Blissun Beach Umbrellas

What Blissun makes for the beach

On this site, Blissun covers one product type: beach umbrellas. The grid above shows two Blissun shapes:

• A 7.2-foot portable beach umbrella: tilting pole, screw-in auger anchor, per the listing
• A chair umbrella with a clamp: tilt, clamps onto a chair frame, per the listing

That's a short lineup, so the grid also shows beach umbrellas from other makers in a separate alternatives block, picked by matching type and specs. This site only tracks Blissun's beach umbrellas. If the brand sells other things, they aren't listed here.

All the Blissun values in the grid come from the Amazon listings, and the grid marks them that way. I don't have a maker's spec page for either one, so I'm not going to tell you a pole material, a rib count, a weight or a UPF number that isn't in the data. Where nothing is stated, the grid shows a dash. I'd rather show you a dash than make up a number you'd plan a beach day around.

The grid changes as listings come and go, so I'll write about the two shapes and what separates them, not this week's count.

Lineup notes: the Blissun 7.2 ft beach umbrella

What the listing says

The 7.2-foot Blissun is a single-pole umbrella. Its listing marks three things: a 7.2-foot canopy, a tilt, and a screw-in auger anchor. That's the classic shore umbrella shape: one pole, one canopy, and something to hold the pole in the sand.

What 7.2 feet of canopy means

Canopy sizes are listed in feet, and makers don't always say whether that's measured along the curved fabric or straight across. So treat 7.2 feet as the number to compare with other listings, not a promise of shade.

Napkin math anyway: if 7.2 feet were the straight-across width, the shade circle would be about 40 square feet at noon. That's two adult chairs and a cooler, roughly. Later in the day the sun drops, the shadow stretches out to one side, and you'll be moving chairs. Or tilting.

That number matters for one more reason. The ASTM F3681 safety standard for beach umbrellas sorts them by canopy area. Per Bureau Veritas's summary, umbrellas up to 45 square feet can be tested with a pull test or in a wind tunnel, and bigger ones have to go through the wind tunnel.

The tilt

A tilting pole lets you angle the canopy without moving the anchor. In the afternoon that's how you keep the shade on the blanket. It also matters for wind. A WMBF News safety story from Myrtle Beach advises opening the umbrella once it's buried and tilting it into the wind, so gusts press the canopy down instead of getting under it. If the sun and the breeze disagree, set it for the breeze and move your chair for the sun.

The screw-in auger anchor

The listing marks a screw-in auger, which is a spiral that twists into the sand like a corkscrew. That beats a bare pole stuck in by hand. It doesn't replace following the setup instructions. The CPSC's current advice is to look for an anchor labeled "MEETS ASTM F3681 FOR WIND SPEEDS UP TO 30 MPH", which also states the largest canopy that anchor is meant to hold. Under the standard, a compliant system has to resist at least 75 pounds of pull, or stay put in winds up to 30 mph, with the anchor installed in the sand.

The listing data I have doesn't say whether this auger carries that label. Check the box and the listing before you count on it. The beach umbrella with anchor page covers anchored umbrellas across brands.

Lineup notes: the Blissun chair umbrella with clamp

What the listing says

The second Blissun shape is a small umbrella that clamps onto a chair. Its listing marks a tilt and a clamp anchor. It doesn't list a canopy size in the data I have, so the grid shows a dash there.

Who a clamp-on shade is for

A chair umbrella shades one person, mostly from the shoulders up. It's for the person who wants their own shade without planting a big pole, or for a spot where the big umbrella won't reach: the end of a row of chairs, a fishing spot on a pier rail, the edge of a soccer field in August. Renee calls it "the personal umbrella." She says it like that's a bad thing.

A clamp holds onto the chair frame, so the chair becomes the anchor. Check that the clamp fits your chair's tube before you order, because the listing data doesn't give a clamp range. And remember that the chair is now carrying a small sail. A light chair with an umbrella on top can tip in a gust that wouldn't bother the chair alone.

Shade for your head, not the rest of you

The Skin Cancer Foundation says shade isn't enough protection on its own. Sand and water reflect UV, so you can still get burned under an umbrella, and an umbrella has to be moved as the sun moves. That goes double for a small chair shade. Its advice is to pair shade with broad-spectrum sunscreen, a hat and UV-blocking sunglasses. More options are on the beach chair with canopy page.

How to choose within the Blissun lineup

One head or the whole blanket

That's the whole first decision. The 7.2-foot umbrella shades a group. The clamp-on shades one chair. If you're the only one who wants shade, the clamp-on saves you carrying a pole. If anybody else is coming, the big one earns its weight.

Then look at your beach

Every beach is different. A wide, soft-sand beach is where a screw-in auger does its best work, and a Myrtle Beach fire battalion chief told WMBF News that softer sand holds an umbrella better than hard-packed sand. A breezy point with packed sand is a harder place for any single pole. On that beach, a different kind of shade may suit you better. The beach shade page and the beach canopy page cover tent-style and canopy-style options.

Then think about the walk

A 7.2-foot umbrella is a pole and an anchor on top of the chairs and the cooler, and the parking lot is never as close as the sign made it sound. A chair umbrella rides on the chair. If your walk to the sand is long, the backpack beach chair page covers chairs with straps that free your hands for the rest.

Check UPF and wind claims in the listing

Some beach umbrella listings state a UPF rating or a wind claim. The Blissun data I have doesn't hold either value, so the grid shows a dash. If you see a UPF number on a listing, the Skin Cancer Foundation explains what it means: UPF 50 fabric lets through 1/50th of the sun's UV and blocks about 98%. It also says wet or stretched fabric loses some of its protection, and dense, dark or bright fabric blocks more than thin or light fabric.

Setting up a Blissun umbrella so it stays put

Plant the umbrella first

My one opinion on this page: plant the umbrella before you unfold a single chair. Pick the spot by the sand, not the view, then set everything else around the pole. The reason is checkable. The CPSC's advice starts with securing the umbrella and anchor by carefully following the maker's setup instructions, and the Myrtle Beach tip is that soft sand holds better. If you set the chairs first, you end up forcing the anchor into whatever sand happens to be next to them.

The setup, step by step

• Read the setup instructions that came with it, once, at home
• Choose soft sand, away from the hardest-packed strip
• Set the anchor first, as the instructions say
• Bury the pole at least 16 inches, rocking it back and forth, per the WMBF News advice
• Open the canopy only once the pole is solid
• Tilt it into the wind
• Check the anchor for damage before every trip, as the CPSC says

Watch the wind, and close it early

This is the serious part. The CPSC says airborne beach umbrellas have killed people and caused serious injuries, including cuts and impalements. Its advice is to watch for sudden gusts and close the canopy immediately if the umbrella becomes unstable. Never leave an open umbrella standing on an empty spot while everyone is in the water.

The National Weather Service's Beaufort scale gives a useful picture. At 25 to 31 mph, a strong breeze, large branches move and umbrellas are "used with difficulty." If the flags are snapping and the dune grass is lying down, take it down.

Lightning means pack up

When thunder rolls in, an umbrella is not shelter. The National Weather Service says the only safe place is inside a building or a car, that beach picnic shelters aren't safe, and to wait 30 minutes after the last thunder before going back out.

Care and storage for a beach umbrella

Sand and salt are hard on any umbrella. One umbrella maker's care advice is simple: after every use, wipe the sand off the frame and canopy with a cloth or towel, including between the poles, and make sure every part is completely dry before it goes back in the carry bag.

I'd add one thing from years of Jersey Shore Julys. Open the umbrella in the backyard when you get home and let it dry in the sun for an hour. Then knock the sand out of the auger before it goes in the garage. Otherwise the beach comes home with you, a cup at a time, and it ends up in the truck.

The beach umbrella page covers sizes, anchors and wind across brands, if you want to compare the Blissun umbrellas with the rest.

Blissun brand facts

I don't have a verified founding year, owner or factory location for Blissun, so there's no brand facts list on this page. Everything above about the umbrellas themselves comes from the listing data in the grid, and everything about setup and safety comes from the agencies and sources at the bottom of the page.

Plant it first, tilt it into the wind, close it early. The ocean will still be there when the gust passes.