Best Umbrellas From Our Tests

A crappy umbrella is a really bad time. And though they seem like simple items, umbrellas have much to do to be considered good. Obviously, they must provide coverage from the rain, but they must also be waterproof, survive through strong winds, dry quickly, not rust, and be easy to open, lightweight, and comfortable to hold. 

The umbrellas we tested range in price from $10 to $129. We even tested an umbrella hat that can be used hands-free. Regardless of cost and size, we tested them all the same way for their durability, strength, rain protection, dry time, and waterproofness. Our ease-of-use tests included noting how easy each umbrella was to open and close, portability, weight, and handle comfort. 

One note about testing wind speed claims: Some brands claim their umbrellas can withstand certain wind speeds. GustBuster, for example, says its Pro Series umbrellas can withstand winds up to 55 mph. Mother Nature’s wind speed varies day to day, so we didn’t test the umbrellas in real-life windy conditions because we wanted each umbrella to get the same treatment. Instead, we put them through the same tough strength test to determine how much force it takes to make the canopy invert. Ideally, each umbrella would be easily corrected and still usable, but some didn’t survive. Watch our testing below, and check out our full methodology at the end of this article.