Umbrellas and are they worth it

[bobbyp68]

I see several on the AT carrying umbrellas is it worth the hassle??

[shelb]

I would think not. I am only a section hiker, but I have never seen anyone with an umbrella - with the exception of dayhikers....

[MuddyWaters]

Umbrellas are great
Just as convenient and useful on trail, as in town

Is it a substitute for raingear? No
Do you want to carry it as an unnecessary item? Most dont.

More popular out west as sun protection , than on AT as rain protection

Umbrella instead of hood over head is many times more comfortable and cooler in rain. Also for packing, bathroom runs, cooking in rain, breaks, etc.

For a luxury item....its at top of list imo.

http://francistapon.com/Travels/Advi...th-an-Umbrella

[Connie]

I have seen the people who have an umbrella, like them.

I can't imagine holding one in my hand while hiking any considerable mileage.

I have seen, on YouTube, a silver umbrella attached to a pack, somehow, but that requires a frame pack I think.

[SouthMark]

http://ramblinghemlock.blogspot.com/...a-rigging.html


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[LuckyMan]

I regret bringing one on the pct SoCal. It's so windy there mine lasted just a couple of hundred miles; now it's just another piece of Chinese junk taking up space in an American landfill. Most of the hikers I saw who had one rarely used it because of the wind; some admitted never using it, so they might as well have toted a half-pound stick. I tried several methods of hands-free rigging but none worked if there was any wind, which was nearly always.

[CamelMan]

I like to use a rain hat. Then the jacket is optional depending on temps and how strong the rain is. I've never tried an umbrella but it sounds like a hassle.

[Hikingjim]

do you like to wear a really big waterproof hat? that's all the umbrella is with the hands free method. more coverage for rain/sun
I've passed a few on the AT recently, so some like
I don't find it's necessary or really wanted

[Malto]

I have wondered why umbrellas aren't more popular on the AT, seems to be more of a western style used on the AT. I started using one over a year ago and it has been a game changer for me. First, you can attach it on to your pack so it is hands free. In light rain it can be used without anything else and my core stays dry. I was fortunate enough to have one on a trip in the Adirondacks last year with 6" of inches on rain and this is where I became a believer. I was able to eat or look at maps under my little overhang of dryness. My sleeves got a bit wet from using trekking poles but I wore a very lightweight base layer. Here is a nice photo of an umbrella in action during that deluge. For people on the fence, try it.

image.jpeg

[colorado_rob]

I just recently did my first Umbrella hike and I'm kinda sold. We bought UL umbrellas for the West Highland Way in Scotland. rained a lot the first day and the umbrella was a very welcome piece to our hiking kit, stayed nice and dry without having to wear a shell (air temp was warm). Easy-peasy to carry, really, just switched hands a lot. I hike with one trekking pole, so this worked well. Haven't tried attaching to pack yet. 8 ounces of bliss! Supposedly very tough in the wind, but haven't tested yet. "Unfortunately", the rest of the hike was dry and sunny....

[map man]

My last two section hikes on the AT (they were both in May and covered Springer to Allen Gap, just north of Hot Springs) I have used an umbrella and left my rain jacket and rain pants at home and I have been happy with the results. I don't use poles so having both hands free is not a big deal to me. I switch the umbrella to the other hand when one arm gets tired of holding it.

When I've used a "breathable" rain jacket in the past it had two purposes: to keep out rain, of course, and to use as an outer layer when the weather got cold. Now I use an umbrella for the first purpose and a wind shirt for the second. What if you are above tree line in wind driven rain, you ask? In my experience a rain jacket and pants are worthless in these conditions just like an umbrella is. When I was in conditions like that in the Roan Highlands three years ago my rain jacket and pants both wetted out completely within minutes and I got thoroughly soaked and chilled in them -- I would have been no worse off in wind shirt and wind pants with my umbrella stowed in my pack.

[rocketsocks]

umbrellas are dangerous!

https://weather.com/news/weather/new...rella-virginia

[MamaBear]

I had an umbrella for my entire AT hiked and liked it. It was better than rain gear when it was warmer and was nice for town and camp chores when it rained. That said, when it was windy, it wasn't as effective. On the AT, where you are mostly in the green tunnel, that wasn't as much of a factor as out west where there are fewer trees in some sections of trail.

I was able to rig it to my pack and I do not carry an external frame pack. I have two small elastic loops with toggles similar in size to a hair elastics that I attach the umbrella to my pack for hands free use so that I can use my poles.

[Deadeye]

I've used an umbrella for years, won't go without it. Way more comfortable in most circumstances than rain wear. Many folks "can't imagine" they would like an umbrella - I say try it for yourself, don't leave it to your imagination. The only "trick" to using one is to hold it loosely so it can rotate around any obstacles you might encounter.

[Red Cinema]

Carried an 8oz umbrella in the SNP recently. Used it hands-free (shoulder strap, shock cord, use your imagination) with great success. No, not a way to stay perfectly dry, but a thousand times better than sweating buckets inside a rain jacket. Also used it in camp for chores, privy trips, just standing around enjoying the view of scudding rain clouds over thataway. Full up pack weight (base plus 3.25 liters of water and 5 days of food) 27 lbs. (Bit dry on the south end of SNP, carried less water after the first 20 or so miles.)

[Dogwood]

I'd consider many(most?) umbrella users are on rather open terrain hikes or on trails that have high and wide brush clearance(PCT, CDT, CT, Highland Way, out west on wider trails, Canyonlands, etc) or using smaller diameter stronger flexible umbrellas(for FLEXIBLE strength in wind) as seen in SouthMark's Rambling Hemlock's link. Tapon had a decent run down too that Muddy Waters linked to. The AT has many miles of trail with low hanging closed in brush i.e.: rhodie hells, green tunnels, encroaching mountain laurel/briars, etc. Small umbrella for the AT would seem most reasonable. Of course seasonal or researched beforehand weather for AT hikes will factor into smallish umbrella usage.

[SteelCut]

Agree w/ Dogwood above. For me, there are lots of positives to them. However, I really didn't like them on narrow rhodo tunnel type trails as you find on the AT in some parts of the South. I hated dancing around on-coming hikers on narrow overgrown trails.

[garlic08]

I see very few of them in Colorado. I guess there's not quite enough rain, the sun is not quite brutal enough, and the wind blows fairly strong most days there's rain. I saw only a few on each of my long trail hikes, but it's now been a few years and maybe they're more popular on the AT and PCT. I pondered trying one out on my AT thru and at the end of the hike I was glad I didn't, even though it was a fairly wet season. My rain gear worked just fine in those mostly summer conditions and I was glad my pack stayed a half pound lighter for all those miles. And on many of the wet rocky sections, it was good to have two trekking poles. (The AT hike was the first time I used two.)

[DavidNH]

the thing with umbrellas is you need a hand to hold it. Thus.. that hand and arm isn't holding on to a trekking pole, or when terrain is steep, can be used to grab on to roots or rocks.

[Malto]

the thing with umbrellas is you need a hand to hold it. Thus.. that hand and arm isn't holding on to a trekking pole, or when terrain is steep, can be used to grab on to roots or rocks.

You can easily mount it to your pack. I even attach it to my trail running pack when I take that out hiking. It is basically a big hat.

as far as the narrow tunnel, I have not had much interference with branches. Green tunnel it is but it is generally above head level.