I picked one of these up for hikes in less forested areas. I took it with me on a day hike today, in the foothills around Eastman Lake (Central valley, California) because even though I routinely wear and re-apply sunblock I still manage to sunburn (my norwegian ancestors I suppose). I've been suffering mightily on the day hikes I've gone on every weekend trying to work up to longer trips. Too much sun and I turn into a headachey mess. My hat helps but it hasn't been enough.

I have to say that the Chrome Dome was very effective and I suspect it's multi-use. It's very light, and creates a neat little patch of shade; I had it strapped to my day pack in the morning but as the sun rose high around noon I popped it open and was happy to find that my arm was not fatigued at all holding it overhead. The secondary use? I nearly spooked horses with it, and several dogs freaked out as well. I suspect that a mountain lion or bear would also be sufficiently spooked by a big shiny round object that flaps at them. I anticipated a third use but didn't get to test it - in case of very strong winds, it could become a secondary windscreen for my stove to keep my foil windscreen from blowing away. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" /> It would probably also keep rain off; I got it for sun protection, however, and have a poncho or shell for rain. The only down side might be the short "stem" which does not telescope like your average four dollar umbrella and doesn't give loads of head room, but this didn't bother me. I am planning a three day outing on which there will be switchbacks up a treeless ridge; I will likely have this on my pack and collapse one of my trekking poles to swap out when I am facing the midday sun.

So if you are fair skinned and never tan/always burn, this may be a good thing to consider.

lori:

I had to find a pic of what you're talking about and here it is.

Bet it would do good as a rain umbrella, too. I remember a link here to a great trip report on the West Coast Trail on Vancouver Island where an umbrella was essential -- but for rain, not sun.

Yep, I love mine. It works well enough for gentle rain (a bit small for more than that, and wind-blown rain foils any umbrella). Handles wind pretty well.

But it weighs as much as my walmart umbrella that cost 3.98. Why - this is a real question, not sarcastic - why would a golite for 30.00 be better that my cheapo?

Chrome dome. Reflective, get it? If you're walking on an exposed ridge in the summer when the sun feels like a hot iron bar on your head and shoulders, it can really help. And it seems to handle wind a lot better than a Wally World cheapo.

See, this is what surprised me. I have cheap umbrellas like you mention. On the Golite version the underside is black, the top side is shiny, and I think the dome is a little more domed than my regular collapsible umbrella. I think the shiny stuff does the trick. I also like the handle, which is made of the same stuff as the hiking pole handles. The Golite also handled gusts of wind that have turned my cheapos inside out.

There's a Montbell ultralight umbrella that's 5.8 ounces, if weight is the deciding factor.

Here's the Montbell Ultralight Trekking umbrella, and at $24, it is a little lighter on the wallet, too, but it is not reflective like the Chrome Dome.

I agree with Hector on the impact of that shade in keeping you cool. Drive down Calle Ocho in Miami on a sweltering July afternoon, and most of the older ladies on that promenade have an umbrella. They're not making a fashion statement, just a lot of sense.

Hmmm. I see me making a fortune selling these high(er)-tech Chrome Domes -- or a cheap -- but still reflective -- Chinese knock-off at the corner of Calle Ocho (8th Street) and Generalissimo Maximo Gomez Avenue (22nd Ave.) to many of my friends' tias abuelas.

Still not convinced. I can see some benefit from the chrome dome, but not enough to justify the cost difference. I would guess that the golite umb is made in the good ole US of China-and that would indicate the cost difference is made up by corporate greed. Sorry Golite, none for me, thanks. Shade is shade, baby. If it was a cartless desert walk, I might be able to justify it, but not normal walks. Bear in mind that east tennessee is a wooded area - and my walks may be more shaded than some. As for wind - my first walmart umbrella was blown inside out at Naked Ground in Joyce Kilmer Forest - but Walmart replaced it for free.
Scientifically speaking - if it was a really good idea, Walmart would have copied it by now.
Poser Quiz --- Ask yourself this - if it was made exactly the same and cost 3.00, but said "WALMART" instead of ''Golite'', would you be amoung the first to buy it and use it on the trail?

Probably. But they don't have it at walmart, nor do they have many other things I have been looking for lately. I have been several times looking for ripstop and found none, nor does the local store have grosgrain webbing of the appropriate type, nor do they have any clue when I ask. I didn't pay 30 bucks for the golite either. You don't have to buy anything full price - that's what the internet is for!

You know, I think that perhaps you have to have had skin and flesh removed to truly appreciate the nuances of sun protection. Skin cancer isn't fun. It makes you seriously consider things like burkhas. Staying indoors isn't an option, so you do what you can. Clearly, you are not my intended audience if you have a tough time understanding why something shiny and shady to help me get back under the trees makes me happy.

> Still not convinced.

We do not require you to be.

> Poser Quiz

Interesting hobby you have there. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Hey I agree with the fear of the sun - and for melanoma stories I have one as well. When I was a kid I experienced the death of my father from it. He was 25. My grandmother made me very aware of the sun, believe me. So I do not take the sun likely.
Avoiding the sun is not the question here, is it? I thought the question was about umbrellas. And my comment was - why is it 30.00 better? I guess 'its shiny' is the answer. Sorry I asked. Maybe I will get one. I like shiny stuff, too.

The shiny stuff blocks more sun than without it. Thin fabric tends to let in UV rays, even it is waterproof. By metalizing the fabric, it can effectively block all the UV rays. It costs more to metalize the fabric as well, which makes the umbrella more expensive. With the amount of surface that is metalized, 30 bones ain't bad.

I bought me & my kids the wally world umbrellas sometime ago.
I wonder how silver spray paint would affect them? I doubt a light spray of paint would hurt the fabric & would probably greatly boost the UV blockage.

I wasn't trying to get all defensive but I guess it came across that way anyway. So I must've been....
I am one of those who tries the cheap options and works my way up. The shiny really made a huge difference - I could feel it more than anything else and I guess that's not coming across well. I can usually tell when the sun is getting to me after just a couple of hours.

I wear Ray Ban sunglasses on cloudy days too, because I had cataract surgery at 36 years old due to not wearing adequate protection for too many years (cheap! dimestore! sunglasses!). So I am freaky crazy about sunblock/UV blocking glasses and shade for all mentioned reasons, because the UV does not make my body happy a'tall. Thirty smackers is cheap prevention, especially after the sunglasses cost so much more.... but I would gladly pay for both over again rather than another couple thousand for eye surgery or for peeling off layers of skin.

It probably will increase UV blockage, but it won't be the same as the Chrome Dome. The Chrome Dome has a metalized surface, not a painted surface. The metal film blocks UV much better than paint. But, the paint will add material to the umbrella to help block UV rays. So, although it will be better with paint than without (UV wise), it still isn't as great as what the Chrome Dome offers. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

That nice foam handle would lead me to buy it over even the Montbell one, or any cheaper one.

The cheap WalMart collapsible umbrellas collapse easily in a wind from the complicated mechanism in the struts that form the umbrella dome.

The medium priced Walgreens and other collapsible umbrella collapse easily in a wind from the complicated mechanism in the struts that form the umbrella dome.

The Chrome Dome doesn't have complicated collapsing mechanisms and doesn't collapse in a gusty wind.

There is often a performance cost of light weight and high function, such as a fancy complicated folding mechanism.

In Ray Jardine's "Beyond Backpacking" he discusses converting a regular umbrella to sunshade use by cutting an octagon (or whatever shape your umbrella is) of "Emergency Space Blanket" reflective mylar. Cut it about 1" bigger than the umbrella. Then simply use small rubber bands (like orthodontist bands) to attach the mylar cut-out to the tips of the umbrella.

As thin as those space blankets are, adding a space blanket layer to an umbrella might weigh the same as paint. Good suggestion. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />