Credit:
Reviewed / Betsey Goldwasser
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Credit:
Reviewed / Betsey Goldwasser
Reviewed's mission is to help you buy the best stuff and get the most out of what you already own. Our team of product experts thoroughly vet every product we recommend to help you cut through the clutter and find what you need.
Learn more about our product testing
The Grand Patio is a high-quality umbrella and provides a lot of sun protection, but would need a larger outdoor space. Read More
The L.L. Bean Sunbrella patio umbrella boasts high-quality fabric and is good looking too. Read More
The Hampton Bay Cantilever umbrella is absolutely gorgeous, just make sure you have a large enough outdoor space for it. Read More
The Frontgate is a high-quality and stylish umbrella that will add elegance to your patio. Read More
A patio umbrella can serve two purposes: to shade you from the sun and to look good while doing so. It can add pizzazz to any backyard makeover and take a new outdoor patio furniture set up a notch.
But a patio umbrella’s main goal is to provide shade, and it can do so in several ways, whether it’s the UV-resistant material it’s made out of, the number of ways the umbrella can tilt or move, or even the patio umbrella’s diameter.
To find the best patio umbrella for your outdoor setup, we evaluated top-rated patio umbrellas, focusing on design, ease of use, weight and setup, and ability to block the sun.
After weeks of testing the best outdoor patio umbrellas, the Grand Patio Deluxe Napoli cantilever umbrella (available at Amazon) was our favorite for its superb sun protection, weather-resistant design, and durability. If you’re looking for something smaller, consider the L.L. Bean Sunbrella Market Umbrella (available at L.L. Bean). Our favorite light patio umbrella, it has an attractive design that utilizes Sunbrella for its canopy.
The L.L. Bean Market Umbrella can be inserted through a table or used with a stand, making it useful for all backyards.
Lightweight
Easy to store
Only available in white
Difficult to set up
Lightweight
Cute colors and patterns
Feels flimsy
Crank lever difficult to work
Cool LED lights
Easy to clean
Lacks canopy vents
Average sturdiness
Lightweight
Easy to set up
Low quality fabric
Cheaply made
Ease of setup and storage were key parts of the testing process.
When shopping for the best patio umbrella, consider your outdoor space. There are various shapes (round, square, rectangle), sizes, and styles (market, cantilever) of patio umbrellas, and your patio, deck, or veranda may be better suited for one type than another.
Don’t buy a 12-foot umbrella if you have a small patio. Likewise, if you’re trying to provide sun coverage for a large area, a small market umbrella won’t cut it.
Beyond design, there are other important factors to consider. Here are some.
Market umbrellas: These traditional patio umbrellas are marked by a pole running down the center and are great for protecting yourself from the elements. They are known for durability and simple design, with a straight metal or wood pole that can be placed into an outdoor dining table, weighted stand, or even a food cart. Round beach umbrellas and half-umbrellas (for use against a wall) also fall under this category.
Cantilever umbrellas: These umbrellas, also called offset umbrellas, are supported by a pole that sits to the side of the umbrella, rather than underneath. Some have the ability to tilt. Our testing found that cantilever umbrellas tend to provide the most sun protection. If you’re looking to protect an outdoor table without a hole to insert a pole through, a cantilever umbrella is your best bet.
While there are different types of fabrics that can be used for an umbrella canopy, Sunbrella is known for its superior durability. The Skin Cancer Foundation even recommends some UV-blocking Sunbrella fabrics as part of a sun protection regime.
Additionally, Sunbrella fabrics are breathable, resistant to mold and mildew, easy to clean, fade-resistant, water-resistant, and offer UV protection. To back this up, the company offers a 5-year warranty for its upholstery, decorative shade fabrics, and specialty fabrics, and a 10-year warranty for shade fabrics.
But not all patio umbrellas are made with Sunbrella fabric. Polyester is a common alternative, we tested several patio umbrellas with polyester canopies, and we tested a number of these. Although we do not test for longevity in our labs, polyester has been proven not to be as durable as Sunbrella, and it does not provide as much UVA/UVB protection.
Patio umbrellas use different mechanisms to open and close. Some use a system of pulleys (typically wood poles), while others have a crank that you turn by hand (typically aluminum or plastic poles. Some high-end models even have push-button controls for opening and closing the umbrella.
Generally speaking, you should close an umbrella when it’s not being used for safety reasons. A closed umbrella is less likely to get picked up by the wind. It’s also less likely to get dirty because of airborne pollen and passing birds, and it won’t take as much weathering from the sun.
A weighted base plays an important part in securing a patio umbrella, whether you’re using a market umbrella or a cantilever one.
While you can find lighter bases, we recommend choosing a base that is heavy enough to prevent the umbrella from blowing over in the wind. For cantilever umbrellas, this is usually a heavy-duty plastic base that you fill with sand or water.
If a market umbrella is used with a patio table or on its own, make sure the base is made of iron or concrete. In many cases, manufacturers will suggest the minimum weight of a base that should be used with their umbrellas. We recommend the Shademobile Moveable Umbrella Stand, weighted down with sand. Another great option is the Abba Patio Umbrella Stand, which is 50 pounds after being filled with water.
While some cantilever umbrellas have a weighted base built into their design, others require special weighted base panels that are sold separately and add to their cost.
Many of the umbrellas we tested only needed to be hosed down to be cleaned.
Before you clean your patio umbrella, you should check the manufacturer’s instructions for any special directions. In general, though, we recommend using a cleaning solution of two cups of warm water, two cups of white vinegar, and a tablespoon of dish soap in a bucket. That’s what we used in our testing.
Start by removing the canopy from the umbrella to brush away any loose dirt that may have collected over the season.
Rinse the canopy with a garden hose until it is soaked through. Using the cleaning solution, scrub the umbrella with a brush.
After 10 minutes, spray the umbrella with a hose again and let it air dry thoroughly.
After it is dry, reattach it to the umbrella.
In order to find the best patio umbrellas on the market, our experts have extensively researched user reviews, product specs, price points, and other important factors to determine which brands and models we can recommend to our readers.
Our team also tests patio umbrellas regularly, including market and cantilever options. We set the umbrellas up in a sunny yard and consider weight, sturdiness, and durability. We also purposefully dirty and then clean each umbrella. These models have been carefully selected to meet our criteria, which evaluate the height, weight, canopy diameter, wind vents, UVA/UVB sun protection, and real-life user experiences for each outdoor patio umbrella.
Cailey Lindberg
Staff Writer, Updates
Cailey Lindberg is a Staff Writer at Reviewed and full-time Dog Mom to @sandor_thebassethound. In her spare time, she writes about music and history for Mental Floss.
Our team is here for one purpose: to help you buy the best stuff and love what you own. Our writers, editors, and lab technicians obsess over the products we cover to make sure you're confident and satisfied. Have a different opinion about something we recommend? Email us and we'll compare notes.
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