Where to buy umbrealla in Taipei that's strong enough to use during typhoon or heavy rain season?

Question

Where to buy umbrealla in Taipei that's strong enough to use during typhoon or heavy rain season?

Answer 1

The first answerer gave good information.

It is wise to stay indoors during a typhoon, unless it is absolutely necessary to go out.  If the typhoon brings strong wind, most injuries occur from flying and falling debris.  During a heaving rain, especially if there is wind, no umbrella will keep you entirely dry for long.

Answer 2

Agreed, the heavy rain is one thing, a Typhoon is another.

If you are going to be out in really heavy rain, consider getting some serious rain boots or leggings to go under a good quality poncho. It's standard scooter wear, but it works pretty well off the scooter. The colors are garish because of visibility issues on the scooter, but you won't look out of place... In heavy rain, the rain that splashes up will soak your feet regardless of your brolly - and even without wind.

I personally used cheaper umbrellas for a while, but recently found that 100-200 NT umbrellas can be even better. I get ones that have lots of spines and are slightly larger in coverage. They usually have a bit of a stronger spring, so have a bit of a more solid 'snap' when opening. However, I bought from a street vendor at a night market and the price was around half of what I had seen in stores for something similar.

Remember that you will need a new one each year since the metal is quite poor and will rust up on ya like crazy if it sits for any length of time even if you are diligent about drying it out.

A typhoon would tear even a strong umbrella to shreds (well, a real one anyhow). I always try to angle it so it is facing the wind, but a few years ago when we had typhoon Talim, I got caught in a downblast that just crushed it. That's pretty unusual, but so is wandering around in 180+ kph winds which are apparently strong enough to start pulling some street signs off.

If it's just for heavy rain, you could try waterproof sandals and any cheap umbrella - that's what the locals do.

Answer 3

That's a pretty good question!

Yes, the ones you can purchase in 7-11 or from most places will endure 'heavy rain'.

Actually, heavy rain isn't the problem - it's typhoon's that cause the umbrella problems - more specifically it's those typhoon winds that tend to buckle, snap, twist, warp and sometimes even blow away umbrellas no matter where you buy them from.

My suggestion is - during a typhoon buy one of those 7-11 ponchos.  They are really cheap and cover your whole body - ok, they may not be asthetically pleasing - but they do the job!

Answer 4

Honestly, the best ones I found were in the 7-11, and they're only about 99NT each.  

I started out using umbrellas from Watsons because they were cute and affordable, but they broke every few weeks :/  Sometime the metal frame would bend and sometimes the top would rip off the frame.  

The big, rubbery ones from 7-11 were really durable, dried fast, and withstood high winds.  I got through typhoon season with 2 of them.  The first one broke at the handle because I was using it like a walking stick - don't do that.  The second one, I still have!  I think the best part is that if you DO have to replace one, it's only 99NT (and they're sold on every corner!) so it's not a huge deal.