is two bungees, that have a central connecting hub in the middle (it also allows them to slide to different lengths).

I open the umbrella and slide it into either my pack or my Shov-it on the back of my pack, then slide the bungee system in through the metal opener thingees (spindles? spokes?) and attach the four points. Two attach to my pack in back, the other two attach to my shoulder straps. Voila! A very stable (not sure how strong?) hands free umbrella system. I've played with different umbrellas to find the right length and had great success shooting speckle-free video in a fairly low wind rain.

I keep saying I'll try it some rainy hike, but most recent hikes are either bushwhacks or sunny days. I think this system could be ideal for hiking in a low route on a backpack.

 

[Rick]

I use an umbrella when Backpacking in PA on open trails (Black Forest, Susquehannock, West Rim, Morrison RimRcok, AT and such ... )
I jury rigged a second sternum strap to my Lowe Contour IV and I shove the handle of the golf umbrella in between the 2 sternum straps and balance the back of the canopy over my pack. It works great in warm weather rainy days, but not in wind-whipped rain or when up on ridges.

It does not protect you from "collateral" water damage when on unbrushed trails.

I do find, however, it is wonderful on days when it is cool enough to be cold without a rainjacket and too warm to wear rainjacket - Especially on uphill sections where you start to stew in goretex.

I have never tried in the dacks due to the high amount of forest cover.

 

[Big Oaf]

i thought this was a joke post when i first read it. people actually hike with umbrellas? sounds totally ridiculous to me but whatever floats your boat! only well dressed women that work in the city should use umbrellas. men should never use an umbrella under any circumstance.

 

[rhihn]

We've thought about it, but as "pole people" we thought it would probably be too awkward on many trails with rocks, mud, etc. Never thought of umbrellas as a well-dressed-female-and-only-in-the-city thing, and can't imagine why that would be so.

 

[sp1936]

You also have to be comfortable hiking without poles, otherwise it could get quite awkward

...but as "pole people" we thought it would probably be too awkward on many trails...

Problem solved.



Steve

 

[Mark Schaefer]

I have actually used an umbrella on occasions. On tight trails, in thick brush, or in heavy winds they are pretty useless. I have done some waterfall hikes in the rain, and if the trail is fairly tame the umbrella is often useful. Especially since I tend to photograph waterfalls with the camera on a tripod. I use the umbrella more to keep the water off the camera than to stay dry myself. I use a compact umbrella that can easily be thrown in my smallest day pack. I have both a white and a light golden one. Each can double as fill-light reflector on sunny days. They don't reflect as much light as the professional photographic reflectors, but they do work.

I have seen umbrella hats similar to the pirate umbrella posted by sp1936. They have always impressed me as being a little flimsy for hiking, and could easily be knocked off by obstacles normally encountered while hiking. But it seems like someone could invent a heavy duty one, and maybe one which could collapse a bit when an obstacle was encountered and then bounce back into shape when the obstacle was clear. And then again maybe not.

 

[newjeep123]

so there's no clear answer - in some cases umbrellas seem to work. Mostly I'd like to keep from getting so clammy, even with gore tex the moisture still builds up.

I'm going to try it next week at Baxter, I'll let you know how I fare. (I take along the raincoat just in case)

 

[Mike D.]

Personally , the idea of an umbrella seems far fetched because I have crawled under many blowdowns, had to handhold many rocks and ledges and like my poles to save my knees, ill take my precip and an o.r sombrero any day.

 

[Big Oaf]

sorry if i cracked wise newjeep. i thought about it some more and i checked my hiking/backapcking books to see if any of them mentioned umbrellas. hugh mcmanners backpackers handbook had no mention of it. neither did hiking and backpacking by karen berger. i did however find mention of it in everyday wisdom (1001 tips) also by karen berger on page 123/4, but she only mentions it in the context of hiking in very hot desert like conditions or if you are unusually sensitive to sunlight. i would think hiking with an umbrella around here would pose many problems & lead to potential injury. poking yourself or someon else in the eye, becoming a lightning rod, dealing with scrambles/blowdowns/stream crossings etc. not to mention how sore/crooked your elbows, forearms and hands would become.

 

[Grumpy]

Unconventional solutions always baffle conventional thinkers.

I believe the truly clear answer here is that an umbrella is useful and effective rain gear where the wind bloweth not too strong and where the surroundings beeth not too tight. Many hiking locales in the NE qualify. Many others do not.

For myself, most of the time I'll most likely stick to conventional rain gear that will function in a broader variety of circumstances. That's 'cause I like simplicity. But I'm not ruling out an umbrella altogether, either, based on what I've seen wi' me own two peepers.

G.

 

[daxs]

DOc - do you have a picture of that umbrella rigging with the whatchmacallits, doohickys and thingamajigs?

 

[Doc McPeak]

DOc - do you have a picture of that umbrella rigging with the whatchmacallits, doohickys and thingamajigs?

No, but lots of pictures I've taken under it! Actually I've only used it a handful of times, in the right conditions, but with my jumbo golf umbrella I could probably keep an entire vftt outing dry. Next time I break it out I'll take a series of how-to photos and post them.

I was with Rik in the Whites (Coming off Carrigain from the Signal Ridge) in a downpour and his umbrella kept him pretty dry ... but maybe it was because he was singing chim-chim-meree.........

 

[Toe Cozy]

Umbrella hiking! What a fun topic, mostly because how funny is it to think of hikers holding umbrellas dancing down the trail singing songs and twirling about trees like the famous guy in "Singin' in the Rain"? Ha!!! Seriously though, I used a Go-Lite umbrella for the part of the LT I did. On one day it worked pretty well to keep me quite dry. I was only hiking with one pole at the time, so the awkwardness wasn't an issue. The most fatiguing thing by far is holding one's arm in the umbrella position for 6 miles. Not fun, really. But no problem with breathability, that's for sure. The other time we got heavy rain I opted for not getting it out at all and I got soaked and very cold as a result. That day I would have perferred raingear I think. The place I found the umbrella to be the most helpful was once in camp. After you're in your warm, dry camp clothes then drink down a bunch of water, a cup of hot chocolate and eat dinner and you have to make a trip to the woods/privy the last thing you want is to get soaked! It was great for the privy run. Many folks at the shelter were borrowing that umbrella! Also good if you have to fetch water and the rain's still coming down. Don't know if it will keep a place in my pack in the future though. Great for short day hikes in the summer, though.

T.Co.

 

[escapee]

A collapsible umbrella can be just the ticket on the Ausable Club Lake Road, the first couple of miles from the Santanoni trailhead, from Upper Works towards Calamity Pond, Allen approach at least as far as the gravel pit, pretty much anywhere that you are hiking on a road. You'll still need rain gear in brushy stretches, and where exposed to wind.

 

[Mark A.]

Hey, doesn’t anybody remember the “Brock-a-brella” briefly marketed by the great center fielder and base-stealer Lou Brock a few decades ago? Similar to that pirate deal posted by sp1936, but cooler, man, much cooler.

The first time I ever saw a picture of hikers using umbrellas was in a book about a British Annapurna expedition. I decided that if brollies were good enough for the likes of Chris Bonington, they were good enough for me. And in a surprising range of circumstances – anyplace there wasn’t too much wind or impinging brush – they worked great. Dry and sweat free – before Gore-tex!

 

[Deematic]

I recently got an umbrella from Sea to Summit, Its ultra lite and packs away easy. I had a chance to use it this weekend it was greaT TO GET OUT OF MY CLAMMY RAIN GEAR AND UNDER MY UMBIE. While moving about camp. Could i have used on Davis tr.? Absolutly not, Did give me relief when in camp? YES YES YES!!!
It has its place.