Vancouver's Umbrella

Since it rains so much here in Vancouver and these past few months, the weather has not been too kind I decided it was time to own a well built and sturdy umbrella. I have gone through a few Totes umbrellas and a Fulton umbrella - this one lasting longer than the Totes! But I find that the Totes brand cannot withstand the Vancouver rains or winds! I decided to check out The Umbrella Shop and pick up a two fold auto in a pink with a special fabric called Fonewr Nano (super durable water/oil/dirt repellent fabric) for $24.95. My umbrella has a lifetime warranty (perfect) and TUS will repair the umbrella at either no cost or a very small cost depending on what needs to be repaired. That is GREAT news since I have replaced quite a number of Totes umbrellas at their cost! The only downside to my new umbrella is that it can only open automatically and I have to manually close the umbrella. This will be a pain since I usually have my hands full and would prefer that it opens and closes but TUS does not carry their own branded open/close umbrellas. If I could justify myself on spending more money, I would have gone with one of these:

The pattern above is the Vancouver skyline designed by a local artist, Barbara Wood and it is made in Vancouver. TUS has a small selection of their own branded umbrellas which are made in Vancouver but unfortuantely none of their folding umbrellas are made locally but they are designed by TUS. Vancouver skyline umbrella priced at $84.95 - it's not that bad considering I've spent more than $100 on my crappy umbrellas. Oh well, maybe next fall as Vancity's rainy season should be lightening up!