I’m a Minimalist Backpacker, but I Always Bring This Umbrella

Before leaving for Haleakalā, I had packed everything I could for sun protection: a hat and sunglasses, a UPF shirt, and sunscreen. But on my hike, I quickly found that my umbrella offered broader, deeper shade than any hat could. With my shoulders, arms, and upper body covered, I felt much less exposed and notably cooler. I could uncover my head, too, leaving it open to the natural cooling effect of breezes.

I hiked with my umbrella for the better part of 6 miles that day. It was so light, carrying it required almost no effort. If I wanted to use my hands or hiking poles, I could attach it to my pack with a clamp I’d bought separately, though angling my umbrella properly with the clamp took a little practice.

In contrast to some other hiking umbrellas, the Gossamer Gear and Six Moons umbrellas both have double-layered silver and black canopies, which makes them especially good at blocking UV rays. The upper canopy’s silver material contains aluminum, which reflects rays that come from above. Equally important, if not more, is the black under-canopy, which absorbs UV rays that reflect off the ground from below. (Ron Moak once crossed Wyoming’s Red Desert in a conical hat he had made out of silver thermal-insulation material sans a black underside. He sustained such bad burns, he called it “a painful lesson.”)

When I conducted comparative UV-blocking tests for our best umbrellas guide with a number of different-colored umbrellas — both the hiking variety and otherwise — the silver-and-black combination performed the best. To be fair, though, black umbrellas also blocked most UV rays.

For my part, I find that the silver offers a bit of panache. And I was more than grateful for the superior shade it provided as I hiked in the crater that day, as well as on many future trips.

Of course, my hiking umbrellas have protected me from more than just sun. After my boyfriend and I set up camp that evening in the crater, it started to rain. We used our umbrellas for shelter while we cooked, and we later used them to block the open ends of our tarp from sideways rain.

I started taking mine on every backpacking trip after that. In the past two years, the Gossamer Gear model and (later) the Six Moons umbrella have protected me from a hailstorm in the Sierras, and from the sun on many subsequent trips back to Haleakalā. They’ve even made occasional appearances in my daily life, on sunny or rainy hikes with dogs, and as an impromptu parasol at track meets.

As silly as I sometimes feel carrying an umbrella on the trail — and as much as I love to be in the mix with the elements when I’m backpacking — my hiking umbrella has saved me from extreme discomfort enough times for me to fully embrace it. And I’ve definitely noticed overheated and drenched hikers eyeing my hiking umbrella with envy.

Though it may be too niche for everyday use, if you’re hitting the trail — especially in the sun and heat of summer — I heartily recommend that you bring an umbrella. It may just be the accessory you didn’t know you needed.

This article was edited by Ria Misra and Christine Ryan.