This makes more and more sense - a compact one not the 3' model.

I can certainly see it being handy in certain locales, especially in places that often get sudden downpours with little warning.

But are you thinking of an umbrella more as a potential survival item, rather than a daily convenience?

Search function "the unbreakable umbrella" or Google it.

Are you scared you might melt?

I have never liked umbrellas for their normal purpose, especially the smaller ones. They just don't keep the water off you all that well.

A small emergency poncho works better, but is less cool.

For emergency purposes, I'd prefer to carry an emergency poncho, which is smaller, lighter, more versatile, more effective and hands-free.

However, if it's a non-emergency and style matters, then I'd rather carry the umbrella.

Quality rain paints, Gore-Tex gaiters, rain jacket and rain hat are so much better if you expect to be hoofing it for miles in an emergency situation. Already have those in my car.

Have hiked in deluges in that gear and stayed completely dry.

For summer day hikes with rain or t-storms possible, I roll up a Marmot Pre-Cip and put that in my pack and carabiner my favorite oil cloth golf hat to the outside of the pack.

The big green garbage bags can be a decent poncho, weigh hardly anything in your pack.

For work use I have a small collapsible umbrella that fits in a briefcase or shoulder bag.

I see lots of people using umbrellas in the summer, as the sun gets incredibly intense. Enough so to give you a headache in a few minutes. For EDC I'd rather pack a hat, but its great for a car kit.

Until recently the the US marines and army refused to authorize the use of umbrellas. Used to be that on a rainy day in DC you could easily tell what branch a person was attached to. The idea was umbrellas were somehow not masculine enough. More recently the services have realized that the macho look didn't compensate for being wet and miserable.

Umbrellas can work well anywhere rain is frequent, particularly with quick showers that quickly pass, where trees and other obstacles aren't too close together, where the wind isn't too often an issue. In tropical conditions an umbrella is more comfortable than even the best Goretex.

Corrected wording.

I agree with Art. I have had so much perspiration build up under a poncho I may as well have gone without. Umbrellas work quite well.

I've carried an umbrella at times. I have a small compact one. It lives in a kind of sheath, which means it needs to be dried after use because dampness won't evaporate when it's stored. Although it's not a big deal, it was enough of a hassle that I found myself reluctant to get the umbrella wet.

I have ponchos. I have some yellow light emergency ones made of thin plastic. These are convenient for their size - one can be carried in a back pocket. Hopefully they would be useful (along with bandanna, chord etc) to improvise with during a disaster. Once you get them out, they can be hard to repack neatly; they aren't quite single-use but they're close. For casual use against inconvenient wetness, I again have the problem of wondering if the rain is bad enough to justify using it. But definitely worth having if you don't want to wear a jacket, and you have UK weather.

Currently I prefer a good cap. I have a Tilley which has a big peak that keeps the rain off my face. I also wear a light jacket which I don't mind if it gets wet, and my legs tend to get sheltered by my upper body. As long as my head, hair and face are dry I'm not bothered by small amounts of rain. A good cap is also effective against sunshine; with a proper peak you usually don't need sunglasses. Mine also has pull-down flaps to cover my ears, and a chord to keep it on if it's windy. It's good for a wide variety of weather conditions.

For heavy rain I want proper water-proof clothing, trousers etc. An umbrella's not much cop for that. A decent, heavy poncho isn't ideal either, although better than the light emergency ones. Either of these is bulky enough to need a pack. If I have a pack, I'll take a poncho if I don't expect to need it and full gear if I do.