I am not a welder. I shoot competitively at sporting clays. With a summer like we’’ve had in Texas this year we need sun protection more tha. Water protection and this umbrella does it well!!! Guns get hot and need to cook off too. The clouds diameter, and ability to stay deployed as we drive a course provides great continuous coverage for my gear. I made small modifications to the umbrella’s height to ensure it was not too tall over the cab of my Can Am. Modified the trailer hitch also to not extend beyond my tailgate. Included a before and after height pic