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Rainy Day Design Flaw: Why Aren't Umbrellas Better Integrated with Cars?

By Rain Noe - June 7, 2013

in Object Culture | Cars

I'm currently in rainy North Carolina, where Tropical Storm Andrea has me scurrying about my rental car with an umbrella—and getting soaked every time I get in or out of the car. It's not just the rain hitting me when I open/close the umbrella and get my body in/out of the car; it's that often-overlooked design problem of getting the umbrella in/out of the car. With a four-door, you can either open the rear passenger door, throw the umbrella in the back, then hustle into the front seat, exposing yourself to the elements. Or you can climb into the driver's seat, keeping the umbrella open until the very last minute, then collapse it and pull the sopping mess across your lap to throw it into the front passenger seat. We've had umbrellas for thousands of years, and cars for a hundred, and no one has resolved this problem?

Some have tried. Rolls-Royce's Phantom and Ghost models have a fancy, full-size pop-out umbrella that stores in a compartment in the door:

And it doesn't take a luxury automaker to incorporate such a feature. Volkswagen's lowly Vanagon had an umbrella slot in the door way back in 1981.

I briefly owned a 2001 Golf, which I don't remember having this feature, though Passats from the 2000s do:

So do the entry-level cars of the VW-owned Skoda. And yes, the compartments are designed with a drain hole.

The door-mounted umbrella compartment would not stop you from getting wet during the initial ingress and egress, but it would surely minimize the time you're exposed to the rain. And it can't be that only the Brits and the Germans have figure this little design trick out. For those of you that own American, Japanese or Korean cars, do your models have this feature? And those of you that live in rainy climes: Do you have any little wetness-minimizing tricks for getting in and out of cars with umbrellas?

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cr7 madrid

8 years ago

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نعم، حل جميل لتغطية <a href="http://shadess.ucoz.net/" =""> مظلات </A>

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supafluous

11 years ago

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apparently nobody here realizes that the Rolls umbrella is for the chauffeur - who would really stoop to open a door oneself?
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Bryan Johnson

11 years ago

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In the case of the Bently it is located at the rear door... your driver will be the one to suffer the rainy moment while he opens your umbrella for you.
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Guy

11 years ago

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I believe I have the answer to this design flaw and have been pondering on an idea for years without doing anything about it. It's simple but effective! Please point me in the right direction. I am no designer; merely someone with an idea that I KNOW will work for this dilemma! Love your site!
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licecomb

11 years ago

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yes, trivial, rudeboi - thanks for keeping us in line. your work here is important and appreciated. "rudeboi" hahaha
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Rudeboi

11 years ago

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Seriously... Seems very trivial to me. Surely one has bigger worries in ones life.
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Tim Rowledge

11 years ago

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Once a month? Hah! Try living in the Pacific North Wet!
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Ryan

11 years ago

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I wish I had a car that had a compartment for my umbrella. I live in Florida and keep an umbrella within arms reach in the car (ie: not the trunk / boot where it cant be gotten to) and another one in the office at work.

The only people that don't find umbrellas useful are the ones that never have it when they need it.

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dongzo

11 years ago

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if the Rolls has an airblade* built in to rapidly dry the umbrella, they've got something, otherwise it's just a great way to get your fancy umbrella moldy and rusty in a hurry. The loose-fitting strategy makes more sense. Access should be from the inside so that you can ready your umbrella before you open the car door, and stow it as you get inside, for those times when the rain isn't coming down precisely vertically.
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Derek

11 years ago

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The early 1990s Nissan Pulsar GTI-R had a built in umbrella, but it's in the door frame/B pillar, not the door, which makes it so you don't have to reach outside for your umbrella, but makes implementation impossible on a 4-door vehicle.
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Samuel

11 years ago

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Some people might get impressed by the novel idea but that won't last long because firstly it fails to keep the users dry as the location of the umbrella compels them to keep the door open and face the rain until they can fetch the umbrella from the far end of the open door while getting out or replacing it back there before getting back into the car and secondly its a feature which might be of limited use to people not exposed to frequent rains. If at all an umbrella feature is that critical for someone then the design needs to be changed such that a detachable umbrella is integrated into the roof that can be open and closed from within the car.
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reek

11 years ago

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while yes, it would be cool to have, closing an umbrella, attaching the small velcro strap so it closes down minimally, and then inserting it into the car door is in no way going to keep you more dry. throw it on the floor, it's more convenient and efficient than over designing the car door. and unless you live in a very rainy region, how often will it really get used? it's like getting a custom designed pocket in your wallet for a card you use maybe once a month.
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gus maia

11 years ago

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in fact, integrating umbrellas to car should mean a way to open, close, and store it near the roof so one'd get wet whilst closing or open the umbrella - remember, not all of us look graceful under rain as Rihanna
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- cr7 madrid
  
  8 years ago
  
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  Yes, a beautiful solution to cover the umbrellas cars
  
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- Maurice Jones
  
  6 years ago
  
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  I have the solution;Here is a link to a video describing our concept of the automatic deployment and removable umbrella - https://youtu.be/1BIGZvYTpv4.
  
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