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ADVICE
Tested: Helinox Trekking Umbrella
Tough, lightweight umbrellas that won’t blow out in the windUmbrellas – one of man’s best, but often most frustrating inventions…
I’ve lost count of the number of umbrellas I’ve owned or used over the years. Most have either broken or been misplaced.
There are generally two types; umbrellas with fixed, long handles that provide the best cover and double as walking sticks, but can be awkward to carry around and are mostly used by golfers these days.
The cheapest, most popular type are the smaller, compact umbrellas with sliding poles that pack up into a small, foot long package. They’re more convenient on the train or carry inside a bag, but provide less cover and are inevitably less robust, with a tendency to blow out, snap their metal arms and end up in the garbage.
The best umbrella I owned was a sturdy golf umbrella with flaps in the polyester fabric ‘roof’ that provided ventilation, so it could be used in windy weather. It cost around $70 at the time and I can’t remember where I left it – probably on the 19th green!
But now I’ve discovered an umbrella that appears to offer the best of both worlds – compact and light enough to carry around all day, yet big and robust enough to keep you dry through a light storm.
Sold by the same company behind the excellent Helinox camp furniture, the Helinox umbrella is based on the ‘indestructible’ outdoor trekking umbrella from renowned German umbrella makers, Eberhard Gobel.
But instead of a fibreglass pole, the Helinox versions use the same lightweight but incredibly strong aluminium used in its camp furniture. According to Helinox, the TH72M alloy offers similar benefits to carbon fibre but without that material’s ‘brittle’ qualities and after using the camp chairs and stretcher bed for the past year or so, we’d have to agree.
There are two versions available: the more compact Umbrella One which weighs just 220 grams, has a fixed length of 64.5cm and opens to a 97cm diameter. The bigger Umbrella Two weighs 340g, has a fixed length of 75.3cm and opens to 114cm.
We tried both on a very wet and windy day and they both impressed. The Umbrella One is more suitable for kids or for carrying in a day pack, but had a greater tendency to blow out or ‘reverse’ in a stiff wind.
The larger Umbrella Two provides better cover for adults but is not as easily carried inside a bag. However, it never blew out in the wind, no matter how hard we tried. This is due to slightly thicker, rubber-like spokes that proved harder to budge than the Umbrella One’s.
However, getting the Umbrella One back to its normal shape was easy, and without any damage to the frame – even after numerous times.
While making them less compact when not in use, Helinox says the solid shaft on both umbrellas makes them more robust than other, folding trekking umbrellas.
The other thing we liked were the user-friendly opening mechanisms: a push button on Umbrella Two and simple slide on Umbrella One.
While it looks super-thin and fragile, the main material is a tough Polyamid fabric that held up well over a week-end of hard use, with no tears or marks. It also offers UPF 35 sun protection, blocking out most of the sun’s rays on hot days.
Another nice touch is the black padded grip with a looped cord for hanging on a clothes’ hook or around your wrist on windy days.
The other good thing is the colour (bright red, although black should be available mid-2017), which should make it hard to lose or misplace!
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Written byChris Fincham
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Please see our Editorial Guidelines & Code of Ethics (including for more information about sponsored content and paid events). The information published on this website is of a general nature only and doesn’t consider your particular circumstances or needs.
Please see our Editorial Guidelines & Code of Ethics (including for more information about sponsored content and paid events). The information published on this website is of a general nature only and doesn’t consider your particular circumstances or needs.
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