There are few things that can take my mood from pleasant to blinding rage faster than a bad umbrella. Be it a panel collapsing inward after slipping off a rib, a failed spring mechanism that won’t properly open or close the canopy, or the dreaded umbrella inversion caused by a gust of wind, I just hate bad umbrellas. And I’ll bet I’m not alone there, amiright?
To explain why the Hedgehog Umbrella belongs tucked into your backpack, rollaboard, glovebox, or what have you, let’s start with the things it doesn’t do. Like flipping inside out: until windspeeds pass 70 MPH, this umbrella won’t invert. And as 70 mile per hour winds are just about Category 1 hurricane speeds, if you’re facing those, you should probably get inside anyway.
The Hedgehog also won’t blind passersby as walk or yourself as you open or close it because it doesn’t have pegs sticking out off the ends of the ribs. And because of how securely the ribs are attached to the canopy, you can count on the panels not slipping off and sending a torrent of water cascading onto your shoulder. And finally, at less than a pound and barely a foot long when collapsed, this umbrella won’t weigh you down or take much space, so you can go ahead and bring it along if there’s any chance of rain.
At 41” wide when open, the Hedgehog’s canopy gives me plenty of coverage when I’m alone and can cover me and my wife or a kid if we stick close. The canopy is deep enough to let me hide my head when crosswinds blow the rain rather sideways, and unlike I find with many umbrellas, the bottom side of this one stays dry, so my hair, hat, or hood don’t soak through from contact with the canopy.
While the nearly $100 price tag is more than I’d usually spend on an umbrella, this thing is supposed to last a lifetime, so playing the long game on this one as an investment. And so far, so good. | Get it on Amazon >
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