Hiking umbrellas for sun protection

[Kanga]

Hi @BlackRocker57 I've sent you a PM in response.

 

[Mikel Olivares]

Hello everyone
I always walk with "Paraguas" umbrellas, in winter and in summer.
I always buy them in a "CHINO" store run by Chinese people who sell everything. Are very cheap. In the Camino in winter I have broken three umbrellas due to the strong wind, but I have always been able to buy another one in the following days.
In summer, you can save your life.

 

[domigee]

Hi Kanga, I am very keen to invest in a trekking umbrella and have just been following this thread ... Just interested to know which model Euroschirm you ended up with? Is it the Swing Lite? 12 months on, are you still happy with it? If not available in Australia, where do you suggest I look? Appreciate your advice ... and kind regards

**

You can now buy it from this forum

 

[rgutena]

For a standard umbrella the shaft length means the canopy presses against the top of my head, which is a bit uncomfortable.

Here (I hope) is a YouTube video to show how it works

Thank you! Having tried for over an hour previously, experimenting with various tips found on this forum and elsewhere on the internet, all without success, your post here including the video finally helped me find a solution, or at least inspired me to invent my own. The size of my small travel umbrella (154g with a very short shaft) and the design of my backpack are such that none of the commonly used techniques work. But now I realise that the key really is to have the canopy pressing against the top of my head, which in fact helps stabilise the umbrella. In my case, putting the shaft over the shoulder strap and attaching it there does not work at all. Instead, the shaft has to be attached to the side of the shoulder strap and tucked slightly under the strap, and held in place (I have no cord/lock for this purpose but my anti-nausea wrist strap does the trick). And viola! I don't even need to use the handle on my backpack at all. The only question now is whether it actually feels comfortable when I am walking with an umbrella pressing against my head, but I will find out.

 

[Anniesantiago]

I just buy an 8 euro umbrella each time I go to Spain.
Wouldn't walk with out it anymore.
Good for rain AND sun.
When I leave for home, I leave the umbrella.

 

[Kiwi-d]

Thank you! Having tried for over an hour previously, experimenting with various tips found on this forum and elsewhere on the internet, all without success, your post here including the video finally helped me find a solution, or at least inspired me to invent my own. The size of my small travel umbrella (154g with a very short shaft) and the design of my backpack are such that none of the commonly used techniques work. But now I realise that the key really is to have the canopy pressing against the top of my head, which in fact helps stabilise the umbrella. In my case, putting the shaft over the shoulder strap and attaching it there does not work at all. Instead, the shaft has to be attached to the side of the shoulder strap and tucked slightly under the strap, and held in place (I have no cord/lock for this purpose but my anti-nausea wrist strap does the trick). And viola! I don't even need to use the handle on my backpack at all. The only question now is whether it actually feels comfortable when I am walking with an umbrella pressing against my head, but I will find out.

I wouldn't obsess over finding an umbrella you can attach to your backpack. It was no problem simply to hold the umbrella overhead in exactly the same manner one normally uses an umbrella. (I used it both for sunshine and four days of solid rain.)

 

[Anemone del Camino]

I wouldn't obsess over finding an umbrella you can attach to your backpack. It was no problem simply to hold the umbrella overhead in exactly the same manner one normally uses an umbrella. (I used it both for sunshine and four days of solid rain.)

I would love to see a picture of how you hold your umbrella while walking with two walking sticks. I think a bit of "obsessing" might not be a bad idea.

 

[Kiwi-d]

You're quite right, I'd forgotten a lot of people swear by using two walking sticks. For me, at 69, I found one stick was quite sufficient, and in fact something of a nuisance except when going up and downhill. But I guess that's a topic for a different thread.

 

[trecile]

Early on in my Camino planning last year I purchased a used Euroschirm hands free umbrella from a fellow forum member. I remember when I received it thinking that it was so big and heavy. So I bought a small lightweight umbrella and tried and tried to figure out a way to comfortably and securely attach it to my pack. I realized that it just wasn't going to work, and I brought the Euroschirm with me. I'm so glad that I did! Its canopy is much larger than the small umbrella, covering most of my upper body, depending on the angle of the sun, and it attaches so easily and securely to my backpack. When it's attached I can't even feel that it's there, except that I feel much cooler in the hot sun, and drier in the rain.

I'm also a convert to using hiking poles. I had never used them in the past, but I couldn't see walking 500+ miles and making my legs do all the work, while my arms just hung there. I'm also sure that they saved me from a couple of falls, and they kept my hands from swelling as I walked.

 

[BlackRocker57]

Good move - yes I use this one too @ivar - it works really well, and is very sturdy - has stood up to three caminos (the CF twice). My only complaint is weight - wish they would make it in carbon fibre. Although it is expensive enough as is.

For anyone in Australia - I can tell you no-one here imports the handsfree model I had to contact the manufacturer directly and get mine from the US; it took ages to arrive and in fact missed my departure date (I'd planned to take in on the Norte), was a pain to organise and freight was ridiculously expensive. So Ivar's shop is definitely the way to go!

definitely @Kanga I understand that Wild Earth now stocks the abfab hands-free telescopic Euroschirm hiking umbrella … and at a reasonable price … but still I would order from Ivay …