Repel Umbrella Windproof Travel Umbrellas for Rain - Easy Auto Open Close, Durable & Compact Umbrella, Strong Fiberglass Frame, Waterproof Canopy - Backpack, Purse, Portable Umbrella for Travel, 2 Pack

Why it's worth it

Repel's compact folds to about 11.5 inches, weighs under a pound, and puts nine fiberglass ribs under a vented canopy so gusts can push through instead of lifting it. This listing is a two-pack, so one can live in your bag and one in the car.

For most people, this is enough umbrella. The vented double canopy lets air escape through the overlap rather than ballooning, and the nine fiberglass ribs flex instead of creasing. Repel says it's tested to 100 mph, which tells you nothing useful — no standard exists behind claims like that. What does mean something is the size of the owner base, and the broad pattern in that feedback is that it survives ordinary windy commutes.

The practical stuff is where it wins. It folds to 11.5 inches and weighs under a pound, so it fits a glove compartment, a backpack water-bottle pocket or a work bag without you planning around it. One touch opens it, one touch closes it, and the mechanism needs almost no force — handy when you're half in and half out of a car door.

From our review of 8 wind-resistant compact umbrellas, by Genevieve Dubois, Home & Living Expert

What we like

• +For most people, this is enough umbrella
• +The practical stuff is where it wins
• +Two umbrellas in one box also solves the problem you actually have
• +Buy it as the umbrella you can afford to lose

What to know

• –Auto open/close mechanisms are the most common failure point on inexpensive compacts, and that's where this one tends to go
• –The canopy gets marketed as covering two people