Parasol FAQs

Which colour sun parasol provides the best sun protection?

The colour of different fabrics can enhance or detract from the UV blocking effectiveness of some fabrics. However, all of our fabrics are so tightly woven that the colour does not affect the UPF rating of our parasols. They all have the highest possible UPF rating.

Will these parasol protect me from the rain?

Our parasols are rain resistant. The sun blocker treatment, applied to the fabric, causes water to bead off the canopy. However, they have a slightly smaller canopy than a rain umbrella as they are designed primarily as a sun umbrella - they can be angled to maximise your shade to protect your upper body, whilst being unobtrusive in a crowd.

Will I feel cooler under a Sun Bella parasol?

Yes! The fabric on all of our parasols has been rated UPF50+ by the Australian Radiation and Nuclear Protection Authority.

The unique, tightly woven fabric is enhanced with a sun blocker to provide UPF50+ protection, helping you stay cooler and protect your skin at the same time.

How is this sun parasol better than a hat?

Parasols provide the perfect solution for short term sun protection that doesn't leave you with a longer term inconvenience of hat-hair. Hats can act as an insulator, keeping more of your body heat trapped. Parasols provide comfortably cool shade for your face and your shoulders.

What about the wind?

A high quality mechanism and fibreglass ribs, for a durable and long lasting sun umbrella ensures that our parasols cope with windy weather better than the average umbrella.

Wind vent built into the canopy, to allow any breeze to dissipate ensuring that your sun umbrella will not invert.

Are the sun parasols comfortable to hold?

Yes! The teardrop shaped wooden handle allows for a comfortable grip. They are lightweight too, weighing just 250-290 grams (depending on the style) making them comfortable to hold for any length of time.
Plus your parasol comes with a matching carry bag, to protect the sun umbrella and make it easy to carry when not in use.

Just how big are they?

The parasols are perfectly sized - slightly smaller than a rain umbrella, it's smaller size makes it sleek and unobtrusive in a crowd. The smaller diameter works well in more crowded situations, so that you're not bonking people in the head or jabbing eyes. The canopy diameter of the Stick-style Cosmopolitan is 80cm, which is large enough to be effective as you can angle a sun parasol to the suns rays. The canopy diameter of the Compact Cosmopolitan is larger, closer to the size of a traditional umbrella but still small enough to be more convenient

Why should I use a UV umbrella / UV parasol? I already have a rain umbrella, can’t I just use that?

A standard rain umbrella, made from regular black pongee fabric has a UPF rating of just UPF15. Your uv umbrella / uv parasol should specify on the tag that it has a UPF50+ rating to ensure that the maximum % of UV rays are blocked.

Fabric: Cotton blend
Mechanism: Manual
Designed in Australia, made in China.