In timberland on a calm day. Timber and terrain can mitigate the wind anyway.
I have 6 foot long U-shaped aluminum posts that we use for signs (State Forest Boundary and Monument Nearby). They are very lightweight.
I carry one of those and a golf umbrella.
Bring two velcro straps.
Drive the post a couple of inches into the ground a foot and a half or so from the traverse point and strap the umbrella handle to it. The rubberized handle grip fits in the U perfectly.
This provides a nice shelter for the instrument and gives me a dry place to write my field notes. The instrument rides in the backpack between points but it stayed dry in there. The backpack got wet on the outside but not inside.
The post has upturned tabs that act like barbs; I try not to sink those so the post pulls right back out of the ground. But if I do sink them I just work it back out of the ground.
I have a bigger Sokkia sunshade but it isn't water proof (just cloth) and it's a little too big for areas where the little trees are closely spaced.
Only time I used an umbrella was for a sun shade, using a DKM2 with aluminum center leg tripods. Just moving around the instrument and changing the shadowed legs would throw the gun out of level. On overcast days they worked fine and were light to carry. Never had much use for aluminum legs after seeing them perform under a 1" gun on sunny days.
jud
I used to carry a 6' piece of schedule 40 PVC. I would pound a rebar in, fit it over the top, then had a clamp that help my golf umbrella to it. Worked great. Contractors used to tease me about it. Funny the were under it while giving me chit. lol
> I have 6 foot long U-shaped aluminum posts that we use for signs
I worked several USFS jobs that required the steel version. 10 was the most I would carry at a time, and I needed to pad my shoulder to do it.
I never saw an aluminum version, but it sounds appealing. How do they stand up to pounding in hard ground?
I haven't set very many of them but they are fairly thick gauge so they seem to be no trouble to drive into the ground.
They are easy to carry, that's for sure.
I have used duct tape to attach an umbrella to an old range pole and bipod.
I considered using the carbon fiber rover pole (not needed on this project) with the bipod but then had the inspiration of just using an aluminum signpost which is lighter and easier to carry. Also the ground on this project is not hard. I either borrow the hammer from the stake bag or I use the hammer side of the axe that I carry in the backpack.
The other advantage is I just left it at the last traverse point for the weekend. I don't think I will need the umbrella this coming week, though.
Pics or it never happened.