A New Umbrella Keeps You Dry on a Rainy Day

Umbrellas have existed for more than 3000 years, but aside from slight updates and innovations along the way, these rainy day staples haven’t changed all that much. Sure, they’re lighter than they used to be, can now be opened with the press of a button, and are available in a wide variety of colors and patterns, but they're still a pain to open and close from inside a car, and they still drip water all over the floor.

KAZbrella, a new umbrella designed by aeronautical engineer Jenan Kazim, is changing all that: It combats all of your typical umbrella woes while maintaining the umbrella’s classic shape. The KAZbrella opens inside out—think of a flower’s petals blossoming—and closes in on itself, keeping the wet surface on the inside and preventing water from pooling up around it. This also makes it easier to open and close within confined spaces, letting you stay dry until the last second (or avoid poking out someone's eye on the street). Perhaps its greatest feature is a button that restores the umbrella’s shape if the wind blows it inside out. No more throwing out umbrellas mid storm!

Kazim spent 10 years developing the KAZbrella, which has been more than fully funded on Kickstarter. There’s still time to back the campaign; pledges of at least $53 get you your very own KAZbrella.