By Andrew Liszewski
While inconvenient to carry when it’s raining, I don’t think it’s possible for an umbrella to ever truly be hands-free. No matter what the good people at Hammacher Schlemmer try and tell you. This backpack umbrella they’re now selling definitely looks like it lets you carry groceries or box kangaroos while staying dry, but I can only see it working if you live on a deserted planet where the wind never blows during a storm. Because whenever I’m walking with an umbrella here on Earth, I’m constantly fighting to keep it stable in stormy gusts, and preventing it from banging into other people.
Most importantly though, if my critiques haven’t been convincing enough already, if you use a backpack umbrella you’re going to look exactly like this woman does. That alone should be enough of a reason to stick with a traditional model, or just let you and your groceries get absolutely drenched. But if my prejudice towards supposed hands-free umbrellas hasn’t dissuaded you so far, you can go ahead and order one from Hammacher for $39.95. I promise I won’t judge you. (NERRRRRRD!!)
[ The Hands-Free Umbrella ] VIA [ 7Gadgets ]
doubles as a parachute in case of emergencies…
I like the idea…but it wouldn’t work. There’s always wind when it rains. The rain just doesn’t drop down. It swirls because of the wind. So if the company can make an umbrella that can cover you depending on how the rain is dropping with accordance to the wind, it’s not going to sell much. You might have a harder time with this umbrella not unless you’re a child wearing it.
I don’t like how low it extends. To put it politely, I don’t think you can sit down conveniently based on how low it goes…