I had a Harrisburg Senators giveaway golf-sized umbrella that I got at a game in 2012. It sat in my closet unused until I had a Brainiac moment on the day that Sandy arrived - I assessed the rains that morning and thought it might be a good idea to take my Sens umbrella to the office that morning.
Being an umbrella novice, I miscalculated what Tropical Storm force winds would do to my giveaway treasure. It had about 3 seconds of service before the winds made it pieces of lawn decoration down the street from me.
That was my experience with umbrella usage.