Some discussion on a recent thread moved onto the use of umbrellas I assume for whilst out in the sticks use as opposed to in the urban environment.
I have carried and used them in various forms and for a couple of applications for over two decades, including during my former operational service and have continued to do so ever since. (an example - http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=139851&highlight=Umbrella)
Highbinder and Macaroon described their advantages and the appropriate time to use them quite well so no point in reiterating all of that information save to add that during the - dare I say warmer months, my upper garments tend to be only a base layer and a long sleeved shirt and although I always carry a full set of waterproofs in my ruck, the time and effort to stop, get them out/on, back off/away, seems out of proportion to the duration of a sudden downpour but often a necessity re the volume of water that might come down.
Tiley quite rightly pointed out that having two hands available could be a safety issue. I assume that he meant whilst on the move i.e. having to constantly carry a brolly by hand as opposed to during the temporary halt situation described by the others.
My solution dates back at least ten years and is still going strong, as described below and shown in the images.
The pipe is a piece of 65mm (internal dia.) plastic water pipe cut to a length of 35cms.
The pipe has then had a series of 15mm holes drilled along its length over three quarters of the circumference but leaving an undrilled section at each end at one to maintain rigidity and at the other so as not to foul the tines of the (folded) brolly that it will carry.
A fabric sleeve, closed at one end, elasticated at the other and with a strip of 25mm webbing strap attached Molle style has been created to provide brolly-carriage security and attachment points. On the (latest) version shown, the heavy duty airtex material in the centre section has enhanced the drying out aspect (when Ive forgotten to remove and air-out the brolly after an outing!).
As the images show, the Jaeger Pod is attached to the bottom of a ruck (the firmer the better) on the side nearest to the carrier and with the elasticated (extraction) end on the favoured hand side. With a small amount of practice the brolly can be quickly removed and replaced without having to dismount the ruck and if the terrain warrants it without even having to stop.
The brolly that I use is the Fulton automatic open and close jumbo type (designed for golfers I think). Its not cheap (£25) but Ive found it to be the perfect size in the collapsed state and when opened up it covers me and enough of my gear to throw most H20 away from me. It also comes in as a temp wind break on occasions. (Ive drilled the crown and added a small loop of fishing line so that I can suspend it if needs be during a brew/obs halt). Im on only the second one in about ten years and the breakage of the first was down to me so they are relatively robust and economic if you look after them.
I have carried and used them in various forms and for a couple of applications for over two decades, including during my former operational service and have continued to do so ever since. (an example - http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=139851&highlight=Umbrella)
Highbinder and Macaroon described their advantages and the appropriate time to use them quite well so no point in reiterating all of that information save to add that during the - dare I say warmer months, my upper garments tend to be only a base layer and a long sleeved shirt and although I always carry a full set of waterproofs in my ruck, the time and effort to stop, get them out/on, back off/away, seems out of proportion to the duration of a sudden downpour but often a necessity re the volume of water that might come down.
Tiley quite rightly pointed out that having two hands available could be a safety issue. I assume that he meant whilst on the move i.e. having to constantly carry a brolly by hand as opposed to during the temporary halt situation described by the others.
My solution dates back at least ten years and is still going strong, as described below and shown in the images.
The pipe is a piece of 65mm (internal dia.) plastic water pipe cut to a length of 35cms.
The pipe has then had a series of 15mm holes drilled along its length over three quarters of the circumference but leaving an undrilled section at each end at one to maintain rigidity and at the other so as not to foul the tines of the (folded) brolly that it will carry.
A fabric sleeve, closed at one end, elasticated at the other and with a strip of 25mm webbing strap attached Molle style has been created to provide brolly-carriage security and attachment points. On the (latest) version shown, the heavy duty airtex material in the centre section has enhanced the drying out aspect (when Ive forgotten to remove and air-out the brolly after an outing!).
As the images show, the Jaeger Pod is attached to the bottom of a ruck (the firmer the better) on the side nearest to the carrier and with the elasticated (extraction) end on the favoured hand side. With a small amount of practice the brolly can be quickly removed and replaced without having to dismount the ruck and if the terrain warrants it without even having to stop.
The brolly that I use is the Fulton automatic open and close jumbo type (designed for golfers I think). Its not cheap (£25) but Ive found it to be the perfect size in the collapsed state and when opened up it covers me and enough of my gear to throw most H20 away from me. It also comes in as a temp wind break on occasions. (Ive drilled the crown and added a small loop of fishing line so that I can suspend it if needs be during a brew/obs halt). Im on only the second one in about ten years and the breakage of the first was down to me so they are relatively robust and economic if you look after them.
