Those Clear Umbrellas

[Pvc Vinyl Enthusiast]

I know exactly what you're talking about, but the Vista big bubble umbrella is made of the thicker, softer plastic and not the thin "paper"-like material you describe. I also have a golf-sized bubble umbrella from Elite Rain, which is even larger in diameter but it's made of the thinner material (though not as thin as EVA - ooh, I hate that stuff! Who the hell thought it would be ok to make rainwear & umbrellas out of plastic that's as thin as grocery bags?) and doesn't feel as durable, so it doesn't get much use.

I hate the fact that PVC has gotten a bad rap as a potential carcinogen, so now manufacturers of rainwear & umbrellas (other than PVC-U-LIKE) can't run away fast enough from it. Hope they don't go after polyurethane any time soon.

PVC is perfectly safe, and so are the 'traditional' (and very effective) phthalate-based softening agents (plasticisers). Life is too short to worry about what could potentially cause health issues. Many items we come into contact with or consume on a regular basis contain chemical compounds that are SUSPECTED carcinogens. Even natural or plant-derived foodstuffs. For example, peanut butter contains trace amounts of aflatoxin- a naturally occurring chemical compound and a suspected carcinogen. This won't stop me from enjoying my peanut butter sandwiches, though! Will I develop cancer years down the line from any miniscule amounts of aflatoxin I might ingest in my peanut butter sandwiches? I very much doubt it! Are we to enclose ourselves in hermetically sealed bubbles (hopefully made from PVC, lol!) to protect ourselves from the dangers and hazards associated with everyday life?

Conceivably, exposure to SUSPECTED carcinogens from PVC or phthalate plasticisers would be increased if the substance was being ingested (e.g. by sucking or licking) on a regular basis, so I think it was a wise move to ban phthalates from child's toys, but the health and safety killjoys should leave us adults alone to expose ourselves to as much plasticised PVC as we so desire. It hasn't done me any harm, and I have been in bodily contact with plasticised PVC for as long as I can remember.

[blackmacjay]

Yep Bill_P.

Just ordered one!

[AimsirBháisteach]

Yes indeed, the clear bubble umbrellas have a distinct charm to them. Their round shape means they appear very shiny no matter what angle you look at them!

I think it might have been seeing girls with clear bubble umbrellas that catalysed my interest in girls wearing plastic raincoats. When I was fourteen, I used to feel a distinct arousal whenever I saw a woman carrying a bubble umbrella, especially if she had it pulled down over her head. A year later I used to do a student radio show on the north side of the city and I would walk to city centre to get the bus out from the quays. I had a guitar lesson immediately beforehand, so I used to hope that it would be raining by the time it was over! Whenever it was, it certainly made the walk into town more exciting.

In my spare time when no one was in the house, and being a teenager with access to the internet, it used to be clear umbrella pictures I scoured the web for (before manually deleting my browsing history - I didn't know there were easier ways of doing it). I didn't discover an interest in pictures of girls in plastic raincoats until a few years later, but once I did, I never looked back!

[PVCFoliant]

I dont own one for myself but i like seeing them.
They might be fashionable since this autumn i feel like they get more and more...

As Im into all things made from PVC i enjoy all sightings

[Pvc Vinyl Enthusiast]

An interesting point was just made about those clear umbrellas.

I love them especially if they have a black circle around the edge.

Even my wife thinks they are somewhat erotic and uses hers when she wears her black satin rubber-lined mackintosh.

I know I'm weird but I did wonder who else is as weird as me?

No you are not the only one who's weird (only joking!).

I, too, see the appeal of these clear bubble umbrellas- I like the way in which the shiny glass clear PVC material reflects light. Considering that they are made from PVC, they definitely complement PVC rainwear more than the 'conventional' (i.e. nylon) umbrellas do. As can be seen in the photo below, myself and my 'Missus' are acquiring a growing collection of these bubble umbrellas (and indeed PVC rainwear). It has come to the stage where we actually look forward to rainy weather- any excuse to don PVC raincoats and the complementary clear bubble umbrellas.

Even though these are marketed as women's umbrellas, I'll admit to using them in public with a glass clear PVC raincoat (including the coloured glass clear variants) during very wet weather, and nobody batted an eyelid. I think that, as long as the umbrella or raincoat is not overtly feminine (for example, has no shade of pink), a man will not attract negative attention (people thinking he is gay, cross dresser or a tranny). Myself and my 'better half' both enjoy the total protection afforded by a combination of PVC rainwear and a clear PVC umbrella.

The Fulton brand of bubble umbrellas are made from a quality thick, soft clear PVC, unlike the cheaper brands, which tend to nowadays be made from inferior materials like EVA or polythene.

[blackmacjay]

Yes Bill_P our umbrella arrived today and we love it!

[Bill_P]

Yes Bill_P our umbrella arrived today and we love it!

I thought you would enjoy it. Hope you get a chance to use it soon!

[bjhaus]

A lady I read occasionally on other sites says the clear 'dome' umbrellas were all the rage when she was at high school in the 70s, which is also how I remember it. But she said herself she never really liked them then - they looked a lot bigger than they actually were, she won a bet when they measured the diameter across a 'dome' and her own fold-up nylon brolly and hers was quite a few inches wider. She also said she never liked the shape, or how ugly they looked when the plastic got dirty. Also, it always seemed that when TV script-writers had a character carry a clear brolly it was a bit of a signal that she wasn't very smart - something which I never saw until she mentioned it, but she's right. Example: the dizzy blonde in Man About the House, who carried one through the opening credits.

But she started using one when they made a comeback over the last few years. One massive improvement she found was that they now had the traditional 'crook' handle, and it was thick enough to grip properly. By my observations, they do look more durable and 'heavy duty' now than as I remember, and a lady approaching you carrying one always was quite an arresting sight but even more so now with the thicker and more shiny plastic.

[bossali]

i agree there is something erotic about the glass clear brollies, Ihave used a dome one with black /white edging on a few photoshoots

[Pvc Vinyl Enthusiast]

i agree there is something erotic about the glass clear brollies, Ihave used a dome one with black /white edging on a few photoshoots

I agree- they do have an erotic appeal. I personally think is has something to do with how light reflects off the glossy clear vinyl surface. Also, the fact that they are often made from PVC, and therefore complements PVC raincoats or macs. Is the umbrella you used one of these Fultons by any chance? They are made from thick, soft and durable PVC- unlike cheaper and disposable clear brollies, which are made from rubbish plastic material like EVA, polythene or PVC without the effective softening agents (phthalate plasticisers). The pleasing 'new vinyl' aroma given off by the umbrella is unmistakable. Myself and my 'better half' love to snuggle together under one of these clear dome umbrellas whenever it rains during our frequent leisurely strolls in our local countryside. Wearing our complementary PVC rainwear too, of course.