Tommy Bahama 7 Foot Beach Umbrella Review

Features In Brief

•   Tilt
•   Auto close and open
•   Wind vents
•   Sand anchor with marker to assist with depth
•   Aluminium undercoating and ribbing
•   6 color choices
•   From $25 +
•   Opened to 82″ tall x 84″ in diam.
•   Polyester
•   Easy installation/collapsible handles
•   Straight sides for putting two close together
•   Fits in the trunk
•   Matching chair option

For those who don’t know, Tommy Bahama, the company specializes in “coastal life” as they call it.  In other words, they design and develop products that can help you live a more carefree lifestyle.  Beach umbrellas are certainly one of those things that go with the territory, and this particular umbrella is perfectly sized for more than one person going to the beach – let the party begin!

Colors

Tommy Bahama has a good sense of beach-y style, and so when it comes to these umbrellas, we’d say the color selection is very good, with up to six color choices to choose from, including: red stripe, light blue, blue/palm tree, green/blue stripe, and red/blue/white stripe.  We would say these beach umbrellas are well done in terms of style, while not being overly flashy.

Not A Patio Umbrella

In terms of the umbrella itself, this is a legitimate beach umbrella, meaning it’s meant to be used as such.  In other words, the diameter of the pole is about an inch and a half, and it is not meant to be used with patio tables, or taken apart and used in other ways.  You can try to “mix and match” the top part of the umbrella in various ways, but it probably won’t fit with your patio table!

This large-and-in-charge umbrella extends to 84″ in height thanks to its telescopic pole, and most people can actually stand under it.  When it is secured properly in the sand, most customers on Amazon report that it stays put, and can take some pretty blustery conditions.  That said, you do need to be strategic when setting it up.

Anchoring Your Beach Umbrella

Some customers report that this beach umbrella wasn’t stable or sturdy enough on a windy day.  While we don’t want to discredit anyone’s opinion, we would like to point out, that this is a fairly large umbrella at 7 feet tall.  On a windy day at the beach, if you don’t have this umbrella set up properly, it could definitely take off flying like a kite.  Now, the thing is, this kind of situation can be prevented, if you know how to anchor it properly.  

Here is a video which shows how to anchor a beach umbrella in the sand properly:

As you can see, there is a bit of a process to anchoring this umbrella , but if it’s windy, you basically need to do this to prevent problems.  

Here are the tips for anchoring your umbrella properly:

• Choose an umbrella with a little weight to it.  Make sure it isn’t too heavy because you will probably have to carry it to the beach.  *The Tommy Bahama umbrella weighs in at 4 lbs.
• If the umbrella doesn’t come with an anchor (this one does) with a corkscrew end, buy one at your local hardware store.  They are cheap, and it will save you chasing your umbrella down the beach.
• Bury the pole as deep as possible into the sand, and make sure you fill the hole with wet sand. 
• Tilt toward the wind, if it can tilt.  Let the wind use its power to keep the umbrella in the ground.  Be aware that the wind direction could change, so keep tilting into the wind.
• Maybe keep your beach chair fastened to the umbrella for extra security.  A small bungee cord should suffice. 

Tilt Function

This Tommy Bahama beach umbrella has an integrated anchor as well, to assist you with the anchoring, so it’s not as though it isn’t designed to be anchored down.  On top of this, as the video points out, giving the umbrella a little tilt can also assist in keeping the umbrella stable under high winds.  In fact, the tilt function is one of the great things about this Tommy Behama beach umbrella.

There is, of course, another option, which is to not take it out when it’s windy.  Some people forget that an umbrella is mainly used to keep yourself under shade, and some folks will set up their giant beach umbrella, regardless of the weather.  Remember – there is no rule that says your umbrella is meant to stay locked in the sand during hurricane-type weather.  That said, for your average sunny day at the beach, we think this umbrella is perfect!

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