to think umbrellas are a stupid idea?

[takataka]

What is the point in umbrellas? Why would a 2 foot diameter circle of nylon, be your weapon of choice in this weather?? It?s only ever going to keep your head dry anyway. Torso sometimes protected by waterproof jacket, but often not I have witnessed this morning. What about your legs? Why haven?t you got waterproof trousers on? Are you going to spend all day at work in your wet clothes?

More often than not the wind is up and your umbrella is rendered useless by inside-outiness, anyway

Also people tend to hold umbrellas at an angle down over their faces; you CANT SEE!! You can only see the foot of pavement in front of you. It?s a proper hazard, those pokey bits on umbrellas really hurt when they jagg you in the eye/head/face/neck

Completely and utterly

and also a bit at having to dodge pokey bits of metal weilded by people with their vision totally obscured

Well invent something else then. .

Maybe a round inflatable bubble we could push to school and work like a hamster. That would be fun.

Something is already invented, it's called waterproof clothing.

Op, yanbu.

EXACTLY bamboo Only my face is wet on arrival at work this morning

umbrellas make no sense

I like the sound of the bubbles though fake

Waterproof clothing is hardly suitable "office attire" - and rarely can be easily folded up and popped in a handbag before boarding a train. If worn over the top of office appropriate attire it's going to be very hot and sweaty on days when it's just a bit rainy without being icy cold, and even then it's going to be too hot for trains etc. You can have an umbrella folded up in your handbag for occassions when you leave the house with it just looking a little grey but within 10 minutes it's pouring down. Most handbags wouldn't hold adult sized puddle suits.

Most people, just need to keep their heads and sholders dry and have a big winter coat to cover the torso which won't be worn in the office but is smart and legs dry quickly. (particularly tights)

you can get breathable waterproof clothing so you dont get sweaty at all. I wear mine on my bike all through the summer. and it folds up really small (comes with stuff sacs these days)

Isnt your big winter coat completely sodden and dripping all over the office today?

i dont wear tights though...i wear trousers and socks, so that is slightly different

and i dont get on a train

i do work in an office...my attire is entirely appropriate

YANBU! the WORST has to be little children on a school run with knee high umbrellas, poking out the eyes of kids in prams.

HATE umbrellas. Except when I am using one .

yes alliwant kids with umbrellas-brilliant idea!!

I've seen cagoules and waterproof trews that fold up into little bags the size of a purse.

Dh persists in taking a ridiculously huge golf umbrella if it looks like rain, it always ends up being a huge pita and tries to fob it off onto me to hold. Shoulda worn your wax jacket dh!

YABU... Just been to post a letter. Took my lovely stripey outsize golf brolly and it kept my head, shoulders, torso and quite a bit of the surrounding pavement drizabone... :)

ha bamboo my ddad warned me from a young age against 'men that carry umbrellas'!!

thats the other thing isnt it...you have both arms free with waterproof clothing..not one arm held out and bent up at a 90 degree angle constantly

Something is already invented, it's called waterproof clothing.

But if you wear glasses and it's raining you end up blind. And if you take them off you are virtually blind. Only something stopping the rain hitting them works.

I love umbrellas. I don't want to wear waterproof clothing. A long coat and a pair of boots will more than suffice if I have my brolly.

I'm a walky ramblyer and I take an umbrella with me. But only when it's not windy. When it's raining it keeps the top half of me nicely dry without the constant rustle of a hood. I still wear waterproofs as well though.

It's the people who take their gigantic great golfing umbrellas on public transport that annoy me. With the huge point spikes on the end. Of course taking a 4ft long stick with a metal point on the end is the ideal way to travel .

I hate umbrellas too. Golf umbrellas carried by little men in a busy street is the worst torment. Get a coat with a hood.

I hate umbrellas. It is very windy here. If you go outside with an umbrella, it will blow inside out, usually taking fingers or face with it, thus rendering you wet and injured. Going out without an umbrella only makes you wet.

Packaway, breathable waterproof trousers are the best invention ever. Means I can cycle DD to school in the peeing rain and she gets there nice and dry (helped especially this morning as a bus went through a puddle just as DD was cycling past and she would have got drenched if she hadn't been waterproofed head to toe!).

My brolly is a clear dome, it does the job perfectly, thanks.

I know someone is going to invent a successor to the umbrella and everyone will be 'Grrrrrr, I should have thought of that'.

Th is genius will then be as rich as croesus and retire to their own tropical island. They will recline on their diamond studded sun lounger and smile indulgently at the memory of living in a soggy, rainy country.

I was going to start some Hard Thinking, but a diamond studded sun lounger doesn't sound very comfy, so I think I'll just stay on mumsnet