How to stop your umbrella flying away at the beach
On a good day, a trip to the beach is wholesome, simple fun for you and the whole family, without breaking the bank.
Add a bit of wind however, and you’ve got to contend with a beach umbrella that wants to fly away, Mary Poppins-style!
Luckily, while you can’t stop the wind from blowing in your face, you can stop your umbrella from taking off without your permission.
Searching for the best beach umbrellas in Australia? You’ve come to the right place. Explore Boatshed7 online now.
How do you stake a beach umbrella?
We’ve talked a lot about buying the perfect beach umbrella, but one thing we haven’t been able to cover is how to secure a beach umbrella in the sand.
Thanks to their low weight and large coverage, umbrellas are one of the most common things to get blown away at the beach. The last thing you want is for your umbrella to be carried away, never to be seen again.
Luckily, it’s pretty straightforward to stop this from happening.
What you’ll want to do is stake your umbrella into the sand like you would when setting up a tent.
Of course, it doesn’t end there…
Make sure it’s closed
It sounds like a pretty obvious step, but you’d be surprised how many people try to push their umbrella into the sand when it’s already open!
They’re contending with heavy winds already, and the umbrella isn’t even fixed into the ground yet.
Fix it in place by wiggling it back-and-forth
One of the biggest mistakes beachgoers make when staking their umbrellas into the sand is simply jamming it straight down. But there’s a better way; next time, try wiggling it in.
Now, we aren’t scientists so we can’t tell you why this works - all we know through our own first-hand experience is that this tends to go better than just sticking it into sand.
Once it’s firmly fixed, you can safely open it.
Angle it into the wind
When staking your beach umbrella, try to angle it into the wind - this reduces the likelihood of the wind picking it up and carrying it away. The wind can also help push the umbrella into the sand, securing it even further.
Obviously the direction of the wind can change throughout your day, so feel free to adjust your umbrella’s orientation as needed.
Beach umbrella anchors work: how to put an anchor on your beach umbrella
Finally, don’t be afraid to use something to anchor your umbrella in place. A lot of people use sand, creating a mound near the umbrella’s post. Once you’ve pushed your umbrella into the ground, use your feet to fill any gaps surrounding the pole with sand.
This will do the trick - however, there’s nothing wrong with using something heavier to anchor your beach umbrella to the sand. More on that below...
While we’re on the topic of umbrella anchors: what makes for a good beach umbrella anchor?
Use your esky
When you go to the beach, what do you bring with you?
If you’re like most, your list probably includes food and snacks. And if it’s a hot day, that means food and drinks that are being kept cool by a strong, durable esky full of ice.
If you’ve brought an esky with you, consider using a rope or cable ties to secure your umbrella’s post to the carrying handle to add some extra stability and security to your umbrella.
What about your beach chair?
Beach chairs aren’t terribly heavy (which is a good thing, since you’ll have to carry it around everywhere). Sit someone down in one though, and it becomes a lot heavier - and thus becomes an effective anchor for your beach umbrella.
Just as with your esky, it can be a good idea to find a way to attach your umbrella to one of your chair legs.
Explore our chic and stylish beach chairs in Australia.
Pile your bags on top
The two suggestions above are great if you’re planning a beach picnic, or plan on spending a lot of time sitting down on a beach chair.
If not however, you might have to improvise!
While everyone’s beach kit varies, one thing everyone brings with them is a bag to keep all of their stuff; spare clothing, keys, shoes, drink bottle, and a good book.
In a pinch, this can double as an effective anchor for your umbrella.
If you have spare canvas bags, you can even bring those along and fill them with sand as an impromptu set of sandbags, keeping your umbrella secure.
Use a dedicated sand anchor
Like the name suggests, these handy little gizmos are purpose-designed to help hold your umbrellas down and stop them from flying away.
There are many different designs out there, but most act like oversized screws, twisted into the sand to offer the greatest stability for your beach umbrella.
Best of all, they’re not very expensive either, making them an affordable addition to your beach bag.
How do I keep my patio umbrella from blowing away?
So we’ve covered beach umbrellas - but what about patio umbrellas?
These umbrellas face similar problems to beach umbrellas. Luckily, since they tend to be bigger and heavier, they’re less likely to fly off.
Of course, that doesn’t mean that they’re immune from the effects of the wind.
The good thing about patio umbrellas is that you don’t need to worry about soft sand - patios offer solid ground, which makes anchoring them a lot easier.
Many even come with their own dedicated umbrella stands that offer greater stability and protect them from the wind, with some being slotted into patio tables directly for even more stability.
As always, in strong winds it’s recommended that you close your patio umbrella promptly.
It’s important that your beach umbrella is stable
But that isn’t all you should be looking for - you also need to make sure that your beach umbrella ticks all the other boxes.
That’s to say, your beach umbrella should:
- Protects you from UV
- Be fade and rust-resistant
- Looks incredible
Luckily for you, our online beach shop has you covered.
We stock a huge range of premium beach umbrellas that tick each of these boxes, from leading names like Business and Pleasure Co.
Each of them is thoroughly tested by our product testing team: us! This ensures that they’re ready for real-world beach conditions, and that they’ll last for multiple summers without issue.
Shop our premium beach umbrellas online
Whether it’s our range of fantastic beach umbrellas (like our antique white umbrella or stylish French umbrella) or any other beach essentials, you can find it here at Boatshed7.
Leading brands, worldwide delivery, and the confidence that you’re getting the very best items for your next beach trip (and the one after that, and the one after that...)