“Oh. It’s raining. Time to hit the corner store and grab an umbrella. $20? Eh, fine.” That’s what usually happened in my head when there were sudden downpours in New York. A month later I’d bring out the same umbrella and it’d already have small rips on the canopy, or the stretchers would break and make a floppy mess in the wind. Rinse and repeat.
I’ve wasted a lot of dough on cheap umbrellas and I’m here to warn you from making the same mistakes. There are plenty of affordable umbrellas, you just need to know the right brands to buy from. I do also think it’s worth spending a little more on a high-quality umbrella that will last a while. My colleague Louryn Strampe and I have researched extensively and tested more than a dozen umbrellas these past few months—these are our favorites at various price points.
Be sure to check our many other guides, including our picks for the Best Running Gear and the Best Rain Jackets.
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Photograph: Blunt
Best Overall
Blunt Coupe
The Blunt Coupe feels so satisfyingly smooth as you manually open it. Its 41-inch diameter is big enough to protect most of my 6’4″ frame and a backpack, and it fares really well in high winds thanks to its fiberglass ribs and polycarbonate frame. When