Coolibar UPF 50+ 42 Inch Sodalis Travel Umbrella - Sun Protective

I live in Arizona, and have a 20-minute walk into work every morning. I use this umbrella every day and it does its job well. It really does feel cooler when I walk under it -- this can make the walk in to work bearable when its 100+ outside (whereas my regular rain umbrella does not). And more importantly, it seems to be very effective at shielding my skin from the sun. Im fair-skinned and paranoid about cancer, and I feel very protected when I walk under my Coolibar. Two caveats. (1) This umbrella is thick and bulky and harder to fold up than a normal umbrella -- you kind of have to muscle it. It comes in a little sheath and Ive never once been able to get mine back into the sheath. (2) It only lasts so long. My first one lasted about two years of consistent but gentle use before starting to fall apart; I managed to get a third, limping year out of it. Ive just received my second one -- so, it was worth ordering again, but it would be nice if it lasted longer.

I have admired the sun umbrellas that I have seen used by travelers in the tropics, so finally ordered one myself for our next trip to Thailand. The Coolibar travel umbrella arrived today - just in time for the trip. But unfortunately there are two problems. First, the umbrella does not open properly. Pressing the push button, only partially opens the umbrella. To get the umbrella to fully open and to stay open, you must force the center mechanism up and down several times pushing it firmly against the end stop. Once it stops sliding backward, you must then pull down the sides of the umbrella, so that it is not partially inverted. This process is too cumbersome to open an umbrella. Second, it is difficult to hold the open umbrella because it is very top heavy and poorly balanced. It requires an awkward force to hold it at any angle other than completely upright. While the concept of this umbrella is a fine one, the problems with not opening properly and the poor balance lead to my rating is only 1 star.

I used this for about a week and loved every second of it, until the mechanism began to fail and it started collapsing randomly while in use. Thinking it was user error i was careful not to push the button accidentally and resorted to hats again. Last week I decided to give it another shot and it broke completely. Because of the nature of the mechanism it can’t even be opened and locked manually, so it is completely unusable. I got maybe 7-10 uses out of it so i cannot recommend the item at that cost-per-use.

I THOUGHT I LOVED THE QUALITY & COLOR OF THIS UMBRELLA. WRONG IT JUST FOLDED OVER OUT OF NO WHERE REALLY WANTED IT BUT OVIOUSLY IT REALLY ISNT STURDY AND THE PRICE IS JUST RIDICULOUS. I THOUGHT THE PRICE WAS A SIGN FOR GOOD QUALITY-DONT BE FOOLED-DONT TOUCH IT.....

Only heard good things about Coolibar umbrellas. Given I would be working with youth in the desert figured I’d make the purchase. Pro’s: it does shade really well Con’s: slightest wind and it blows up, the handle is rather short so holding its chest level it will sit on your head, the shaft of the umbrella wiggles Over all the sun shade part is great, the rest of the umbrella is poor quality

This really helps to stay shaded when i forget my hat.

The first time I used this umbrella it broke. It will not stay open and I cannot get the handle to collapse again. I have struggled to fix it as it looks very sturdy, but I cannot fix it. I didnt use it until passing the return date, so I doubt I can get a refund.

I love the lightweight material the fabric is made of. I havent used it yet but i think Ill use it lots with my dogs (not walking them on the hot concrete of course). Ill update in a couple of months to see how it does during the sun blazing days.

I bought this to protect myself from the intense sun here in the southwest. It works great for providing shade and allows air to flow through the woven vents around the top. I decided to take it with me on a trip to Six Flags and Disneyland. Anyone whos ever stood in line for hours at a time in the summer heat at one of these places knows how unbearable it can get. It made a big difference. It was easy to open and close and also easy to stow and carry. It doesnt, however, do well in strong wind. I would definitely recommend this product but urge some caution if strong or gusty winds are present.

I have an autoimmune condition that means I need to be very serious about sun protection, and I got this umbrella for days when I dont want to wear a hat. Its great! Its easy to use, sturdy, and copes well with wind. Its also compact enough to carry around easily and to not take up too much room when Im walking down the sidewalk. It also works well for rain, making it a versatile addition to the stuff I carry with me daily. Coolibar products do tend to be a bit more expensive, but the extra money is worth it for the quality you get and the sun protection the products offer.