Many people complain about the pole size and not fitting through table and stand. This was an issue for me as well. I was wondering if this umbrella was for literally "Market Vendors"? It's very sturdy, and something I would see in those kind of places. I ended up returning this umbrella not because of it not fitting into my base, but when I extended the umbrella, too much light still filtered through. My wife was squinting a bit even as we were under it. I want to be totally shaded, and even though it has UV protection, I was more interested in being shaded and cooler.