View Full Version : care for glasses
greensleep
08-16-2016, 14:57
I am planning a 2017 sobo thru-hike and am dependent on my glasses for vision; basically blind without them. I'd appreciate any advice about care and cleaning of glasses from hikers that also need them. When sweating, they become not just fogged over, but nearly opaque with smudges.
HooKooDooKu
08-16-2016, 15:32
#1: Get an eye-glass retainer so that the glasses don't slide down your face as you sweat.
#2: Wear a bandana or something else on your forehead to prevent sweat from getting on your glasses.
As for fog, I haven't hiked in enough varied conditions where fog has become a problem.
One obvious answer, if you can swing it, is to use contacts instead of glasses.
Otherwise, the only thing I can think of is to make sure you have a style of glasses that permits a maximum amount of air to get between your face and glasses to minimize the humidity buildup between your face and glasses.
daddytwosticks
08-16-2016, 15:51
If you are that blind w/o your glasses, make sure to bring one of those small repair kits in case your frame looses a screw, etc. In addition, maybe bring one of those armored eyeglass cases to keep your specs from getting crushed while sleeping. :)
kayak karl
08-16-2016, 16:19
Carry some Cat Crap (https://vimeo.com/88879295). You won't regret it
atraildreamer
08-16-2016, 16:41
Bring a spare pair of eyeglasses.
illabelle
08-16-2016, 16:43
If you are that blind w/o your glasses, make sure to bring one of those small repair kits in case your frame looses a screw, etc. In addition, maybe bring one of those armored eyeglass cases to keep your specs from getting crushed while sleeping. :)
And bring a spare pair of glasses in case something happens to them. My husband is like the OP, can't see anything without his glasses. He always carries a spare. We always hike together, so if he did lose his glasses, I could lead him down the trail. If you're hiking alone, you could be in serious trouble without a backup.
Maui Rhino
08-16-2016, 16:43
+1 for Cat Crap. I carry Rx sunglasses as well as regular Rx glasses. My lightweight crushproof case was recycled from the plastic case of a cooling bandana at Lowe's.
http://m.lowes.com/pd/Blue-Synthetic-Chamois-Cooling-Towel/4754512
I use a small piece of closed cell foam to stop my glasses from rattling, and have plenty room for a cleaning cloth and eyeglass repair kit as well. The cooling bandana works well too....
Greenlight
08-16-2016, 17:46
I'm not so blind that I can't hike without my glasses, but I can't read well without them. I'm thinking about getting a very small, low profile pair of reading glasses fold in half and store in a small container. They're expensive though. I don't hike with my glasses on, since I don't have much trouble seeing at distance (not enough to matter, anyhow). Just a suggestion, something you might think about.
I am planning a 2017 sobo thru-hike and am dependent on my glasses for vision; basically blind without them. I'd appreciate any advice about care and cleaning of glasses from hikers that also need them. When sweating, they become not just fogged over, but nearly opaque with smudges.
MuddyWaters
08-16-2016, 18:05
I wear my glasses, or prescription sunglasses, no problems.
1. Never ever ever touch the lenses
2. Use a drop of soap and little water and wash once per day. Drip dry wearing.
If you can see your feet, you don't need to worry about something happening to glasses. It would be an inconvenience, not a catastrophe.
Feral Bill
08-16-2016, 18:34
Get a cheap pair, so that you can clean frequently without fear of scratching them. I plan on bringing prescription sunglasses as my spares. as well.
I hike with a small microfiber towel (weighs between 1 and 2 ounces) and one of its many uses is to clean my glasses, along with water. Many tents have an interior pocket somewhere inside the tent and my glasses are all I ever put in there at night. I wear my glasses during all waking hours, like you probably do, so I never bother bringing a hard case for them. They're either on my face or in that pocket in my tent. If you stay in a lot of shelters perhaps a hard case is a good idea.
Slo-go'en
08-16-2016, 20:17
Get sturdy, bullet proof frames. I had a pair of wire rim frames and one day one of the lens fell out, bounced off a rock and disappeared. I then had to hike with the world seriously out of focus from the north end of the Smokies (I was almost to Davenport gap when this happened) to Erwin, TN before I could get them replaced. Hiking was okay, I could still tell a stick from a snake, but not being able to watch TV after paying for a motel room was a disappointment.
I only have trouble with fogging in the winter and have a face wrap on. A rimmed cap (baseball) is (usually) all that is needed when it's raining. If the rain is coming in sideways with gale force winds, your better off without glasses, not matter how bad your eyes are.
Slo-go'en
08-16-2016, 20:20
so I never bother bringing a hard case for them. They're either on my face or in that pocket in my tent. If you stay in a lot of shelters perhaps a hard case is a good idea.
I usually put my glasses inside one of my boots when staying at shelters. That way I won't roll over them and know where they are.
peakbagger
08-17-2016, 05:59
My friend had the same issue, he was planning a lot of solo hiking when retired so he had laser surgery and then didn't need glasses except for close up. After years of winter hiking we were up on summit after his surgery. He commented that it was nice to finally see a view off a winter summit as previously he never got a views as his glasses would be fogged. Cat Crap is better than nothing but not by much for winter fogging.
I live near the Canadian border and not sure if its till this way but previously folks could get laser eye surgery in Canada for half the cost as the US. Generally a local eye doctor can do the after check ups so its only one trip north.
Puddlefish
08-17-2016, 06:57
My glasses might have fogged up one day out of sixty. Generally if I was moving, I created enough of a breeze to defog them. I wore a bucket hat in light rain, used an umbrella in heavier rain.
Carried two dedicated lens cleaning cloths. Ran a bit of string across the top of my tent as a clothesline, hung the glasses from it while I slept. CVS sells some lightweight disposable cleaning wipes, which I used sparingly. Made it two months without so much as a scratched lens.
My glasses are expensive thick bifocals, I never get coatings on the my glasses. I'm convinced that the "anti-scratch" coating is nothing more than an easily scratched coating that forces you to replace them more often. Carried a pair of prescription sunglasses in a plastic case as backup. They came in very handy in the first month until the leaves came in, but rarely used them after that. I carried a copy of the lens prescription, in the event of major failure.
Hikingjim
08-17-2016, 08:17
I sweat and heat up pretty quickly. My glasses become completely fogged and terrible on most long inclines or really hot days, no matter what I've tried
So I use disposable contacts when I have a hot/hard day of hiking ahead. I use my phone camera as a mirror and a few pairs of disposables weighs almost nothing. Then I get rid of them as soon as I'm in camp
nsherry61
08-17-2016, 09:50
35898I found these for less than $10. :D
atraildreamer
08-17-2016, 10:57
Get a cheap pair, so that you can clean frequently without fear of scratching them. I plan on bringing prescription sunglasses as my spares. as well.
Good, inexpensive source of quality prescription eyeglasses. I don't work for them. I have bought from Zenni twice and saved a lot of $$$. Get the lens coating. Well worth the $5 extra.
www.zennioptical.com
(http://www.zennioptical.com)
MuddyWaters
08-17-2016, 11:02
Get a cheap pair, so that you can clean frequently without fear of scratching them. I plan on bringing prescription sunglasses as my spares. as well.
The trick to not scratching glasses, is to never wipe the lenses, ever, never. Especially not dry. Wash under water, use a little soap, rinse clean. Blot dry with soft tissue lightly if needed. .Never wipe. Lenses stay like new forever.
Wiping dirt across lens, whether on lens or dirty cloth, or crude paper towel with abrasive material in it, is what damages the coatings and lens.
Because they give you a free little microfiber cleaning cloth, doesn't mean you have to be stupid and actually use it. Use one more than once, your just rubbing dirt back against coatings.
The trick to not scratching glasses, is to never wipe the lenses, ever, never. Especially not dry. Wash under water, use a little soap, rinse clean. Blot dry with soft tissue lightly if needed. .Never wipe. Lenses stay like new forever.
Wiping dirt across lens, whether on lens or dirty cloth, or crude paper towel with abrasive material in it, is what damages the coatings and lens.
Because they give you a free little microfiber cleaning cloth, doesn't mean you have to be stupid and actually use it. Use one more than once, your just rubbing dirt back against coatings.
You don't need soap to clean your glasses. I wore prescription sunglasses all day every day on my PCT and CDT thru-hikes. I used a little microfiber glasses cloth to clean the glasses every few days. When I remembered, I tossed the cloth in with my laundry, and it was like new. So long as you wash it now and then, your glasses cloth should absorb any oil or whatever that gets on your glasses. And I've used the little microfiber cloth to clean my current pair of glasses every day for the few years I've had these glasses--no scratches whatsoever. The glasses look like now. Wiping the lenses is fine if you make sure to remove any grit first (like by running under water or lightly brushing with the cloth before giving a firm wipe).
More generally, if the OP's glasses are continually getting covered in sweat, maybe they don't fit right? Or maybe the OP just needs to wear a hat to keep sweat from dripping down? I always wear a hat when hiking (a very light ballcap made of synthetic fabric can actually keep you cooler by wicking moisture off your head. Also, you can dip it in streams/ponds to further help with cooling), and I have never ever had issues with sweat dripping down my face onto my glasses. And that's not just when hiking--I run distances up to marathons (wearing a hat), and have never had issues with sweat getting onto my glasses while running.
Puddlefish
08-17-2016, 13:05
I've had no luck with getting quality frames online. My prescription is so strong, I can't get the thinnest high index lens, because they give me tunnel vision. At which point, I get the thicker heavier lens, at which point the cheap frames just don't hold up.
I've had the no scratch coating degrade on about ten pairs of glasses. Always get the first scratch within a day and eventually the stuff starts sheeting off in flakes. My last four pairs of glasses, I got zero coatings, and they've held up far better. That five dollar coating leads to an early replacement of $500 glasses for me. Not cool.
The only other thing I'll mention is that my trail hands were often gritty and sandpaper like, which means I had to take care and keep my glasses cloths separate from my face/hands bandana, separate from my tent wiping bandana.
greensleep
08-17-2016, 15:57
Thanks to all respondents to my original post. I will be taking 2 pairs glasses, one in a hard case, I will be wearing a headband, buff or hat most of the time. I am not a candidate for contacts nor lasik. I do have microfiber cloths to carry and plan to rinse glasses prior to each wiping. The problem I have with sweat isn't a function of ill fitting glasses, I guess it's head/brow shape. I agree that the anti scratch coating is equivalent to the anti rust undercoating on cars. Thanks again!
MuddyWaters
08-17-2016, 16:58
I've had no luck with getting quality frames online. My prescription is so strong, I can't get the thinnest high index lens, because they give me tunnel vision. At which point, I get the thicker heavier lens, at which point the cheap frames just don't hold up.
I've had the no scratch coating degrade on about ten pairs of glasses. Always get the first scratch within a day and eventually the stuff starts sheeting off in flakes. My last four pairs of glasses, I got zero coatings, and they've held up far better. That five dollar coating leads to an early replacement of $500 glasses for me. Not cool.
The only other thing I'll mention is that my trail hands were often gritty and sandpaper like, which means I had to take care and keep my glasses cloths separate from my face/hands bandana, separate from my tent wiping bandana.
I order my particular frames from whoever has them cheapest. For me, flexon holds up ,lacquer peels in 2 yrs, so that basically lifespan. I sleep in them a lot and bending temples breaks cheaper frames.
I order my lenses from 39dollarglasses.com. $60 or so for high index polycarbonate lenses with AR coatings. Sometimes less with coupon.
I believe there is nothing clean enough on trail to wipe lenses with. As you say, just your hands will put dirt onto a cloth even if, kept in Ziploc. My lenses are pretty much like new at 2 yrs, which is the interval I get new ones mostly due to frames peeling. on trail or off, when I stopped ever wiping lenses, they started lasting forever.
My prescription Oakley sunglasses aren't cheap either. Almost $500 , but coatings that make it worthwhile . I keep them pristine by.....never ever wiping dry.
I believe there is nothing clean enough on trail to wipe lenses with. As you say, just your hands will put dirt onto a cloth even if, kept in Ziploc. My lenses are pretty much like new at 2 yrs, which is the interval I get new ones mostly due to frames peeling. on trail or off, when I stopped ever wiping lenses, they started lasting forever.
My prescription Oakley sunglasses aren't cheap either. Almost $500 , but coatings that make it worthwhile . I keep them pristine by.....never ever wiping dry.
This reminds me of one more suggestion: most glasses cloths I've owned have different color fabric on each side (a pattern on one and something plain on the other, usually). I make one side the "glasses side" and the other the "fingers side." My fingers don't touch the glasses side, and my glasses never touch the fingers side. Yeah, oils and stuff will eventually soak through, but this helps. And if you toss your cloth in with your laundry each time you go to town, you start each trip with a clean slate, so to speak.
SWODaddy
08-17-2016, 22:25
Get a pair of military issue BCGs as backup.
Get a pair of military issue BCGs as backup.
I had BCGs before we knew they were BGCs. When I was jumping, I used to carry both pairs, plus my civilian wire rims and prescription sunglasses buried in my ruck, just in case.
Another Kevin
08-18-2016, 00:31
Thanks to all respondents to my original post. I will be taking 2 pairs glasses, one in a hard case, I will be wearing a headband, buff or hat most of the time. I am not a candidate for contacts nor lasik. I do have microfiber cloths to carry and plan to rinse glasses prior to each wiping. The problem I have with sweat isn't a function of ill fitting glasses, I guess it's head/brow shape. I agree that the anti scratch coating is equivalent to the anti rust undercoating on cars. Thanks again!
My Rx sunglasses are my backup. I figure that the combination of "have to night hike" and "busted eyeglasses" is going to be pretty rare, and I can at least see with sunglasses even on a cloudy day. For what it's worth, I have trashed a pair of glasses on the trail: faceplanted on rock, scratched both lenses beyond usability and tore off one temple. Better that than getting that rock in my eyes, I suppose!
I have a hard case for the glasses that I'm not wearing, and, like Slo-Go'en, I put my glasses in my boot when I'm sleeping so that they won't get rolled over on. I'm groping for my glasses as soon as I open my eyes in the morning, so I've never even come close to accidentally pulling a boot on with my glasses still inside.
On hikes in nasty conditions, particularly bushwhacks, I wear industrial prescription safety glasses with side shields. I recommended that Elf do the same on a bushwhack that we did a couple of years ago, and he told me it was an AWESOME idea. He told me so every time one or the other of us got whacked in the face with a spruce branch. Which was happening quite regularly, so that became the tag line for the trip: "did I tell you what an awesome idea it was to bring safety glasses?"
There is no good solution to fogging. Cat Crap helps a little.
If you get goo on your lenses on trail that you can't rinse off with water, try a drop of stove alcohol.
atraildreamer
08-18-2016, 13:44
Get a pair of military issue BCGs as backup.
I had to look them up. AKA: "Birth Control Glasses":
35909
:eek: :D :banana
Add me to the list of people that cannot see a thing without glasses. I keep a hard case for storage and also travel with a pair or two of disposable contacts to use in emergencies. They will get me through to a time when I can get my glasses repaired.
I just made a case out of bubble wrap, and carried it in a ZPacks pack strap pouch. I actually fell facedown onto the pouch, more than once, with my glasses in the pouch. No damage tony glasses. The glasses case weighs 0.3 ounces.
I've been wearing glasses every day since 1973, except for about 5 years that I wore contact lenses. I always get the non-scratch coating. I'm not going to "baby" my glasses when they need cleaning. As was mentioned earlier, a microfiber towel is the best cleaning cloth I've ever used. No need to buy special wipes, just buy a regular small microfiber cloth at Target, WalMart, etc.
rmitchell
09-05-2016, 20:49
Although I were glasses every waking hour I very seldom have a problem with fogging. I do use a hard case at night and sleep with the case in my sleeping bag. That helps prevent fogging when you put them on first thing on a cool morning.
What I have yet to figure out is how to keep spider webs off them.
oldwetherman
09-05-2016, 21:02
1+ on what HooKooDooKu said about the eyeglass retainer strap. Be sure to get one that's bright orange so that if they do fall off you can see where they landed.
Puddlefish
09-05-2016, 21:14
Although I were glasses every waking hour I very seldom have a problem with fogging. I do use a hard case at night and sleep with the case in my sleeping bag. That helps prevent fogging when you put them on first thing on a cool morning.
What I have yet to figure out is how to keep spider webs off them.
I wear my bucket hat in the morning to break webs. By the time it gets too warm for the hat, I've usually been passed, or have met someone else from the other direction.
jjozgrunt
09-06-2016, 06:19
Great another problem crossed off my list.
Zenni to order a prescription online, for when I lose or break my glasses. Just set up an account and entered all the prescription details.
And I now know what BCG stands for.
I love this site.
atraildreamer
09-15-2016, 13:48
...And I now know what BCG stands for. ...
From Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GI_glasses
"GI glasses are eyeglasses issued by the American military (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Armed_Forces) to its service members. Dysphemisms (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dysphemism) for them include the most common "birth control glasses" (also called "BCGs") and other variants. At one time, they were officially designated as regulation prescription glasses, or RPGs. This was commonly said to mean "rut prevention glasses" due to their unstylish appearance."
From: https://www.army.mil/article/73319/
"FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. (Feb. 8, 2012) -- Military recruits who wear glasses won't be issued S9s or "birth control glasses" anymore -- the nickname given to the iconic BCGs because many service members believe that while wearing the frames, it is impossible to appear attractive." :eek:
Wear a wide brimmed hat...I prefer a boonie type hat. This keeps the rain off them. You will be hiking in the rain.
squeezebox
09-15-2016, 21:17
I can get by with 3.5 readers if I have to.
You can get anti-fog lenses made, if you plan to get new glasses before you go. I've had a lot of success with them. http://optifogusa.com/
jjozgrunt
09-19-2016, 02:13
Wear a wide brimmed hat...I prefer a boonie type hat. This keeps the rain off them. You will be hiking in the rain.
Bring an umbrella, this is the one I use in OZ and will be bringing. Big and hands free, I hate wearing a hood, you can't hear squat over the rain. http://www.euroschirm.com/schirm/Swing_handsfree/index.cgi?session=UAvT0u2kct6Fx&sprache_land=englisch
jj dont play
09-19-2016, 03:16
Can't see jack without my glasses. And contacts aren't an option for me. Didn't bring a repair kit or case, parents wanted me to bring and old pair and have a plan incase they broke etc. I was just careful, but year I would have been screwed. Just wore my buff like a headband on hotter days to keep sweat maintained and helped to hold glasses on tight. Foggy days I just use my finger to wipe them dry every now and then. Wasn't that big of a deal, only happened a handful of times.
Highly recommend Polycarbonate lenses and the flexible frames of you don't already have that setup. Though about putting loctite on all the screws before my hike but didn't. May not be a bad idea!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
warld piece
09-21-2016, 19:55
Keeping my glasses just a little lower then usual on my nose in humid conditions always seems to prevent fogging for me. I hang my glasses on my pack when sleeping in shelters. If your vision is that bad definitely Carry back up pair. I always rinse my off whenever I get to running water to remove swet and grime.