The best umbrellas to keep you dry, tested in gale-force 8 winds

We put four umbrellas against two wind machines producing 74kph gales to test their windproof credentials

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According to this week's weather reports, it looks like we are set for a few days of heavy rain with "flooding and transport disruption" across much of the country. Welcome to the British summer (which officially starts on June 21). June also marks the start of "festival season", while July 1 sees the start of the Wimbledon Championships. All exceedingly fine reasons to start looking for a decent umbrella right now.

But as wind is also a key factor in choosing a brolly that can brave the elements, we have put the aerodynamic claims of four umbrellas to the test with help from Agog Special Effects’ powerful weather simulators. By using two giant fans, we subjected ourselves to a buffeting of 74kph, or gale force eight on the Beaufort wind force scale, to see which failed. We also compared their drag coefficient by measuring the force exerted. It wasn't a pleasant day of testing.


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Senz° Original

The innovative 440g senz° has shorter struts at the front to give you a better forward view and extended struts at the back to keep the rain from your heels as you walk. The narrow canopy also makes you less likely to collide with an oncoming umbrella on a narrow pavement, while the eight radial points are rendered harmless by rounded plastic caps. But it’s the improved aerodynamics that made this streamlined umbrella sail through our wind test. It recorded the lowest drag coefficient, which makes it the most manageable in a storm. What we also noticed, however, is a certain amount of lift that can catch you by surprise. The elegant folding mechanism and stylish colour options are further evidence of top-quality umbrella design.

Score: 9/10 | Price: £49 | Check price on Amazon | Senz

Fulton Cyclone

This supersize green and black golfing umbrella with a 131cm-span canopy offers the greatest protection from rain, but it also presents the most wind resistance, making it difficult to hang on to a force eight gale. Its fibreglass skeleton is surprisingly strong, and even though it was wrenched from our tester’s hands, it survived the buffeting without damage. Fulton attribute this to the 878g umbrella’s durable polycarbonate joints and flexible fibreglass ribs, and reckon it can withstand even greater speeds of 78mph, which is the strength of a tornado.

Score: 8/10 | Price: £42 | Check price on Amazon | Fulton Umbrellas

Blunt Lite

The Blunt is so called because its six spokes end in an arc of plastic rather than a point, eliminating the possibility of painful pokes. It also helps distribute tension around the canopy more evenly, lending it extra resilience. It didn’t measure up to its claimed force-ten wind resistance, though, turning inside-out during a 67kph gust. To its credit, the fibreglass frame, resulting in an overall weight of 470g, snapped right back into taught shape immediately and without damage, passing our test to prove useful in high winds.

Score: 7/10 | Price: £55 | Check price on Amazon | Blunt Umbrellas

Samsonite Rain Pro

Samsonite makes no grand claims about wind resistance, but the affordable Rain Pro is a good example of stick- and-hook umbrella design. Sure enough, it failed in our wind test, turning inside out at a wind speed of 63kph. Also, it didn’t keep its dome shape well at lower speeds. However, it recovered well with no sustaining damage after the buffeting without sustaining damage as the steel spokes which seem well-fastened to the black polyamide canopy. We also appreciated its swift spring-loaded opening mechanism and lightweight 405g design.

Score: 5/10 | Price: £22 | Check price on Amazon | Samsonite

Other umbrellas to consider...

London Undercover Navy & Oxford Stripe Classic Umbrella

Established in 2008, London Undercover mixes quality design with environmentally sustainable craftsmanship. This model utilises fabric made from 100 per cent PET (recycled water bottles), which are crafted into fine yarns and then woven into a canopy. Add in the stylish maple wood 90cm shaft and handle alongside a lightweight recycled aluminium frame and you have a elegant umbrella with a sizeable 105cm canopy (when opened) that should be sturdy enough to fend off the strongest of downpours. For the fashion conscious, it may be of interest that London Undercover has previously collaborated with Vans, Fred Perry and Carhartt, so if none of the classic designs grab you, it may be worth checking back from time to time to see who the brand is working with next.

Price: £75 | [Check price on London Undercover | The Conran Shop ](https://londonundercover.co.uk/products/navy-oxford-stripe-classic-umbrella)

Weatherman Smart Golf Umbrella

While Weatherman's Golf umbrella looks like the ideal companion on the golf course, with its industrial-strength fibreglass supposedly rendering the brolly resistant to breaking and inverting, it's vented canopy also means it should withstand winds up to 88kph. Teflon-coated fabric keeps you dry, while a UPF 50+ barrier protects users from the sun, making the Weatherman useful in rain or shine. The real boon for this brolly, however, is that thanks to an accompanying Android or iOS app, it is a "smart umbrella" (Kisha do some smart options, too). The software notifies you of adverse weather conditions and makes sure you are never caught without your trusty rain protector when it's most needed.

Price: $89 | Check price on Weatherman Umbrella

Repel Easy Touch Umbrella

While the majority of umbrellas are made of six or eight aluminium ribs, the Repel boasts nine resin-reinforced fibreglass ribs that flex to withstand gusts without turning inside out. The Teflon-coated fabric means the Repel should be almost instantly dry once you shake off the excess water once you have arrived at your destination. Finally, a lifetime guarantee should allay any further fears on purchasing what is one of the cheapest brollies here.

Price: £22.75 | Check price on Repel Umbrella

Parallelogram Sa Compact

Back in 2014, Parallelogram unveiled its Kickstarter campaign for Sa, its reimagining of the traditional umbrella. Shunning the usual metal skeleton umbrella structure, it advocated a completely new canopy design using planar tension to generate its form, as well as environmentally conscious material choices, an innovative internalised handle mechanism and magnetic closure system. Now the brand has a new compact version that hides the umbrella canopy entirely in the solid handle, so no cloth cover to lose or wrestle into place. What's more, Parallelogram has hinted at its own smart version in the pipeline, too.

Price: $149 | Check price on Parallelogr.am

This article was originally published by WIRED UK