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

Excellent protection from the hot sun of the south

Love this!!! I was recently treated for a Cancerous Mole on my face and my daughter had insisted that I purchase this umbrella. She owns one also. I get teased that Im keeping the Aliens away, but at the same time more of my family members and friends are buying one too. It works great, and feels good when Im under it, because it not only keeps me cool, but also its comforting to know Ive got good protection. Its big enough to get good coverage, and compact enough to store in my purse. The slip cover is a tad awkward at times to get off, but Im ok with it because its keeping my umbrella from getting soiled or broken. I never go outside without it, even if its just walking a short distance until Im out of the sun.

The umbrella looks pretty nice. Once its folded up, the strap fastened and in its included sleeve its very handy to keep in the cars glove box and should fit in most purses pretty easily. The good: Looks great. Compact, the included sleeve makes it pack up very nicely. The bad: Very flimsy. I dont believe this was made for rain... with rain usually comes some wind and all the hard parts are made of cheap plastic, INCLUDING the handle and rod going to the top. There are 8 total ribs, but they are extremely weak. Do NOT buy if you want to use it for good rain protection, because a tiny bit of wind and it will collapse or break. Its not a big umbrella, so when the edges collapse in to where you see the second dome in the face of wind, your rain protection will be very small. The end of the ribs look like theyre made of an exceptionally weak fishing rod, because they bend easily and the rest of the ribs are plastic and thin, so even if they wouldnt bend the whole thing would just break anyway, so the designers im sure figured itd be better to not be functional in wind than to break entirely. Final thought: The only thing this is good for is for protection from the sun on calm days or light rain with little wind. If you need it for that, its a great umbrella, but dont bother for stormy weather. If Coolibar wants to make a great umbrella, they should really actually make certain parts out of Titanium so it lives up to its name in more than just color.

I live in Texas and use this umbrella every single day. It really keeps the sun off and provides shade while talking my daily walk. I walk about two miles every day and just had too much sun on my head and face. This is instant shade. I love it.

It really is SIGNIFICANTLY cooler under one of these! Great product. If it wasnt so bulky id still be using it. I switched to the EuroSchirm Lite Trek umbrella instead. But my husband absolutely loves his Coolibar.

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 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.

Compact, perfect for strolls while walking a pet. I took mine on a hike and it was perfect!

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.

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