From Collin in Cedar City, UT

I purchased a deep blue LAPCO umbrella at a welding supply around Wheeling, West Virginia in January 2013 to protect us from the harsh winter conditions of the area such as: blowing snow, sleet, and hail.

 

Shop LAPCO 7' Heavy Duty Industrial Umbrellas  

 

I kept the black carrying case as long as I could, but it quickly had an incident with an oxygen bottle that the empty case did not win. Once the protective case was destroyed I used the tried and true method of cutting the top and bottom off of a bottle of windshield wiper fluid to hold the blue beauty at bay while being transported in open elements at freeway speeds.

 

"Over the course of several years, I used the umbrella for work and at home. I weld on pipelines all over the United States. Each state has its own weather challenges which have been no match for the strength of the LAPCO umbrella." - Collin Kaluzny, Pipeline Welder

Case busted? Order a replacement. 

 

Over the course of several years, I used the umbrella for work and at home. I weld on pipelines all over the United States, each state has its own weather challenges which have been no match for the strength of the LAPCO umbrella. Sometimes the big box stores will have a blowout sale on large outdoor umbrellas which have an average lifespan of 2 wind gusts (don't waste your time).

I have 2 typical ways of holding the umbrella number one is in the "Hoosier pole" on the back of my truck, number two is sliding the stem into a pipe fabrication jack.

 

Need a stand? Check these out.

 

Over the years my LAPCO umbrella has been watching the birds and taking flight lessons. I have had to chase it down several times if the wind gets gusty.

The accident that damaged the umbrella almost 99% was recently at a job in Wisconsin. I had a pipe jack set up with around 40 pounds of weight to hold the umbrella from flying away. All of a sudden, we got a tornado warning on the job site, the sky went dark and instantly the wind picked up to around 65mph. I sat in the truck and watched my umbrella take off the ground with all the weight of the jack still attached and land a few feet away. I bailed out of my seat only to find the weight I added to protect the umbrella ultimately destroyed it. The canopy was not torn, but had separated at the top and severely bent several ribs. I was devastated!

 

Thanks for sharing your story, Collin! Do you have a story about your LAPCO gear? Share it with us for a chance to have your story featured on the blog!