Sunglasses – what do you use for eye protection?

A Julbo Dirt 2.0 with polarised glasses. Works fine on my head.

Easily keep it on for a whole day and sits comfortably. After a while I forget I’m wearing it.

I need something when skiing. I go with contact lenses and cheap Cancer Council wrap-around glasses. They work just as well as the $400 ‘designer’ glasses.

Cheers

Personally, I like Ray Ban’s with G15 Glass (not polycarbonate). Poly scratches, glass can take much more abuse. There’s no real reason to spend more than $100 for a pair of sunglasses…

Brimmed hat is usually good enough, except on snow

I have some prescription sunglasses.  I’ve tried multiple clip ons, but I don’t like them – an extra surface to fog up or get dirty

I wear hard contact lens and any amount of dust in them is irritating.  I wear WileyX Jake sunglasses with protective dust shield around the perimeter.  Works great at keeping the dust out along with reducing internal glass reflections.

+1 w/Brad

Contractor safety glasses.

Inexpensive, durable, light, flexible (wraps around construction helmets after all), provides good physical protection and UV protection, too.   Comes in different tints depending on the situation (I wear dark for three-season; a light gray tint for winter).

I’ve had good luck with Nemesis brand. In bulk, with S&H, I ended up paying $5-6 a pair for 5.   Other brands would work just as well I suspect.

I suspect other countries have similar type glasses for construction crews. If not as inexpensive as North America, probably much less expensive than designer sunglasses in general regardless of the country.

Maui Jims! Got to look good on the trail too!

If someone finds a pair on second beach then they are mine. (Add one of those straps to hold them around your neck).

Smith Pivlock.

Very light, durable, good wraparound cover good enough for intense sunlight – and reasonably priced compared to many designer items.   If the lenses get scratched, they can be replaced for only $20.   I have had one pair survive two years, which is quite impressive given that I don’t keep them in a hard case, and I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve dropped them, sat on them, etc. – they have basically been everywhere with me.    One time, I even backtracked 2 miles on Muir Pass to look for them;  it turned out they were on my head, inside my hat.

My coworker was about to throw out some Ironman sunglasses after the earpiece snapped off. I promptly broke off the second earpiece and wound some shock cord through. They look funny but they were free, pack as small as possible, and I throw them anywhere without covering. Previously I used a ~$40 pair that I was always afraid to scratch.

I have these and love them!

http://www.amazon.com/Suncloud-S-TLPPBRBR-P-Tailgate-Polarized-Sunglasses/dp/B00BY3YAGW

Suncloud is Smith’s less expensive line – quality is great for the $. Polarized lenses and they are super light weight! And they offer lots of different styles for men and women for around $40.

Here’s my favorite:

http://sporteyz.com/features-uses.html

Suggestions:

*Replace the adjusting cord lock with a small nut or washer to save weight

*Use a black marker to cover the annoying advertising logo

*Don’t ever roll them back up for storage–keep them flat and clean with a alcohol pads (for eyeglasses).

I use these:

http://www.zennioptical.com/450421-stainless-steel-full-rim-frame-w-spring-hinges.html

With a dark tint, of course.  They have held up very well and aren’t any more expensive than cheap sunglasses.

I wear prescription polarized sunglasses ordered online from Warby Parker, $175. Some eyeglass shops in USA will put prescription lenses in high-quality sunglass frames like those suggested above, but you will pay $300 and up. Prescription glasses or sunglasses from most sources in USA are waaay overpriced. Don’t know what options you have in Japan.

Tried various contraptions over prescription clear glasses, didn’t like any of them.

Often I don’t wear sunglasses when hiking or backpacking away from civilization, as long as I have a hat with a brim. I need sunglasses only while driving, or in town with lots of intense reflections.

— Rex

I use folding sunglasses that come in a little clam shell case that has an elastic strap that fits nicely on the waste belt strap on my pack (shown attached to the waist belt of my MLD Burn).  It’s a fairly solid case, so it protects well and the glasses are always handy.

Thanks for the tons of feedback.

Some nice ideas about the safety glasses and those folding sporteyz glasses. Julbo and Rayban and the Sporteyz don’t work over my prescription glasses though.

As for expensive vs cheap, I’ve done both. I prefer cheaper because I don’t have to baby them. I had prescription sunglasses but I too find it way overpriced in Japan. Together with updating my regular and spare glasses (I need a spare for time sensitive work) the cost is too high to update when I need to.

My favourite was a $25 one that had great glasses in them. I had to replace those and the replace cheapies were not that great. I was standing right in front of a huge wild boar (common here) and thought it was a giant rock. It was an interesting encounter. I also found I trip more with the new cheapie glasses.

Now I found a pair with frame that I really like, but they’re expensive ones. I’ll see first if I like the options of local safety glasses. Otherwise I’ll bite the bullet and hope they survive the paws of my dear 2,5 year old little monster.

” I had prescription sunglasses but I too find it way overpriced in Japan”

I’ve heard zennioptical, which someone mentioned, is cheap and good quality.  I don’t know if there’d be a problem shipping to Japan.

I checked and Zenni Optical ships to Japan (and a long list of other countries).  I don’t know how much shipping is, but for $20 US for the glasses, including prescription, it would seem to be the best value even with shipping costs.  BTW, the glasses come in a plastic case that is good for protecting the glasses when backpacking.  :)

Very helpful. Very cheap and can’t believe they do the prescription like that as well.

Brimmed hat is usually good enough, except on snow

This is is what I do. Sometimes I bring a pair of Maui Jim bifocals, the reader part is just off the shelf magnification and the rest plain polarized plastic. I have tried clip-on for my regular glasses and don’t care for them.

I bought my everyday glasses from Zenni based on the positive feedback here on BPL. Paid around $100 for a titanium frame and progressive lenses. I may get a pair with transition lenses one of these days and would go the Zenni route again.

Whatever you do, just make sure that you can wear your sunglasses at night too–it’s very important as you will see….(i’m trying to respark the trend that never got off the ground)

For years I used Ztec safety glasses. They were cheap and I could buy them by the dozen. They get scratched I just threw them away. The kids want to wear them no problem. I have just ordered a pair of Peppers sunglasses. They have a great warranty so we will see how it goes.

+1, Paul and Jeffery, on the safety sunglasses.  Actually tested and certified for impact resistance.  And if they get scratched?  At < $2 each, toss ’em!

They’re all made from polycarbonate which inherently blocks UV without any coatings.

And they’re really light weight.

In thicker layers, polycarbonate is known as “bullet-proof glass”.

Search eBay for “12-pack safety sunglasses”.  12 for $20.

I have been very pleased with the Suncloud Excursion model for years now. Just the right amount of wrap coverage, low weight, airflow, neutral tint.

http://www.suncloudoptics.com/SUNGLASSES/Rimless/Excursion/p/S-EXPPGYBK?

I use a variety of construction glasses a lot and they never seem quite as good.