Good point - I never thought about the desert, since I don't hike there; there are certainly no trees lining the trail to grab at it. Any issues with high wind? (I would point out that St. Colin never used an umbrella in the desert - he preferred to putz around with his tarp. Of course, his tarp wasn't very mobile. )

My own umbrella intolerance goes way beyond this forum - I rarely use them in town, either. I've found that by the time I get it out, deploy it as I'm getting out of the car, then take it down before I enter the building, I get just as wet as if I just get out of the car and walk briskly into the building. It also eliminates the whole issue of what to do with the d@## thing once I'm inside.