The last umbrella you’ll ever need
Strong winds won't flip this umbrella inside out
The most vexing problem with umbrella deployment has to be the ease with which a low-quality model flips inside out in even a moderate wind, often breaking the brolly in the process. Gustbuster promises its umbrellas will not invert in winds raging at 90 km an hour, thanks to its use of elastic “shock cords,” a double canopy design, high-thread-count nylon and ABS plastic spreaders and ribs. Its products (various styles, including golf umbrellas, available for around U.S. $35 to $45 U.S. through umbrellasandbeyond.com) are also guaranteed for life against breakage, and the company tests them using a wind tunnel at its head office in Farmingdale, N.Y. Lacking similar facilities, we tightly gripped a Gustbuster Classic behind a motorboat ripping along at 60 km an hour on Ontario’s windy Georgian Bay. The Gustbuster’s ribs refused to buckle while a competitor’s product did instantly. If you’re contending with wind strong enough to reverse this umbrella, then you probably shouldn’t be outside. A key benefit of an unflippable umbrella on a stormy commute to work? “You get to laugh at everybody else on the street corner,” says Gustbuster owner Steve Asman. That, and stay dry.
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