View Full Version : Glasses: Recommended Brand for Hiking
JustADude
02-29-2012, 10:11
I've got a pair of rimless, but they don't seem to be holding up to well.
Alternatives - right now I'm actually considering going with a pair of Army issue 5A (if I can lay my hands on them).
Lasik not really an alternative for me at this point ($).
Any other suggestions are greatly appreciated.
swjohnsey
02-29-2012, 10:49
I've got a pair of rimless, but they don't seem to be holding up to well.
Alternatives - right now I'm actually considering going with a pair of Army issue 5A (if I can lay my hands on them).
Lasik not really an alternative for me at this point ($).
Any other suggestions are greatly appreciated.
I'm retired army, get a free pair of birth control glasses every year. Nice and light, sturdy.
There is a mail order outfit out of China that is popular with the retired military set. Glasses cost between $10 and $30. Order online. All you need is prescription.
I have Rec Specs high impact frames with transition lenses. So far I like them but like all glasses they are gonna fog up so you need some anti fog like Cat crap or some such. I believe I have the Maxx 20 style probably made for baseball. I where them to work and people kinda like the fashion statement. Come in colors too.
http://www.libertysport.com/products_detail_rec.asp?codeprod=1105&codecolo=302 (http://www.libertysport.com/products_detail_rec.asp?codeprod=1105&codecolo=302)
My suggestion: go cheap, then buy multiple pairs. There are multiple online places to buy glasses a lot cheaper than the lense maker that has a shop adjacent to your eye doctor's office. A bit of a hassle on a one-time basis to get your data input to their site, and consider which email address to give them, as the one I've used (eyebuydirect.com) spams me on a somewhat regular basis. But the glasses have worked fine; okay, not as durable perhaps, but fine.
lush242000
02-29-2012, 11:19
If you want something that will really last and you have the cash, order a pair from Wiley X. They are not cheap, but they are tough. I have a pair of their prescription sunglasses. If they are good enough for the Marine Corps doing battle in Iraq, they will be just fine on the trail. Mine are 4 years old and holding tough.
Slo-go'en
02-29-2012, 12:24
Just make sure they have a strudy frame which hold the lens in securely. You don't want to have a lens pop out on the trail and disapper into the leaf litter, like what happened to be me last year. Had to hike for 2 weeks with the world a bit of focus before I could get to a place to buy replacement glasses. Actually, hiking with the world out of focus wasn't all that bad.
I would avoid large lenses (these were in style more about 10 years ago). Because they extend down below your eyes more, I found that they tended to fog up more readily and stayed fogged longer. For me, smaller lenses turned out to be better.
Cosmo
1) I take my nice rimless glasses and have no problems. I just make sure screws are tight beforehand.
2) Rinse your glasses with lots of clear water before cleaning with anything else. Even if you bring eyeglass cleaning fluid. Glasses can pick up find dust. If you try clean with even the softest cloth, they will scratch and even the toughest anti-scratch coating wont help.
3) Anti-fog coating may help prevent fog up (like FogTech) but they also put a smear coating on the glasses that is quite annoying if you are used to them being clear. Spit works almost as well and is easier to clean off.
4) Get some disposable contacts. Near nothing in space/weight. I take 4 pair "Just in case". I figure I can get somewhere to help solve the problem within 4 days of hiking.
rocketsocks
03-01-2012, 03:33
:cool:A5's with a band aid wrapped around the middle is Bad Ass!:sun
i just take my regular ones and an old pair. keep the old pair in the first aid kit in a hard, very hard case. and i wear one of those ties that strap to your glasses and hold them tight to your head. the glasses that i do wear go in an even harder case than the back up everytime i lay down for bed and i put them in my sleeping bag so no one stumbling around at night will step on them. i don't worry about the weight of the glasses case because i NEED my glasses and would rather have them just that much more secure than those ultralight plastic cases that you usually see people carrying on the trail.
of course, my eyesight is bad enough that contacts won't suffice and i'm not about to spend tons of money on lasik until ample research on the long term effects of lasik comes out.