Cantilever Parasols are inherently more sensitive to wind than a centre pole parasol. This is obvious really, from the design, as the balancing of the weight of parasol canopy itself, and the base weight is much more difficult.

I always tell my customers that buying a cheap cantilever parasol is really not a good idea, particularly in a windier location. Some badly designed and engineered cantilevers will simply fall over far too frequently for them to be a real shade solution.

The cantilever parasols that we have chosen - the Serengeti Eclipse and Serengeti Equinox - are well based and well engineered. They are not the cheapest but for the quality I think they are a very good price.

It remains the case, even with a good quality cantilever parasol that you need to "manage" it for wind. The cantilevers we sell should not have their canopies open in more than a medium wind. The last thing you want is for one to topple over and either to cause damage or to damage itself. So, remember to close the canopy before you go out, and at night.

The best way to increase wind resistance and reduce the risk of the parasol falling over, is to use an inground base. This is a tube set in concrete in the ground. The parasol pole can then be slid into the tube. This has the advantage of giving greater wind resistance, but of course, does reduce the mobility of the base. In Winter, just remove the parasol and there should be a flap to cover the hole in the ground

For creating a fixed base on decking, a "deckmount" plate is also available.

Hope all this helps. Cantilever parasols have many advantages - the lack of centre pole makes the shade they offer very more versatile - but they do need to be sited correctly. Some customers I have simply advised that they do not use one at all - 7 floors up on a sea facing Majorca appartment balcony, with no ability to fix the base to a permenant structure, was one such example!!

Claire