For me, an umbrella is an essential part of hiking comfortably in the rain. My rain kit includes a rain jacket (frog toggs most of the time, a better quality EMS or LL Bean w/b jacket in colder temps), an umbrella, a pack cover (hacked from a trash compactor bag), and a rain kilt. I have rain pants, but never use them except in winter (but I'd probably carry them if in higher elevations).
The umbrella alone is great in warmer weather or intermittent rain. As it gets colder, on goes the jacket, but since I have the umbrella, no hat or hood is needed, and the jacket can be opened more for ventilation. And since the jacket doesn't wet out, it actually can breathe as much as the fabric will allow.
BTW, all my hiking is in the northeast - Adirondacks, Greens, Whites, and the umbrella does not get shredded. The trick is to hold it loosely enough to roll with the punches. I usually hear the "it won't survive" comments from folks who haven't tried one. When I'm using it, the comments I hear most are "great idea, wish I had one."
No, it's not much use above timberline in the wind.
If you're committed to using 2 trekking poles, you won't like it either. I'm a one-stick guy.
I was on a trip last year where it was in the 40s (F) the entire time, and rained several hours each day. I found that I’d sweat until I was soaked wearing a rain jacket, but I’d stay warm hiking even without the rain jacket. (I hike warm.)
For myself, I’ve determined that I really only require rain protection at night when I need to answer nature’s call, and I’m wearing my designated dry clothes. The umbrella is much better for that than a rain jacket would be. I hate leaving my very nice (and fairly expensive) rain jacket at home, but the umbrella has proven far more useful for me.
It’s also fantastic to have in the sun.
I've started taking an umbrella. To me, it is worth the 6 ounces if I know it is going to rain. I can tuck the handle in my chest strap and don't have to carry it. I just put it away if I need to do a little scrambling or the trail gets too tight.
"If we lose the forests, we lose our only instructors. People must see these forests and wilderness as the greatest educational system that we have on the planet. If we lose all the universities in the world, then we would lose nothing. But If we lose the forests, we lose everything." -- Bill Mollison
The description says 7oz, but mine is 6 (maybe since I took the cover off). I'm sure that it won't last forever, but not a big investment.
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The problem is, any sweat that you notice/bothers you, is the sweat that won't pass thru quick enough. I guess if you're sitting at a football game for 3 hours with no more activity than raising one arm to drink a beer that entire time, the vapor may pass thru. But the little demo they do in a lab will make it sound like you could sweat Niagara falls thru the membrane.
The good thing is, I'm finally over it. Softshell or fleece in the cold snow. 100% waterproof non-DWR rain jacket in the cold rain. Anything else and it's too warm to need a jacket anyway so I just get wet (60°+) and dry out later.
But this umbrella thing I could possibly get into.
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