Weather reporters are just a bunch of liars in the end. They may say you’re in for sunny skies, but you’ll find yourself beneath a torrential downpour, umbrella-less and unprepared. Hammacher Schlemmer has found a solution to the unreliable virus that is weather forecasts in the form of the pocketable, keep-it-with-you-at-all-times World’s Smallest Automatic Umbrella.
Measuring in at a mere 20cm long when fully closed, the teeny tiny umbrella can actually open up to a full 102cm in diameter, shielding you from whatever the heavens hurl your way. And from the look of its guts, small doesn’t have to mean flimsy; it’s packing a steel shaft, ribs and stretchers that have — supposedly — been tested to withstand winds better than other, even larger compact umbrellas.
Although, given how terrible some umbrellas can be, that may not be saying much. Still, $US30 isn’t bad for a fully automatic, pocket-sized umbrella that you can keep on your person at essentially all times. [Hammacher Schlemmer via Red Ferret]