Buc-ee's Umbrella

Texas weather has two settings: no rain for six weeks, then all of it at once. Either way, a big umbrella earns its spot by the door, and this one doubles as portable shade at a ballgame or a parade.

It's searched as the Buc-ee's umbrella, the Buc-ee's rain umbrella and the tie-dye Buc-ee's umbrella. Pick your mood. Solid red is the classic Buc-ee's look, and the tie-dye is for anyone who thinks rainy days need more color.

The honest trade-off is the stick style. A straight-handle umbrella doesn't collapse into a purse or glove box the way a compact one does, so this one lives in the umbrella stand, the trunk or the corner of the office. In return you get a full canopy that covers more than just your head. It also makes you easy to spot in a crowded parking lot, which matters more than you'd think when the whole family is hunting for the car in a downpour.