Does anybody use the "Shade Buddy" umbrella?

[tuzigoot]

It's the one that you stake in the ground. Just wondering how well that works. If the ground won't hold the stake, have you been able to rig another way to keep it upright?
Thanks!

[Trikist]

I looked at this on Judson's site. Like you, I keep thinking of how often the land here in the west is rock, rock hard dirt or loose gravel. You seem to paint away from developed areas more than I do and would probably have even a greater problem. Good Luck, Gary

[westcoast_Mike]

I have one and it actualy works quite well. The only reason I don't use it a lot is it's not very compact.

[timonsloane]

I have had one for probably 2 years. I use it frequently. Love it.

I can almost always find a place to stake it (even around pavement, often there are patches of dirt or flower beds where it can be staked. I can also rig it to any pole (fence, stake, guardrail, etc.) using bungee cords.

It's larger than other umbrellas, so it casts a nice shadow.

I can place it far from my easel, which is useful in many situations when you don't want it to be super dark under the umbrella and when the sun is near the horizon (I have a picture of it being used this way towards the bottom of this page: http://timonsloane.com/about ).


I've had it in high winds, and it has never broken.

Highly recommended.

[tuzigoot]

Thanks everyone - I'm going to order this from Guerilla Painter - they're doing a seconds sale and it's 40% off. Deal!

[Kmart]

Yes, love mine as well, it works better than I expected. I have another umbrella to use when the ground is too hard to drive the stake into the ground. I even bought a replacement umbrella for it that fits into the pvc pipe "holder" for when the supplied umbrella bites the dust.

Also, watch Jerrys. They have a 25% off sale running right now, and not sure what deal you are getting from Judsons, but you might want to compare.

[tuzigoot]

My buddy arrived yesterday - I immediately took it outside and set it up in a very windy yard in hard, thin ground. Worked like a charm and I love that it's big enough to shade me and my easel. It is a bit big to haul around but I will be happy to do it to save my hide from the sun. No more compromising my view to paint in the shade. Now I guess I'll compromise it to find a place to stake my umbrella instead....

[manfrommerriam]

I have one and think it is well made. I don't use it a lot because it is windy in rural Kansas and also the ground in the roadside swales can be very hard... like a rock. That said I often have used it with bungee cords securing it to my easel, to my car or to a fence post.

[Dancing Rabbit]

I am so glad to read all the reports on the Shade Buddy, I bought one last year but have not had a chance to use it yet. I think it is going to be much better to use than my other umbrella that clamps to the tripod (not very well), and definitely cannot be clamped to my pochade!