The Informant: The Workhorse Umbrella That’s Under $20

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My favorite exchange in an Amazon Q&A section is this one, on the product page for the Totes Women’s Clear Bubble Umbrella. 

“Can men use this, or is it just for women?” one customer asks. 

“I bought one for my husband and myself to use during football games,” someone responds in support. “He will use it there, but he uses a regular umbrella otherwise.” 

“Guys…it’s an umbrella,” says a third user. 

Personally, I love this umbrella. It’s my favorite one, full stop. It’s the only one I’ve ever owned that hasn’t flipped inside-out on me in a strong wind. I don’t know if either the material or fabric are especially strong — it only costs $17 — but the big factor here seems to be its construction: It’s the dome-shaped kind that slopes down to my shoulders, protecting my entire face during a torrential downpour. It’s transparent, too, meaning that I don’t risk my life when it’s bad out and I need to cross the street. 

As far as I’m concerned, this is the gold standard for inexpensive umbrellas. There are a lot of extremely nice umbrellas — from rain umbrellas to beach umbrellas — in the $100 or even $200 range that have elegant handles, tracking devices that connect to your phone, and designs that collapse inward to accommodate walking indoors. But for some of us, there’s no point in spending so much on something we’re definitely going to lose one day. (No? Just me?)

Totes sells a women’s version of the umbrella — this one — and a “Signature” version. As far as I can tell, there’s no difference between the two, except that the Signature is slightly wider and the women’s version is slightly taller. The Signature is $12 more expensive, though, for no good reason; let’s call it a reverse pink tax. 

If you’re constantly losing umbrellas, would like to see through them, and don’t want to spend more than $20 on one, I can’t recommend this one enough. As a wise Amazon customer once said, “Guys…it’s an umbrella.”