If you ever walked in the rain under an umbrella, you know how handy this little item can be when you really need it to keep your head dry. Ever wondered how this umbrella evolved? Who invented umbrellas? Time to put your raincoats on we are going to learn a fascinating history of umbrellas.
In ancient history, 1000BC Egyptians used a set of leaves, or lotus leaves as a shade to nobels and their gods. This was the first time an umbrella similar item is seen in history. Then 200BC in China, had silk parasols to protect themselves from the sun. Chinese royals had servants to provide shade with these parasols when they exposed to the sun. These early parasols are customized with different kinds of scenarios, animals, and flowers. They mostly used these umbrellas to protect their skin from harmful sun rays that been said, without even knowing they were used as a UV protection parasol. One of the famous philanthropists named Jons Hanway in the 1750s was the first person to use the current version of the umbrella that made an umbrella to be socially acceptable. In 1830 James Smith founded an umbrella shop that is still available in the business in London. They offered handcrafted umbrellas to the public and James Smith was the first person to encourage men to use the umbrella as a regular daily accessory while traveling.
Umbrella is an essential item in daily life to protect you from the sun and downpours at the same time. A good umbrella will keep you dry and clean in downpours and stay stable in high winds. There are many features to consider when looking for an ideal umbrella for you. We are going to discuss Few of the main characteristics of a perfect UV ray blocking umbrella.
Ultraviolet protection (UPF 50+)
UV as known as Ultra Violet is an electromagnetic radiation type that makes black paints or posters glow! They are responsible for sunburns, tans, and most skin cancers. Too much exposure to UV is bad for your skin. It can damage your living cells that cause skin cancers in the long run. Ultraviolet is found on sun rays as 3 types. UVA, UVB, and UVC (UV) are the 3 types of ultraviolet that come with the sun rays. UV has the ability to break chemical bonds because UV is more powerful. About 10% of sun rays come to us as UV. People who get exposed to sun rays are most vulnerable to cancers and eye retina problems. In such cases, most UV exposed is seen in people who are not using any kind of shade for sun rays while traveling. A perfect way to protect yourself from sunlight and harmful UV rays are to use a UV protection umbrella. Umbrellas are made with clothing that has the ability to cut down UV rays up to 99%. The canopy of a UV umbrella has to be made with sun-protected clothing to minimize damage to your skin from harmful UV rays. Cheaper umbrellas do not use such clothing on their canopy that may not prevent you from getting burnt from the sun. Our skin has a pigment called melanin. This melanin is the natural way of our skin to fight with UV rays comes from the sun. While heating up with UV rays, melanin depletes with it. A suntan is a reaction by this reaction caused by the UVB and melanin. When the boy detects UV damage to the skin it sends a signal to the melanin to surrounding cells that are in the exposed area. When melanin absorbs the UV it disappears but when this happens there is a chemical reaction happening that causes sunburn. Even without knowing we are exposing our skin to UV radiation that can penetrate cells to DNA level and mutate them. This is why it is a must to have sun protection such as an anti UV umbrella to keep our skin protected. Best UV blocker umbrella clothing should have a certification of UPF 50+. UPF stands for Ultraviolet Protection Factor that is a standard used for measuring how much ultraviolet radiation that can cut by a fabric.
UPF Rating
UPF Rating |
Protection Category | Effective UV Transmission (%) |
15, 20 |
Good |
6.7-4.2 |
25, 30, 35 |
Very Good |
4.1-2.6 |
40, 45, 50, 50+ | Excellent |
Less than 2.5 |
Amy’s umbrella is certified with UPF 50+ that can reduce up to 99% of UV rays comes from the sun and Amy’s umbrella certified as the best UV protection umbrella manufacturer in the world. Uv ray blocking umbrella helps you to travel while getting protected from the sun without getting concerned about skin problems and skin cancers.
Length of The Umbrella
The compactness of the umbrella really matters if you are traveling or using public transportation because the umbrella needs to be stored in a minimum space such as your purse or the backpack. Most umbrella manufacturers are using 3-fold method to reduce the length of the umbrella when storing. The compactness of the umbrella can affect the coverage area of the canopy. Larger umbrellas may give a bigger coverage area but it will be lengthier when storing. Coverage area and the compactness of the umbrella needs to be concerned according to your requirement. Compact umbrellas are most likely to have a smaller canopy size while larger umbrellas such as golf umbrellas have larger canopy sizes. Travel umbrellas usually come with a single button control to open and close the umbrella. You can close and open your umbrella with one push of a button which is really easy to operate your umbrella in the public.
Wind Resistant Ability
Keep in mind that larger canopy may give you a more coverage area but it may be bad in high wind conditions. If the canopy is poorly manufactured, it can flip inside out by a high wind. Compact canopies have more resistant to wind and it will flip back to normal within seconds. Amy’s umbrella has small UV umbrella models that are perfect in high wind and at the same time providing you with a larger coverage by the canopy. Even with a wind-resistant canopy, the structure of the canopy needs to be in high quality to keep the canopy in place. Many umbrella manufacturers use 6 ribs construction that has a lower ability to withstand high wind. Some of the manufacturers use 10 ribs construction that is more steady but low resistant to the wind. 10 ribs construction can break the canopy easily because it is not effectively giving space to the wind to flow through. In Amy’s umbrella, we have an 8 ribs canopy that has a steady wind-resistant capability and it can hold the canopy together tightly.
Water Repel & Quality Marksmanship
Water repellent capability of the umbrella canopy cloth is necessary to make your umbrella dry in seconds. If you are using public transportation you know how hard to keep a wet umbrella with you inside the bus or the train. Even you are not in public transportation, you need quick dry of your umbrella to put it in your backpack or purse. Water repellent clothing is made with high-quality polyester strings woven tightly into it that water molecules cannot go through the space between the space of the nylon strings. This makes water flow easily just by shaking your umbrella a few times. This is an easy way to keep your handy umbrella to dry fast without a hassle. In Amy’s umbrellas, we are making most of our researches to make sure that you are getting a high quality durable yet protect you from wind, rain, and sun at the same time.
Price of The Umbrella
The price point of the umbrella depends on the quality that it is built on. Cheaper umbrellas are made with low-quality canopy clothing that has no water repellant qualities. These kinds of umbrellas are usually made with cheaper aluminum rib structures that can be easily bent or broken in a high wind. They are not made to flip back to the original status if the wind is high. In the middle price ranged umbrellas are mostly made with high-quality materials that have features that are available in the model to model. Some may offer water-resistant, windproof, UV protection, or larger canopy and different canopy styles that are most suitable for everyday use. These umbrellas are commonly coming as portable compact travel-friendly designs. There are many designs in ladies UV umbrella section in Amy’s umbrellas to select for a middle range of price.
Whatever the umbrella you select, you have to know that umbrellas not only used for rain protection. Umbrellas can protect you from rain, sun, and wind at the same time. It is a travel partner in your life.