[pct-l] Umbrella or hat in SoCal?

[Scott Williams]

I've used the umbrella on 3 US thru hikes and the Camino in Spain and I
don't set  out without it.  In real heat it provides a much cooler walking
shadow than a hat of any kind and I learned how to keep it up in high winds
just fine in most cases.  In gusty wind with frequent directional changes,
I give up on it, but in very strong steady winds I've used it no
problem.

Connect a small caribiner to the loop at the bottom of the handle and clip
it off to your waist belt angling the umbrella left or right into the
wind.  Use the cord lock to allow it to ride high or smashed down on your
head if need be in strong winds.

At 13,000 feet in the Colorado Rockies in a furious hailstorm, it was
plastered all around me as I ran for shelter down slope almost becoming
another piece of clothing.  In light rains in WA and on the AT and Spain,
it was the first and quickest protection I had and was so pleasant to use.
There's a reason so many great hikers carry them.  Some don't bring a
raincoat at all, just relying on the umbrella which is also part of many
people's sleeping systems.

Have a wonderful summer

Shroomer
On Apr 3, 2016 8:42 PM, "Lucky Man" <luckymanhikes at gmail.com> wrote:

> I have an 8-ounce Liteflex chrome hiking umbrella I got for the SoCal
> section of the PCT (Campo to Walker Pass), which I start in mid-April. I
> have read many positive reviews from hikers who have used this umbrella
> here, but now I have also read some negative reviews with complaints that
> it was often too windy in Southern California to use the umbrella. I also
> have a Zpacks pointy hat that I wore along the Sierras section of the PCT
> last summer; it provided decent protection from the sun and is the best of
> many hiking hats I have used over the years. For those who have used the
> umbrella in SoCal, would you recommend it or suggest the pointy hat
> instead? What did you wear for sun protection when it was too windy to use
> the umbrella?
> Thanks
> Lucky Man
> _______________________________________________
> Pct-L mailing list
> Pct-L at backcountry.net
> To unsubscribe, or change options visit:
> http://mailman.backcountry.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l
>
> List Archives:
> http://mailman.backcountry.net/pipermail/pct-l/
> All content is copyrighted by the respective authors.
> Reproduction is prohibited without express permission.
>