The small balcony umbrella that’s perfect for apartments and condos

If you’ve got a downtown kid, you likely live in a condo or apartment building. Hopefully your unit includes a balcony so you can have a bit of outdoor space to yourself.

Of course, summers can get pretty hot and you need a bit of shade from the sun. Likewise, getting outside and being able to do a bit of work on your laptop or phone (and actually being able to see your screen) is also nice.

Buying one of those huge and heavy patio umbrellas is overkill – and impractical for your, likely not huge, balcony. What options do you have? When I searched online for balcony umbrellas, there weren’t a lot of practical results. Most were, as mentioned, massive patio umbrellas that aren’t really great for balconies.

I did, however, find one umbrella that isn’t specifically for a balcony – but definitely works for one. It’s a bit more universal, and is marketed as attaching to your camping chair, to your canoe, or even your golf cart. And, yes, it works for all of those things, but – for me – it also meant it would likely work for a balcony.

Sure, enough, yes. If your goal is to get shade for one (maybe two) people, the umbrella I discovered (the Versa-Brella) is a great choice for your balcony. I was looking for a solution for two specific scenarios:

• to keep me relatively cool when reading on my balcony on a hot day
• to provide enough shade so that I could work on my laptop while on my balcony

The Versa-Brella attaches to basically anything it’s able to grip (up to 1.5 inches thick), and once it’s gripped there are multiple points in the umbrella allowing you to tweak the direction to suit your needs. And, I can say, the grip is quite good. Never have I felt the grip was going to let go. As well, the multiple (three!) points on the umbrella ensures you can combat the sun at any time of day.

When on the balcony, I typically have the Versa-Brella grip one of the posts of the balcony railing but it can also grip to a table or chair or something else as well. Even a window sill may work. It does for my condo.

The balcony umbrella in action

Below are pictures of my balcony with the Versa-Brella set up on various days over the past couple of summers.

As you can see, the umbrella does a good job of providing shade for an entire 2-person table, or most of the table and a chair.

During early mornings, the versatility of the Versa-Brella allows for full blocking of the sun.

Below, a closer look at the clamping mechanism (can clamp to anything 1.5 inches or less) and the multiple joints that allow the umbrella to be move into almost any position.

Moving away from the table setting, if just keeping upper bodies (or faces, specifically) in the shade, the umbrella can likely provide shade for two people. When the sun is coming more directly from the east or west, the umbrella likely fares even better.

For a more full feature low-down on the Versa-Brella, below are the details as shown on the storage/carrying case.

Storage

I typically don’t leave the Versa-Brella permanently set up, in case of any major wind storms. That means storing it somewhere when it’s not in use. On that note, it collapses into a fairly compact rod of sorts – and into a carrying bag (somewhat similar to those chairs-in-a-bag). This can be easily stored in any condo or apartment closet. Getting the umbrella from full setup into the bag is no more than a 30 second job.

Questions and answers

I tried to answer some common questions below. Feel free to ask questions in the comments below as well.

Does the umbrella cover me (and my laptop) when it rains?

Yes, unless the rain is coming at some odd angle, it will cover one person and a laptop. I have successfully continued to work outside in the rain under the Versa-Brella.

Will the wind blow the umbrella away?

From my experience, it would have to be a crazy wind storm. Never have I felt that the umbrella grip would not hold. That said, I typically grip mine to the balcony railing posts (instead of to a chair or table or something that could potentially fly away).

Will I be able to see my laptop screen perfectly?

I wouldn’t go that far. The shade of the umbrella definitely helps to see your laptop screen better. I don’t have an issue getting work done. In fact, this blog post was written on a sunny balcony, under the Versa-Brella.

Can the umbrella provide shade for more than one person?

I wouldn’t count on it. It does really well for one person (plus laptop, reading material, drink, etc.). You can likely get shade for the upper bodies of two people – but likely not full body. I see it as a solution for one person. Depending on your setup, you could always purchase more than one for more coverage. It would really depend on whether you have something to grip both of them to. In addition, the company has since added an “XL” version of the umbrella that’s worth looking into. I haven’t personally tried the “XL” on my balcony, but I’m guessing it works similarly, while providing more shade.

How long does it take to fully set up the umbrella on a balcony?

You can take the umbrella out of the storage/carrying bag and have it clamped and in the position you want in under half a minute. If the sun situation is a bit unique, possibly a bit more. Long story short, it’s very easy to clamp and adjust. Taking it down and putting it back into the storage/carrying case is just as easy.

How durable is the umbrella?

I’ve had my Versa-Brella for two years now, using it likely every weekend during the summer months. I see no change from the first day I used it. The grip remains tight and the adjustment joints are still solid.

How much does the Versa-Brella cost and where can it be purchased?

I’ve see this balcony-friendly umbrella typically selling for between $20 and $25 USD and between $30 and $35 CAD, but sometimes you’ll find it on sale. To search for multiple vendors at once, Amazon.com or Amazon.ca is a decent starting point.