View Full Version : foggy glasses
petedelisio
02-06-2019, 12:27
did a quick search,,, nothing
What are some tips to dealing with fogging prescription glasses on the trail...?
And other tips for glasses.
Besides contact lenses....
What are some tips for dealing with contact lenses?
Put a little soap on the glasses, then wipe/buff off - that'll do the trick. If you want to spend money, get some CatCrap.
devoidapop
02-06-2019, 12:40
I always bring my prescription sunglasses. If im having a lot of trouble with fogged lenses I'll switch sets of glasses every hour or so.
As a football official who requires glasses, I use rain x in them, on rainy Friday nights.
No jokes about officials who need glasses. Because I do an I wear them .
Hope this helps
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I don't know if it works on spectacles, but divers rub a thin coat of spit on their masks to prevent fogging. Might be useful if you find yourself with nothing else.
Personally, I went with Lasik.
MuddyWaters
02-06-2019, 13:22
Fogging glasses arent a problem
To fog they have to be below ambient temperature.
Doesnt happen
Do they get hazy with sweat that condensed on them.....yes. rinse under water and put back on. Not a big deal.
Puddlefish
02-06-2019, 13:53
There is no coating/treatment/etc. that will make any appreciable difference. It's all about the airflow. Smaller lenses, not having a hat bill immediately over the top of the glasses, how close the lenses match up with your cheeks/eyebrows, that kind of stuff matters.
MuddyWaters
02-06-2019, 14:16
There is no coating/treatment/etc. that will make any appreciable difference. It's all about the airflow. Smaller lenses, not having a hat bill immediately over the top of the glasses, how close the lenses match up with your cheeks/eyebrows, that kind of stuff matters.
Yeah.
Warm breath in cold weather will do it, hat contributes.
My glasses are small. Normally no issues. I need small because I need to look under them to see because I don't wear bifocals.
if you wear some giant 1980s style glasses your results may be different.
What not to wear:
44588
My wrap-around sunglasses never fog but I only wear them out west in low humidity environment.
Nathan428
02-06-2019, 15:23
My glasses only fogged up in cold weather when I had my mouth covered with my buff. If you allow ventilation in front of your face, in my experience (YMMV), you should be fine. If it was so cold that I didn't want to do that, I remember times where I exhaled downward (basically I manufactured an overbite and exhaled through my mouth).
illabelle
02-06-2019, 15:25
Put a little soap on the glasses, then wipe/buff off - that'll do the trick. If you want to spend money, get some CatCrap.
CatCrap is a real thing. My husband said it helps with his glasses. https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41aIt8QWyBL._AC_US218_.jpg
Last two pairs I ordered from Zenni, I got Oleophobic anti-reflective coating. As long as my glasses are clean when I go out, they don't fog up. YMMV
Anti fogging lenses, anti fogging wipes, CatCrap. Don't exhale upwards. There was a thread about this about 12- 24 months ago. Lots of applicable advice in it. Dont let your lenses to get wet if it's raining. I like wearing a visor under my rain shell brim to keep rain off glasses.
Mikerfixit
02-07-2019, 10:06
I use to use baby shampoo on my glasses when I played paintball. Put a small bit on and rub around. Allow to dry and buff until clear. Rain-X, as already mentioned, probably works better. It really is all about ventilation though. As long as there is a good air floor you shouldn't have much of a problem.
petedelisio
02-07-2019, 14:56
Put a little soap on the glasses, then wipe/buff off - that'll do the trick. If you want to spend money, get some CatCrap.
Works great... thanks.
Have to be precise with scarfs, ski masks, baclavas, etc... And just a little shift would redirect enough up to fog...
Hang them on your shirt and your looking down fog.
eating oatmeal, fog.
Humping up a hill and the heat and moisture rising from your body, fog...
Tested with some dishsoap yesterday, and worked way better than expected
wind always shifts and blows mist and drops under the ball cap, or you have to walk directly into the wind half of the day.... May try the rainX for maybe better results.
A potato is also rumored to work.
With regards to managing contact lenses...
Carry wet wipes, hand sanitizer and/or biodegradable soap to clean your hands prior to removing or putting in your contacts each day. My eyes/eyelashes also accumulated sediment throughout the day.
Carry extra sets of contact lenses. I carried 2 extra sets on each stretch of trail. The had a few sets sent to me every 25% of the trail. Others I hiked with sent themselves spare contact and solution via bounce box.
Bring glasses as a backup, in case your eyes get irritating and need a break from contacts, if you get lazy, or to wear around camp in mornings/nights or while in town.
I followed this process without fail during my thru hike. Wet/foggy glasses mentally irritated the ***** outta me, and I'm blind as a bat without some form of corrective lenses.
Followed this same approach on the PCT as well, but dust/sand accumulation was a much bigger issue on the west coast.
rmitchell
02-07-2019, 17:07
The only time that I have really had an issue is putting them on first thing in a.m. or if getting up in middle of the night. When it's cold and glasses are stored in the little net pockets in the side of my tent they would fog when I first put them on.
I discovered that if the glasses are stored in a crush proof carrier and kept in my sleeping bag then they didn't fog when I put them on.
I'm curious to try the rain-x thing though , sounds promising.
Hikes in Rain
02-07-2019, 17:33
Some minor additions to the contact tips above:
Be sure to get the sanitizer off your hands before messing with your eyes! Found out the hard way that stuff stings!
I keep a dedicated small pack towel just for my contacts.
I also made a small lightweight washbasin to help wash my hands. Bottom half of a gallon milk jug. Coincidentally, my cook kit fits in my pot, which fits in the "sink", so it doesn't actually take up any more room. That was serendipitous, not by planning. :)
Hand washing is key! Face, too, especially if yours gets as oily as mine. Gets on your lenses, otherwise.
Found a great crushproof glasses case at the Dollar Store. Only a dollar. Couldn't find it at any of the competitors, oddly. Mine was a bright turquoise in color, which even I could see without corrective lenses.
Cold contacts will instantly wake you up! Better than strong coffee with a double shot of espresso!
I'm now in disposable variable focal lenses. Disposable seems like it might be less prone to getting infectious stuff in your eye (still need to wash!), but also seems like you'll have more trash. Haven't been overnight hiking since being moved to them, so haven't put this speculation to the test yet.
Just figured out I've worn contacts for just under 50 years now! Never had a contact related infection. Where's the finger crossing emoticon?
Better quality glasses with better quality lenses can help. I have less fogging issues when exhaling to the side and downwards when fogging conditions present themselves. Better quality Glacier glasses with leather side shields also help keep warm air from rising behind the glasses. It's not just on the front of lenses fogging occurs. Don't wear contacts but will wear glasses sometimes even when it's raining, misting or overcast. Will wear glasses when on snow to prevent snow blindness and snow glare. Wearing a hood or brimmed hat when it's raining or cold, sweating profusely which contains body oils and minerals drips on glasses, and not being aware of the direction I'm exhaling are the times I most experience it. Hikes in Rain made a good pt in mentioning oils. If one has long hair and it or skin gets oily it always seems to eventually get on glasses...As an aside think about that as oils and grime also affect gear performance especially of WP breathable apparel. Then, often people blame the rain gear for not being breathable; it's all breathable marketing hype when the performance was related to personal usage. Lotions, sunscreens, anti friction balms, saliva especially if it contains food particles or toothpaste, and bug repellents can affect lenses and apparel as well. Although this isn't foggy lenses my lenses get smudged if I touch lenses with silky or grimy hands.
Odd Man Out
02-08-2019, 13:48
I do need glasses in my everyday life when I'm working on computers, driving, etc... But my vision isn't horrible so I don't really need them to hike a trail, so sometimes I just take them off, but you get so used to wearing them, you forget that is an option. For example, earlier this winter I was using the snowblower to clear the remnants of the polar vortex off my driveway, I came in with my glasses coated with snow, ice, fog, etc.. Only then did I remember that I didn't really need them in the first place. The next day I was shoveling without glasses - much better.
Last two pairs I ordered from Zenni, I got Oleophobic anti-reflective coating. As long as my glasses are clean when I go out, they don't fog up. YMMV
Anti scratch and hydrophobic coatings can be added. I like the anti scratch anti reflective glasses.