G4Free Hiking Umbrella UPF 50+ Compact Ultralight for Trekking Backpacking

Took this product hiking in the Sierras and fastened it to my pack. Kept the sun off the head, neck and shoulders. Didn't have to wear a hat or slather any sunscreen. I could feel the mountain breeze on my bald scalp, which kept me cooler than wearing a hat. Passing hikers baking in the sun commented that they wish they would have thought to bring a sun umbrella. In my opinion this type of device is a MUST have for sunny or wet hiking. Pretty lightweight too.

This is a light and compact umbrella making it a perfect companion for summer hikes. I includes loopes to attach it to the backpack. I prefer taking this to hike specially on hot summer days, as the reflective materials keeps it cool. Highly recommend - much better than getting overheated during summer hikes.

Used it on a 15 day trip to Israel and Egypt. Reflected the sun very well. Was challenging at times to get it to stay open and the cushion handle came off. I glued the handle back on when I got home. Not sure I just got a defective umbrella or this is just how this umbrella operates.

My friends have this umbrella and I finally caved in getting it for our hikes. This is much better than my rain umbrella bc of the weight and UV protection. It easily slips into my pack and easy to open and close. I haven’t used the hands free option yet but my friend attaches it to her pack and it works well.

*EDIT*. Bought two of these. Mine broke after the first use. The construction is piss poor. Would not buy again. These SoCal summers are getting ridiculous. It’s becoming hotter and drier every year. I got two of these, one for me and the wife. It’s to help us when going on hikes or our ministry. #IYKYK The build quality is good. I like the center trigger, I think it’s a great design that will last. It is cooler under the umbrella more than your regular umbrella, and obviously the ambient temp around you. Stands up well to winds too. I like the extra ties that it comes with, you can use it to tie the umbrella to your day pack or hydration backpack.

Umbrella works well and is easy to store. I don’t feel like the straps to attach to your backpack are that great. It’s a few bungees that come in a separate ziplock bag and don’t have a great spot to attach to the umbrella. When using, the umbrella would just fall to the side one direction or the other.

I really like the umbrella. It was a bit of effort to get it opened up all the way the first time I tried it, but that was because the material had not been stretched yet. The clip to hold it open was different from what I am used to, so I will have to see how it holds up. So far, everything has been working fine.

The hiker I bought this for really liked it, and she said it helped with the rain on the long, multi-day trail she was hiking. She did get teased a bit by the other hard core hikers for using it though…

Perfect, under hot sun you can really feel the cooling of this shade. ( I bought the silver w black underside )….I’m really pleased with it.

Ideal size for storage and when put up! quality appears very good for price, fits well onto shoulder strap of rucksack and is stable, can be comfortably hand held as it’s very light weight, a little fiddly to put up and take down but take your time it’s quite easy! Delighted with purchase and shall post a review after proper use!

Works great but tab elastic pulled out of end tab, still usable and may want to buy elastics replacements.

Giving this 5 stars because it is just what I wanted a small lightweight umbrella. Does the job. I don't expect it to survive strong winds etc, but thats not what I bought it for. I wanted shower protection on the trail and lightweight. Roughly half the cost or less of the branded umbrellas....recommended

Just purchased and opened the umbrella and one of attachments of the canopy to the metal ribs came away. The material failed as can be seen in the photo. The umbrella hadn’t been used. I have returned it. On a positive note, I like the design and I’m thinking of reordering one; hoping that my poor experience was a one off.