[NAGDU] Need an umbrella?

[Tracy Carcione]

That's interesting.  I usually just wear a hat with a wide brim.
One disadvantage of the newbrella would be that I couldn't hold it over my
dog, which I usually attempt to do. Otherwise, it sounds useful.
Tracy


-----Original Message-----
From: NAGDU [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Buddy Brannan via
NAGDU
Sent: Friday, May 05, 2017 8:26 AM
To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Cc: Buddy Brannan
Subject: [NAGDU] Need an umbrella?

And since I'm talking about potentially useful gadgets, here's another one
that, while expensive for an umbrella, is a lot less expensive than the Walk
Pro. 

I hate umbrellas. They're a lot of bother for not much benefit. So you have
this thing you have to hold in your hand, a hand you really don't have free
because you're already down a hand because you have to hold onto a dog. Or a
cane. Rain blows in under them anyway, from all directions. They blow around
in the breeze. They're just a huge bother. Putting up with being wet is less
of a bother, because you don't stay much dryer with the umbrella, at least
not enough dryer to justify the bother. 

Melanie, however, is still somehow convinced of the umbrella's utility. So
when I saw a post on Facebook about a hands-free umbrella, I had a look. 

Nope, this isn't one of those dorky umbrella hats that, I dunno, I've never
tried one, but how well can they really work? 

It's called Nubrella, and their website is here:
http://www.nubrella.com

They're another small company somewhere around Boston. I may or may not have
talked to the CEO of Nubrella when he called me to follow up on my call
because of a weird ordering glitch. 

So, OK, the Youtube videos are fairly clear about what this is, but I'll
describe it anyway. It's like an umbrella, but pretty much rethought. You
wear it like a backpack. Exactly like a backpack, as it turns out, complete
with a waist belt for support and a strap that clips across your chest. It
folds down the back when not in use. When you want to open it, pull down on
the shoulder-height handles, and a canopy flips up over your head and locks
into place. So when deployed, you've got your back, head, and sides
protected, and a little in front, but the front is of course still
completely open. You've got 180 degrees protection, however from the rain.
Since your whole body stabilizes it, it won't turn inside out or blow away,
and rain can only blow in on you from one direction (in front). It's only
shoulder width, so it will fit through any human-sized door, even while
deployed. You're kind of in a little bubble when the Nubrella is in use.
When you come in out of the rain and want t  o get the Nubrella out of the
way, push in on the spring-loaded buttons on either side, again at shoulder
height, and the bubble collapses and folds back behind you again. 

I only tried it out taking Leno out to park this morning, and it seems to
work as advertised. I didn't do an extensive road test with it. However, it
does seem to work as advertised, and I did stay relatively dry. 

I'd make a small design change in the deployment and stowage though. The
shoulder-height handles and buttons may be a bit awkward. I could operate
them, but Melanie, who has limited arm movement, could not. I may try
attaching some ropes or something that she could pull on to accomplish the
same effect for pulling the Nubrella open. Closing it would be another
matter, and I'm not sure how that could be improved, but surely there's a
way. 

The website says it retails for $79, but they were selling it for $59 when I
bought it. 

--
Buddy Brannan, KB5ELV - Erie, PA
Phone: 814-860-3194
Mobile: 814-431-0962
Email: buddy at brannan.name





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