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From compact to large sizes, these picks can help protect you against the heaviest wind and rain.
This article was updated in April 2022 to remove out-of-stock options and to ensure all product information meets the standards of the Textiles Lab at the Good Housekeeping Institute. We also added new umbrella picks from SY and Rifle Paper Co.
There's no denying that a good umbrella is essential for a rainy day, and all it takes is one storm for you to learn that not all umbrellas are of the highest quality. Besides being able to stand up to rain and wind, umbrellas should be easy to open and close while remaining comfortable and convenient to carry, and they should stand the test of time.
There are plenty of umbrellas to choose from, but it can be difficult to figure out which one is the perfect fit for you without testing out every option. The Good Housekeeping Institute Textiles Lab reviews wet weather gear of all kinds, from rain jackets to rain boots, and we've made picking an umbrella a bit easier. We tested umbrellas for factors like ease of use, durability, coverage size and most importantly, how waterproof they are (because some actually failed our tests when we added water pressure to mimic a storm!). The umbrellas ahead are either top performers from our tests or newer styles with unique features and rave reviews from real users.
Use this windproof umbrella for heavy downpours and strong gusts. It proved super durable and was the top performer in our tests when we checked how easily umbrellas flip inside out and how sturdily the spokes are attached to the fabric. This size is compact, so it's easy to carry around, but you can buy the golf-size version to cover a wider area. Good Housekeeping Institute’s Textiles Product Reviews Analyst Grace Wu used this pick during a storm and says, “I’ve never used an umbrella that made me feel as protected — it felt like a normal windy spring day under this umbrella, even though I could see the rainstorm in front of me."
Umbrellas can get pricey, but this one is a great deal. Despite its low cost, it still has thousands of positive reviews highlighting its appearance and compact size. Our Lab experts are impressed that this umbrella features automatic opening and closure at such an affordable price. It also weighs in at less than a pound and has a 41-inch arc (the area an umbrella can cover) when opened to keep you dry.
Repel’s windproof travel umbrella has received over 25,000 five-star ratings, making it Amazon’s top choice for folding umbrellas. The umbrella ribs are made with fiberglass and are reinforced with resin for added strength and to prevent the canopy (top of the umbrella) from flipping during use. In our Lab tests, we found that umbrellas with vented canopies performed best for wind resistance, and this pick features a double vented top to allow wind to easily pass through.
If you always forget to pack an umbrella, this one from Totes is super lightweight and compact so you can leave it in your bag just in case you get caught in the rain. Despite its small size when folded, it provides good coverage from the rain when it's opened with a 38-inch arc. Plus, this pick was one of our top-tested umbrellas overall. It held up well in our durability tests, and we found it easy to open and close, even though it’s a manual model.
With kid-friendly characters, a comfortable curved handle and a lightweight structure, this small-sized umbrella is a good pick for children to carry on their own. Each canopy design features 3D components that add a fun factor, and the canopy provides plenty of coverage for kids at 29 inches across. We love that the frame is designed to be simple for kids to push up and pull down to help reduce the risk of their fingers being pinched when opening or closing their umbrella.
Most umbrellas leave you exposed to the rain when you try to open or close them, causing you to end up soaked. This genius design is reversible. Instead of closing towards you, the umbrella canopy folds away from you, meaning water gets trapped inside of the canopy instead of dripping all over you and your things. It also has an auto-open handle, so you don’t have to struggle with opening your umbrella as you’re leaving the car. And it can easily slip through a cracked car door as you close it.
This heavy-duty stick umbrella is built to withstand strong wind gusts with a vented canopy and fiberglass rods. It provides a noteworthy amount of coverage with its 68-inch wide arc — almost double the size of some compact umbrellas — so it’s a good choice to keep you and your family dry. The canopy is made with UPF 50+ fabric, which means it provides rain and sun protection. Although it’s pricey, you can expect it to last thanks to its durable construction. If you prefer a smaller size to carry in your bag, it also comes in a compact travel version.
This clear bubble umbrella has a dome-shaped canopy, which provides more coverage than a traditional umbrella. Good Housekeeping Institute’s Lab experts find the deep 51-inch arc on this umbrella to be great for completely covering your head and keeping you protected from the rain at all angles. The see-through plastic material used for the canopy means it won’t block your view as you navigate rainy weather, and it’s easy to wipe clean. It also works well as protection for rainy-day photos.
Blunt’s metro umbrella is a top pick for walking through large crowds or big cities because of its rounded edges. Umbrella canopies keep their shape with the help of long spokes, which usually stick out around the umbrella’s edge. This pick’s spokes are hidden within small pockets of fabric, so it’s less likely to poke fellow pedestrians and is a safer umbrella option to have around kids. The canopy is also designed to spin when bumped, making it suitable for busy areas.
Add some fun to your rainy day with this colorful umbrella. Rifle Paper Co. has released a line of umbrellas featuring some of their most popular prints and patterns. This stylish umbrella is compact and comes complete with a matching sleeve, which makes it a great option to carry in your bag. Our Textile Lab experts love the automatic open and close feature and that it provides a good amount of coverage at 43 inches wide, even though it’s compact in size when closed. Plus, Rifle Paper Co. uses its patterns across a variety of merchandise, so can match your umbrella to your face masks and tote bag.
It may look a little strange, but this umbrella is designed using aerodynamics to prevent it from flipping in heavy winds. It's also constructed with a light frame to make it feel like it’s floating in the wind, allowing you to carry it with only one hand. Senz even offers to repair your umbrella if its damaged or send free replacement parts to help your umbrella last even longer.
At the Good Housekeeping Institute, we test umbrellas in our Textiles Lab for a variety of characteristics, including ease of use, performance and durability. In our most recent umbrella tests, we collected and examined hundreds of data points to find top umbrella performers, including our best overall pick from Samsonite. We used a spray test to mimic a light rain shower, as well as our unique rain tester to simulate a penetrating storm (pictured above). The tester sprays pressurized and temperature-controlled water at a swatch of umbrella fabric that is backed by an absorbent paper. After the rain test, we measure how much water the backing paper has absorbed. The less water that has penetrated through the umbrella fabric and to the absorbent paper, the better the umbrella is at wicking moisture and keeping you dry.
To analyze an umbrella's resistance to flipping inside out, Lab experts calculated the force needed to invert each tested umbrella's canopy and also measured the strength of umbrella spokes with a specialized Instron machine. Along with these larger tests, the Textiles Lab measured the weight and size of popular umbrellas, analyzed how easily they could be opened and closed and rated features like handle grip and coverage size.
Buying an umbrella may seem simple enough — they're all meant to keep you dry. But there are many features of an umbrella you should consider when making a purchase. Here are a few things to keep in mind when shopping for an umbrella:
✔️Size: Most umbrellas have a diameter between 30 to 40 inches, which is the measurement of an umbrella canopy from side to side. Another common measurement used to classify umbrellas is the arc, or the measurement of an umbrella canopy's coverage. Smaller arcs start around 30 inches, while some umbrellas may have arcs up to 70 inches. Umbrellas vary in size and coverage depending on the intended use. If you're looking for a travel-sized umbrella that's lightweight and easy to put in a purse or suitcase, chances are it'll have a smaller diameter and arc and will provide less coverage when you open it. On the flip side, larger umbrellas that provide you with more coverage tend to be bulkier and heavier when they're folded down.
✔️Opening mechanism: Your main choices are manual (you push it open and closed yourself), auto-open (you push a button to automatically open it, but close it yourself) or auto open/close (you can open and close the umbrella with the push of a button). This one's a matter of personal preference. Keep in mind that some of the manual umbrellas were still super easy to open in our testing.
✔️Vents: If you want to prevent your umbrella from flipping inside out in the wind, look for an option with vents. Vents are small slits or openings in an umbrella canopy that allow wind to pass through more easily. Without vents, wind gets trapped against the umbrella and pushes the canopy outward, leaving you with an unusable umbrella and no protection from the rain.
✔️Price: While price isn't necessarily an indicator of overall product quality, you may discover that buying the cheapest option will result in having to buy more umbrellas in the long run. Some umbrellas just can't stand up to lots of use.
Lexie Sachs is the Executive Director of the Textiles, Paper & Apparel Lab at the Good Housekeeping Institute. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Fiber Science from Cornell University and more than 15 years experience in the textiles industry, including merchandising and product development for home products. Lexie joined Good Housekeeping in 2013 and has extensively tested all types home and apparel products — including mattresses, face masks, sustainable clothing and more — using specialized lab equipment and with hundreds of consumer testers.
Amanda Constantine joined the Good Housekeeping Institute in 2022 as a home & apparel reviews analyst. She has a Master of Science in Consumer Sciences from The Ohio State University, along with undergraduate degrees in apparel merchandising and marketing communications. Prior to joining Good Housekeeping, she served as a lecturer at The Ohio State University, teaching fashion and textiles courses and conducting research.