☂️ THE HUMBLE HIKING UMBRELLA
Okay, hikers. We need to talk about umbrellas.
There will be lovers. There will be haters. And there will almost certainly be someone who says:
“Just wear Gore-Tex.”
We do.
And then we put a roof over it. ☂️
The umbrella might be one of the most underrated pieces of hiking equipment.
And yes, we use them.
For perspective, high-end 3-layer GORE-TEX PRO is serious equipment. Waterproof performance in this category is commonly associated with hydrostatic-head ratings around 28,000 mm. The Arc'teryx Alpha SV — essentially their flagship severe-weather alpine shell — uses 3-layer GORE-TEX PRO.
That's about as serious as rain gear gets.
But waterproof doesn't mean you're going to stay dry indefinitely.
We've spent entire days outside in truly miserable West Coast weather — including storms dropping 50–100 mm of rain.
After hours of hard rain, things start working against you. A loaded backpack presses wet fabric against your shoulders. Your hip belt creates additional pressure points. Water finds its way around your hood, neck and cuffs. The face fabric can wet out. Meanwhile, you're producing moisture inside the jacket through sweat and condensation.
None of this necessarily means the waterproof membrane has failed.
But six hours into a storm, the distinction becomes somewhat academic.
You're wet.
☂️ ENTER THE HUMBLE UMBRELLA
An umbrella does something completely different:
It stops a huge amount of water from reaching your expensive waterproof clothing in the first place.
Your shoulders aren't continuously being hammered by rain. Less water runs down your pack straps. Your jacket simply has less water to manage.
You're not replacing your rain gear.
You're giving it a roof.
And in sustained West Coast rain, that's surprisingly effective.
☀️ AND THEN THERE'S THE SUN
See that umbrella in the alpine?
It's not raining.
If you're one of those people who insists on hiking through exposed alpine terrain when it's 30°C and there isn't a tree for kilometres, an umbrella gives you something surprisingly valuable:
Portable shade.
Direct sunlight adds radiant heat to your body. An umbrella reduces that solar load and gives you somewhere to get out of direct sun — particularly useful when you stop for a break or lunch.
Put it up.
Congratulations. You brought a tree. 🌳☂️
Of course, umbrellas have limits. They're not particularly useful while scrambling, climbing, bushwhacking, using both hands, travelling in strong or gusty winds — or anywhere lightning is a concern.
But on trails, logging roads, approaches, long traverses and relatively sheltered terrain?
We are firmly Team Umbrella.
They're light. They work in rain. They work in sun. And they don't replace your technical clothing.
They make your technical clothing's job easier.
Sometimes effective outdoor equipment doesn't have to look particularly technical.
Sometimes it's the same thing someone is carrying down the sidewalk in Vancouver.
☂️ The hiking umbrella: deeply uncool. Surprisingly effective.
We are fans.
So, where do you stand?
☂️ Umbrella lover or umbrella hater?