Guerrilla PainterGuerrilla Painter 309SB60B Shadebuddy Umbrella Stand with Umbrella and Bag Silver

Guerilla Panter is a wonderful brand to buy. We’ll made, and I bought this one that attaches into the ground. If a strong wind comes up, the umbrella might fly off but it will NOT pull my pachyderm box and paints up into the air with it (which I’ve seen happen when painters attach the umbrella to the standing painter’s box or easel).

I wasn't sure what to expect from this umbrella. The reviews were pretty mixed. I was given an Amazon gift card and I had been looking at this umbrella for my plein air painting excursions, so I decided to use my gift card on this umbrella. Before taking it on trips, I've been trying it out in my backyard on what I call my "Backyard Paintings". I am really happy with the way it works and the stability. Usually the first thing I do in looking for a plein air painting spot, is look for shade. With the umbrella, I have many more choices of where to paint. The days I have used it have been calm. It doesn't make much since to put up an umbrella in the wind but I know that wind bursts can come up unexpectedly. I purchased two metal tent stakes and a bungee cord to reinforce the pole in case of unexpected wind. I also got empty cardboard toilet paper tubes, cut them in half, and inserted in several of the vents in the umbrella so that if the wind picked up, it would hopefully go through the vents easier.So far, no complaints.Over a year since the above review: I've been using the Shadebuddy for over a year now and I'm still happy with it. If you're going to step away from your easel for even just a minute, be sure and take it down. The wind is just waiting for you to step away and this is true with any andevery umbrella.

I wish it was easier to get it in he ground.A lot of clay where I live and I used my whole body weight but still didn’t get it in completely. I also shush it was da bit wider as I kept hitting my head on it while working at my easel. The vent helps with the wind it withstood a lot.

As any plein air painter can tell you, there's no such thing as the perfect umbrella. I've tried the umbrellas that attach to my French easel, but the slightest gust of wind sends the whole thing sailing. Plus, they're hard to attach to the easel and hard to adjust as the sun moves. The Shadebuddy sticks into the ground, so there's no danger of my easel blowing away. It's easy to set up and and easy to adjust or move as the sun moves. The downside is that I can't use it everywhere. If the ground is rock solid, as it sometimes is my part of the country, I can't use it. Nor can I use it on a paved area. It comes with a sturdy canvas carrying case, but it only folds in half so it can be somewhat awkward to carry. If you're hiking a great distance, that might be a problem. But those limitations aside, this is the best umbrella I've found for plein air painting.

I researched umbrellas for plein air painting on several websites and in a couple of magazines and this one came out in the top few. Am rating it 5 stars for quality, ease of use, stability. I like having an umbrella separate from the rest of the plein air painting setup. Since it doesn't attach to the tripod or easel, a sudden gust of wind wouldn't cause everything else to fall over. A piece of cake to adjust. The only downside would be that you can't use it on a solid surface (concrete, etc.) So far, that hasn't come up. I really like it.

The umbrella is made well and strong. But folded for traveling it is quite tall and heavy. But when you're trying to travel light so you can go off into the wilderness to paint this one is not recommended. I drag it on a wagon when I'm painting in town someplace accessible. I also do have the problem of having to constantly reposition it to keep the sun off of myself. It is easy to set up and take down and with the right type of dirt it easy to install. However you can only use it if you have soft ground under you. Not too soft not too hard just right like the three little pigs. No wooden bridges no cement.

I love my new shade buddy! It came super fast with prime shipping. I can now safely paint without worrying about my easel blowing over since the umbrella isn't attached to my easel. You do need to follow the directions about inserting cardboard in the vents to keep it from blowing inside out and not using in high winds. Guerrilla painter who makes shade buddy has great customer service too.

It’s too long to be portable. I bought this to go plein air painting. It’s too big to fit in my backpack and bulky to carry. I returned it and bought a more compact umbrella.