Sport – Brella provides all – season protection from the sun, wind and rain! With a HUGE 8-foot-wide range of protection, the Sport-Brella gets you out of intense sunlight so you can enjoy the outdoors without frying! Perfect for rainy or windy days too… the 210-denier polyester construction has a water-repellent treatment, plus a no-stick center pole you can hammer into the ground for stability. And instead of typical umbrella design that leaves room for the elements to sneak in, the Sport-Br
$ 69.99
Great for the beach or when you need shade / wind break,
I have had the Sport-Brella for almost a year now. I purchased it for taking to the beach and highly recommend it as a very effective shade and wind break within limitations. It is a fairly well thought out product. However, the photographs are little misleading when they show a soccer team under it. That is either for a larger size (it can be found in a 9 foot diameter but costs almost twice as much as the 8 footer) or a lot of small people squeezed together. My experience is that this is just about ideal for two adults. Can you cram more…well yes, but don’t think you would enjoy the experience. Think about a half dozen or more perspiring people packed closely together and I think you get the idea. I don’t know how effective it would be for rain cover since never used it for that purpose but suppose it would be better than nothing.
Pros:
– Highly portable. Comes with a nylon carry bag with shoulder strap.
– Quick to set up and break down. The pole is two piece (self contained) with the lower section reinforced at the top for hammering. Set the lower pole, attach the umbrella. Voila, instant cover. Take down is just as simple. Release/lower the umbrella, secure with velcro strap, slide the lower pole section into the upper pole, insert into the carry case and you are ready to go. If you do not need to stake the umbrella, two minutes or less. It’s that simple.
– If you want to extend the cover, there are two side panels / wings (normally attached via a clip to the umbrella) which can be extended outward from umbrella.
– There are multiple straps with grommets that can be used to secure the Sport Brella if it is windy. Metal stakes are included in a small nylon bag.
– There two panels built into the umbrella that can be lowered (double zippered) to help control airflow. There are ties stiched into umbrella to secure the panels to minimize flapping if the panels are lowered.
– There is a velcro strap that secures the umbrella to ease stowing in the carrying bag.
Cons:
– When not using the two panels that function as extended cover, the only way to secure is via the clip on the top of the umbrella that hooks into a grommet on the end of each panel. This creates a problem if you are using it strictly as an upright umbrella for shade (say at midday) and it is breezy but not enough to require staking. The panels create more surface area for the wind to get under. Yes, they include some braided nylon guy lines that you can use to stake but why bother if not needed. A better solution would be additional ties attached to the umbrella like the ones to secure the zippered panels.
– Durability is questionable. An umbrella has a lot of moving parts, stretching/flexing and prone to break. Compound that with wind on a beach and salt air. It is a matter of trade-offs. High portability equals low weight construction. High durability equals heavier construction. Mine is still hanging together but would be surprised if it will last more than two seasons of moderate use. Still, for the convenience and usability provided, I have no complaints and would not think twice about replacing unless something better came along.
– Small complaint – the shoulder strap on the carry case is a thin narrow nylon material. It is uncomfortable and awkward to carry on the shoulder (at least for me). It is too long if you want to carry by hand. I have tied it into a knot to shorten.
To wrap this up, if you want a highly portable and effective sun shade / wind break for the beach for two adults, the Sport Brella is worth your consideration. It is quick to set up / break down. I like mine enough to say that I will buy another when this one wears out.
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|Great beach umbrella,
We go to a beach where it can become quite windy, and this umbrella is perfect. Once the sides are staked down, it’s a great wind block as well as sun shade. The only thing I would correct is that the pointed part of the pole (the pole is in two pieces) is stored inside the shaft and it’s hard to see since it’s all black. We were convinced that it was missing until we saw the small sticker on the shaft saying that the bottom part of the pole was tucked up inside. The same thing happened to friends of ours that bought the same umbrella. They might want to make a bigger sticker! Other than that, we love it!
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|Good Idea but…….,
I bought this umbrella for the kids’ sports. It looked nice and had an easy set up. But right out the bag, the stay at the end of on of the spokes was broken and couldn’t be fixed because it’s plastic. During the season almost all the rest broke as well. So while it’s looks nice and works pretty well, this has to be fixed or it’s not very useful.
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