Parasol Bases & Weights

A gentle breeze on a summer day is generally a nice welcome reprieve from the sun, but when that wind picks up it can really spoil the fun! If you’re picturing your parasol being picked up and carried off by the wind, don’t worry, you can stop a parasol blowing away or from shaking too much with a weighted base. You can do this by purchasing a parasol and base together or by using weights separate from the base to make sure you’re anchoring your garden umbrella properly.

A garden parasol base is what you fix the pole of the parasol into to give it a solid foundation. It often has part of a stand coming out of it like a hollow tube, which is where the pole will sit, and you can either screw in or tighten this stand around it. The actual parasol base, the part that anchors it to the ground, is either weighted or hollow. In this latter case, you’d fill the base with water or sand to weight it down properly.

If you need your parasol base needs extra support, you can also find parasol base weights to slot over the stand before putting the pole into it. This will help stop your parasol from blowing away!

First off, you’ll need some sand, and then you’ll need a funnel. Don’t worry, making a funnel is easy if you don’t already have one. When you’re done with a big plastic bottle or juice carton, wash, dry, and cut it in half and keep the top half (however you can recycle the lid, you don’t need this). Place the mouth of the bottle in the circular opening of your hollow parasol base and there you have it, a handy recycled funnel. Pour the sand carefully into the funnel – if your opening is on the side or slightly off-centre, you may need an extra pair of hands to steady it whilst your pour.

A cantilever parasol needs a different sized base to its central-poled counterparts because it needs to counterbalance the canopy when it’s opened. The weight distribution shifts from the centre to its side, so the base needs to be stable and heavy enough to keep it in place and balanced.

We’d recommend that smaller cantilever parasols around 2-3m in size need a parasol base that is around 50kg. Larger cantilever parasols (anywhere from 3-4m and over) require a base of between 50-70kg at a minimum to make sure it doesn’t tip or is adversely affected by the wind.

To ensure you buy a suitable product, you need to consider the size and heaviness of your umbrella, along with the style of your garden table. It is worth noting that a base is lighter and easier to move around, while a parasol weight tends to be heavier. Remember to pick one that is strong enough to keep your garden umbrella stable and is also the right size to fit through your table.