If you’re looking for a small, inoffensive-looking umbrella that you can keep in your bag whenever it threatens rain, Shedrain is another name to know. With the heft of a flimsy $10 umbrella, but excellent construction keeping it together, you’re looking at an affordable but seriously windproofed option. Like the LifeTek umbrella, Shedrain’s Vortex features a double-canopy design, which helps it withstand those super-strong gusts you’d normally associate with a tropical storm. The Vortex is virtually “flip-proof,” according to the brand, and it can withstand winds up to 75 miles per hour (though if you’re experiencing 75-mile-per-hour gusts, you should absolutely not be outside, to be clear). The Vortex has a nice grippy handle, too, that’s accented with a wrist strap so those aforementioned NASCAR winds don’t knock this out of your hand.
The Umbrella That Will Make Someone Stop You to Say, “Cool Umbrella:” Certain Standard
Canopy size: 38 inches
Weight: 13 ounces
Warranty: 1 year
None of the umbrellas we’ve collected so far look bad, but you’d be hard pressed to find anyone who’d refer to them as a fashion flex. You could pretty easily say that of the Certain Standard umbrella. The umbrella’s advantage is its cork handle, which feels really nice as you’re gripping onto it for dear life in the middle of a downpour. The umbrella also comes in a few lovely colorways, each of which includes an antique white accent patch. It’s the kind of umbrella that gives off stick umbrella credentials without forcing you into the company of people who want to spend all of their time talking about stick umbrellas.
The Best Bubble Umbrella: Hunter
Canopy size: 33.8 inches
Weight: 1 pound
Warranty: 2 years
Clear bubble umbrellas have a unique shape that allows you to leverage their see-through canopy to see where you’re going. Unfortunately that canopy tends to have no structural integrity and tears the first time you use it. That said, we’ve never been unhappy with rain gear from Hunter, so there’s no reason to expect this umbrella to have the same issues as those from cheaper brands.
The Best One-Button Umbrella: Totes Titan
Canopy size: 43 inches
Weight: 14 ounces
Warranty: Limited lifetime warranty
For too long, people have fumbled with finicky mechanisms just to get their umbrella to open. Thank engineering for the one-button-operated umbrellas, like Totes’ Titan. The thing shoots open like a cheetah and snaps shut in an instant, all at the push of a button. The generous 43-inch canopy can keep you and a partner out of the rain, while it folds down into a neat 11-inch package. And just for good measure, the Titan withstands winds up to 70 miles per hour.
4 More Umbrellas for Fashion Fiends
The detailing is a little more reserved on this umbrella than you might expect from the stripe king, Paul Smith. But the designer’s signature stamp—vertical stripes in a multiplicity of colors—are there, right on the trim.
You might not know the name Francesco Maglia, but let us introduce you: He’s the reason why you’d spend over $400 on an umbrella. The company, which has been in business since [checks notes] 1854, is now maintained by the fifth and sixth generations of the Maglia family and produces umbrellas right outside of Milan. The wooden handle and shaft are constructed from a single piece of chestnut, all topped off by a handsome plaid canopy. This is not an umbrella you lend out willy nilly, and you sure don’t leave it unattended.
A bold umbrella that you actually can’t see (camo joke). London Undercover’s been making handmade umbrellas in Britain (duh!) since 2008. They come as classic as you want or as bold as you’ll dare—the brand has even collaborated with the likes of A Bathing Ape, Carhartt, and Fred Perry, making this one of the most hype umbrellas around.
Nothing quite like an iconic pattern to keep you dry.
Andrew Goble, Daniel Varghese, Tyler Chin
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