>>2635678>heavierThere’s a trade off of weight for utility. It works better but an umbrella is obviously heavier than a hat. I wanna say they’re around 9oz. Several companies are just relabeling the Euroschirm Swing Liteflex with their own logo, but all advertise it as “ultralight,” as it is fairly light compared to a regular umbrella from Walmart or whatever. GoLite was the first to really start pushing them when they introduced the Chrime Dome like 20 years ago.
>hands free isn’t perfectThey have a tendency to shift around a little, though not enough to consider it a complete failure. It’s more of an annoyance. If it’s super windy it becomes more of a problem, so you’ll have to hold it. Also you can’t always position it perfectly to cover your entire body by strapping it to your pack, but even when it’s not perfect it’s still more shade than a hat.
>it’s more “stuff”I find it totally justifiable but other people might not. An umbrella isn’t exactly minimalist. It’s an oddball piece of gear, but fills a lot of niche uses.
It’s one of those things that you have to try in your own and figure out if it works for you. They’ve become incredibly popular with through hikers despite the weight.
