Rain Fears the Mighty Umbrella and All It Does

There are some tireless utility items that we own. One of them is the faithful umbrella. Umbrellas serve an important purpose in keeping people dry when it’s raining out. They are also a valuable source of shade when the sun is beating down and it’s incredibly hot. Protecting the skin with an umbrella is certainly a positive. 

Despite their usefulness, most people don’t give much consideration to umbrellas. They buy the first one they see and toss it in a closet until it’s needed. Umbrellas somehow are one of the most lost items. People take them to work in the morning, forget them when the weather changes and they are then gone forever. That being said, a little consideration could be useful. There’s different umbrellas for different uses. Picking the right one can be the difference between a good day and a bad. 

Umbrella Categories

The design of the umbrella hasn’t really changed all that much over the years. There’s two main categories of umbrellas. The first is what’s known as a straight umbrella. Straight umbrellas feature a long tube running from the handle to the canopy. It is made of a solid single piece. When retracted, the canopy will slide down the sides. The handle can be curved at the bottom and the umbrella is still a straight umbrella. 

The second category of umbrellas are foldable umbrellas. These are more complicated in nature. The canopy, runner and tube all fold when the umbrella is being closed. Some people call these a collapsible umbrella. Basically, the umbrella folds into a much smaller size, which can be more easily transferred in someone’s glove compartment, purse or backpack. This makes it easier to always have an umbrella with you. 

Umbrellas Styles

There’s several different umbrella styles that people have come to love. They tend to provide slightly different protections due to their designs. Some umbrella styles include: 

• Bubble Umbrellas - These are umbrellas which feature a much more curved shape that looks like a sharp dome or half sphere. Bubble umbrellas allow a person to cover much of their upper body in addition to stopping the rain coming down. Bubble umbrellas are often decorated with fun extras like dog or cat ears. 
• Wind Resistant Umbrellas - These are also called storm umbrellas. They provide extra reinforcement and will use extra strong materials to reinforce the umbrella. 
• Automatic Umbrellas - The automatic umbrella is a type of folding umbrella that opens at the push of a single button. This is very useful when you are carrying things and only have one hand available to you. 
• Golf Umbrellas - If you’ve ever hit the links, you know what it’s like if things start to drizzle mid round. A golf umbrella is a large straight umbrella. The design allows it to fit nicely into a golf bag with the clubs, so your day on the links won’t be ruined. 
• Beach Umbrellas - A day at the beach can involve some intense sunlight. Beach umbrellas are very large umbrellas that are typically planted into the sand at an angle. This gives those at the beach an important shaded area to help them avoid potential sunburns. 
• Paper Umbrellas - This is the sole umbrella on this list that is not going to be of use in protecting against rain. Paper umbrellas have existed for over 2000 years and are used to provide some shade where there might not be any.