My Amazon purge lasted for three weeks, but I was really keen to buy a trekking umbrella. I spent lots of time online, and watching YouTube videos to decide which one to buy and ended up purchasing the Euroschirm Swing Liteflex Trekking Umbrella.
When researching the umbrella, there were key elements that I was interested in:-
- My main objective was to have a UV sun protection umbrella
- I wanted something that was super light as my pack is already heavy (and I am very small!)
- I also needed to make sure that I could easily fix it to my pack so that I had both hands free to use my Nordic Walking Poles.
There are many trekking umbrella’s on the market, and I nearly went for the Sea to Summit umbrella that had excellent reviews. I was swayed after watching a YouTube video where someone mentioned that the telescopic umbrellas are not very durable, espceially in high winds.
Features of the Euroschrirm Lite
- Diameter is 97cm (This gives fabulous coverage, but it means you can not stand too close to people otherwise you poke their eyes out!)
- Length is 66cm – so it fits inside my pack (with about 2 inches poking out of the top).
- Weight – without the carry bag it is a mere 8oz! (Apparently it is the world’s lightest umbrella)
- Durable – I have seen endless videos where people have tried to break this umbrella and the reviews are fabulous. It certainly faired well in my very windy 4 mile hike today!
- Extremely strong fiberglass frame.
- Shoulder carry strap (although I will not use it)
- Double seams between segments for extra durability.
- Wear resistant safety tips.
- Comfortable hardfoam handle which is very comfy and the notches slip nicely into my trekking pole strap.
- Minimum metal content.
- Decay and corrosion resistant.
- Easy to attach to a backpack so that you have free hands to use trekking poles, take photos etc.
Verdict:
I will be trying the umbrella out on my through hike of the Cotswold Way in a few weeks. I expect the UK weather will be the ultimate test to see how it fairs in the wind and the rain!
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