glasses vs rain

[downes911]

not sure if i want to mess with contacts on the trail. but here are my thoughts - I wear glasses that automatically tint in the sun, but anyone that wears glasses knows what a pain they can be in the rain!! which makes me think i might want my contacts - but that is extra weight (contacts, xtra pair, solution, eye drops, sunglasses) not to mention the hassle of putting them on and taking them off.
So i'm back to glasses and hoping that my rain hat will be enough cover to make the glasses a viable solution.

HELP - what are you thoughts out there, my other blind friends

[Ender]

I used contacts on the trail. Just worth the hassle in the morning for the convenience during the rest of the day.

Carry a small refillable bottle that you can refill in town with solution, a dedicated packtowel to clean your hands before handling the contacts, and you should be fine.

I had sunglasses for the first couple of weeks on the AT, but once the leaves came in sent the sun glasses home... just didn't need them.

[leeki pole]

Yep, I'm a -6.0 diopter so I can't even read the alarm clock from 3 feet away. I would not consider glasses, but think about a small mirror so you can put them in easily. It's worth the hassle.

[Colter]

Needless to say it's a personal choice. I wear a cap with a brim so rain on the lenses is rarely an issue. I don't like messing with contacts out in the boonies either.

[Nasty Dog Virus]

For me, the extra weight of my contacts/case/solution/small mirror is worth not having to deal with my glasses getting wet and fogging up.

if you are going to wear your glasses, I'd suggest bringing a piece of material to clean them off which is non-synthetic.

[mudhead]

Yep, I'm a -6.0 diopter so I can't even read the alarm clock from 3 feet away. I would not consider glasses, but think about a small mirror so you can put them in easily. It's worth the hassle.

Dang! I thought I was a bat!

Glasses. Bifocals in hard case. Ballcap. Swirling fog is a pain.

[Feral Bill]

I have never worn contacts, just glasses. A broad brimmed hat works all sorts of wonders.

[Old Grouse]

I normally wear a bandana to keep the bugs off my bald head, but switch to a baseball cap in the rain. Of course after a while you get droplets on the lenses, but hey - that's life in the woods.

[GrubbyJohn]

i wear glasses also. just throw a hat on and boogie up the trail.

[Blissful]

I just got an OR hat to help with that issue as my precip baseball cap didn't cut it.

[Lyle]

Ball cap has worked as well as anything for me. If very windy, pull your rain hood over the top of it. Not really that big of issue. I've tried contacts in the past, could never get past about 8 hours of wear at a time before having to take them out. Glasses make a lot more sense on the trail.

[leeki pole]

Ball cap has worked as well as anything for me. If very windy, pull your rain hood over the top of it. Not really that big of issue. I've tried contacts in the past, could never get past about 8 hours of wear at a time before having to take them out. Glasses make a lot more sense on the trail.

I have to chime in here, glasses make no sense on the trail. If you have to take them out every 8 hours, you need to see your eye doc. I can wear mine for a week if I have to (don't want to) but it can be done. I cannot fathom trying to wear glasses as opposed to extended wear contacts. Caps and hoods are a temporary relief. Contacts are the way to go.

[Lyle]

I have to chime in here, glasses make no sense on the trail. If you have to take them out every 8 hours, you need to see your eye doc. I can wear mine for a week if I have to (don't want to) but it can be done. I cannot fathom trying to wear glasses as opposed to extended wear contacts. Caps and hoods are a temporary relief. Contacts are the way to go.

Might be true for most, not me. Tried several brands of extended wear. After about 8 hours my eyes will burn/itch/water. Have asked several optometrists since then if anything new in contact design in the past 20 years would change this and they say no. Could try the laser surgery - not messing with that.

[summermike]

I wear RGPs contacts on the trail and off. No problems while hiking, it's no different from putting them in and taking them out at home. Definitely worth it.

[Trailweaver]

Obviously it's going to come down to a personal choice. I have never been able to wear contacts, and curse glasses frequently when it's raining and they're sliding down my nose. Still, it's usually not too bad with a good baseball cap and the hood of the rain jacket pulled up over that. I just wish I didn't have to do anything. ; - )

[hoz]

I coat my glass lenses with Rain X. Helps the raindrops slide right off.

[Tinker]

Glasses and hat, no problem (except fogging) I lost a contact in a tent while sleeping in 5 degree weather one night. I didn't even bother looking for it, figuring it had frozen and broken into a million pieces.

[Hikes in Rain]

Yep, I'm a -6.0 diopter so I can't even read the alarm clock from 3 feet away. I would not consider glasses, but think about a small mirror so you can put them in easily. It's worth the hassle.

Only -6.0? I'm a -7.5. Free to make whatever I like of the world beyond a few inches. Like you, I couldn't consider glasses any more than I could consider going without pants. In fact, if it came to the choice, forget the pants! All the paraphanalia needed is just unavoidable weight.

Here's a link to a good thread about contacts in the woods.

[waywardfool]

-11.5 here

Worn glasses hiking for going on 35 years now. Usually wear a hat in the rain. Couldn't do it without cat crap, though. Opps...make that Cat Crap.

This stuff: http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___83081

Solves the fog problem...

[Lellers]

I need my contacts. My glasses just don't correct my vision as well as my contacts. I wear hard, bifocal contacts. I've got a 5-inch clear field of vision right at the end of my nose. Everything else is a great big blur.

I also wear my sunglasses, even in the woods, to cut down on the UV rays doing permanent damage to my already messed up eyes.

It's a personal choice. If you go with the contacts, just be VERY clean when handling them. I also remove mine in my tent. Hard lenses are "popped" out of the eye, and they sometimes go flying. I learned the hard way to keep them confined to the inside of my tent.