Social distancing inside was all fine and great when it was early spring and temperatures didn't yet climb out of the 40-degree range. Fast forward three months later, and our living-room-turned-gym-turned-office couldn't feel any smaller. Luckily for our sanity and vitamin D levels, summer decided to show up, and it brought with it a whole new area to claim: the backyard. The only problem? Our dim flood lights don't reach our seating area and our cute string lights aren't as powerful as we hoped they'd be. Then we found the solution that enables us to stay outside in our little oasis well past sundown. Meet the OYOCO Patio Umbrella Light, which thanks to Amazon, can be at your door within the next week.
Sounds dramatic, we know, but this $13 lighting situation is just what we needed to turn our summer around. It's compatible with nearly any umbrella via the adjustable interior clamp that can be expanded or retracted to fit the width of the pole. (If we're going to get technical, Amazon notes that it fits poles between 0.86 and 1.81 inches.) It even has three energy-saving brightness modes to toggle between (dim, bright and super bright), and runs on four AA batteries, meaning it's not only environmentally friendly, but it also won't rack up your electric bill.
Oh, and it doesn't even need to fasten around an umbrella pole, because it comes with two clips that allow it to be hung up wherever you need a little extra light—like inside the tent that the kids have been backyard "camping" in every weekend.
One reviewer mentioned that they used theirs on and off from July through September without having to change the batteries, while another offered this pro tip: Bring it inside when you're not using it, because it's not entirely waterproof. For $13, we'll be buying a few lights to have on hand for those late-night alfresco card games with the family.
