Wearing glasses vs. contacts

[WhiplashEm]

I'm looking for advice/opinions on wearing glasses or contacts on a thru-hike. I normally wear contacts with no problems, but I'm wondering if wearing glasses for my hike next year wouldn't make more sense? I wear the kind of contacts that you leave in for a month so it's not like I'd have to change them every day, but one of my biggest concerns is how I would get my hands clean if I needed to change them on the trail. Also, the added weight of contact solution seems a little silly. On the other hand, glasses can break, which would suck. I would really appreciate some feedback back on this.

[Samson]

I've been wondering the same thing, but didn't ask because I am tired of all the elitist better than you answers.

[pervy_sage]

Broken glasses is an easy fix by having a spare pair. Conjunctivitis, prolonged eye irritation, or having one of those suckers slide up behind your eyeball isn't something that can easily be fixed.

For those of us who cannot wear contacts, it is an obvious choice. This is one of those things you gotta make up your own mind. If you do go with glasses, then it means you carry the spare set, a lanyard or head strap to keep them on, a repair kit with screws, nose pads and a tiny screwdriver, and either some alcohol or lens cleaning solution. Optionally you could have a pair of clip-on sunglasses as well.

Even if you do go with the contacts, you should have a pair of backup glasses in your pack, or at very least in your bounce box.

For what it's worth, hopefully not sounding too elitist.

[Capt Nat]

I consider myself elite. I'm in that phase of life that I can't see with them and can't see without them so I'm constantly snatching them off and putting them back on. I wear glasses only but my wife, The Admiral, wears contacts and has never had any problem with them. Some people wear contacts more naturally than others. I think it would depend on you.

[Lyle]

I carry one pair of glasses (granted, I'm not blind without them, could function ok - you wouldn't want me driving, however). I carry no repair kit or special cleaning fluids, good old water, maybe a drop of soap if needed, and a clean bandanna has always sufficed. I've never dropped/broken/or had to do any kind of repair. The only concession I make for wearing glasses is that I always carry a ball cap so that I have a good visor to keep the rain/snow off the lenses.

If you choose to wear your contacts, to clean your hands, use the same thing you use at home - soap and water. :-) You'll be in the woods, a natural environment, not some foreign alternate universe where simple solutions no longer work. No offense intended, just some ribbing.

[Jefe]

This is just what I do. Not telling you one way or another. I wear my contacts (and they have to come out daily), so I also have a pair of glasses kept in a hard case. If I don't feel like putting in my contacts, or feel my hands are too dirty and not easily cleanable, I put on my glasses. There are pros and cons with each. I go with the flow and keep my options open. HYOH

Jefe

[double d]

I have not thru-hiked, but I do hike a lot and I do have bad eyes, thus I have the same issues of contact lens/eye glasses. I bring both, i use a hard case for my glasses (yes, i don't like the bulk and weight, but I have to protect the glasses) and I wear my contacts each day, as glasses can get to be a issue with weather, etc. Also, my compass also has a built in signal mirror in it, so I just use that each morning to get my contacts in my eye. I also bring a small piece of cotton cloth to wipe down my glasses, as other materials don't work so well. Good luck, its an issue that all of us that must wear glasses/contacts often have to figure out whats best for us, especially for thru-hikers, but I don't find the issue to be too much of a problem, I just don't like the few extra issues of bulk and weight.

[NBHiker]

Definitely a personal preference thing, but on a thru-hike there will be many days when you'll just want to throw on a pair of glasses and not have to bother with solutions, etc. Not to mention the days when you just want to crash when you get to camp and not have to bother with solutions, clean hands, etc. If you want to keep it simple, just wear glasses and a light case to store them in. Get into a routine and always put them in a safe place when you take them off. And don't ever put them on a shelter floor! If you're concerned about breakage, you could always carry a pair of contacts as a back-up.

[nitegaunt]

Here's my advice. When I was 18 I was hiking on the AT in Va and while crossing a stream one of my lenses popped out and hit the water. Needless to say, it was a goner. I had to do the rest of the hike with one lens. From then on I either carried a backup pair of glasses or wore contacts and kept a pair of glasses in a hard case. There's no shame in redundancy when it comes to your vision. I think one of the benefits of contacts is the fact that during rains you don't have to keep cleaning them off and miss the scenery because you are looking through a bunch of water. I also know what you mean about elitist answers to questions here. The internet brings out the best in people.

[Ender]

I wore contact for my AT thru, and tried both contacts and glasses for my PCT attempt. Worked great on the AT, and on the PCT I sent my glasses home after two weeks and just stuck with contacts. Just keep a clean hand towel to wipe your hands, and some Purell to kill any nasties on your fingers, and it works great.

[pervy_sage]

I've been wondering the same thing, but didn't ask because I am tired of all the elitist better than you answers.

I now see what you mean...

[Rocket Jones]

I just wear glasses. While hiking, they're on a lanyard so I can hang them around my neck when I don't need them, and I use an anti-fogging cream called Cat Crap (seriously) to keep the lenses clear. The only downside I've found to glasses is that I need a brimmed hat to keep the rain off of them.

[Moose2001]

Do what you think is best for you and don't worry about what anyone else says.

[leaftye]

On the other hand, glasses can break, which would suck. I would really appreciate some feedback back on this.

Have you ever broken glasses? In my 16 years of wearing eyeglasses, I only broke one pair of eyeglasses. Those were my first pair, and I broke them after months of putting them in my back pocket and sitting on them.

My challenge is not losing them. This is because my vision is good enough to hike without them, so sometimes I forget to put them on in the morning. This makes where I put them down at night very important, otherwise I might not pick them up in the morning. I've found that putting them in my shoes is the best way to go.

[louisb]

My big concern would be cleanliness and infection. These days when I hike I wear glasses with the auto darkening lenses and if I am solo I carry an old pair as backup. Of course I can't see past the end of my nose without corrective lenses so if I were to lose or break mine I would be in serious trouble. (And to add insult to injury it is getting to where I can't see up close either. Getting older sucks.)

--louis

[WhiplashEm]

[QUOTE=leaftye;1281642]Have you ever broken glasses? In my 16 years of wearing eyeglasses, I only broke one pair of eyeglasses. Those were my first pair, and I broke them after months of putting them in my back pocket and sitting on them.

Once, I was in fifth grade, I sat on them on the school bus (don't ask me why they were on the seat and not on my face). It was a scarring experience.


Thank you everybody for the input. I actually feel better about my contacts now, I'll probably wear those and bring back-up glasses. I'll be taking some long hikes b/f my thru-hike so I guess I can work things out then. The thing I love wearing contacts as opposed to glasses is I have peripheral vision w/ contacts - it seems like I have to turn my head more to look at things when I wear glasses. (now that I read it seems like a really weird complaint, but it's pretty significant to me)

[WhiplashEm]

I use an anti-fogging cream called Cat Crap (seriously) to keep the lenses clear.

Where can one get ahold of some good cat crap these days?

[English Stu]

The outfitters/fishing shop in Boiling Springs had some a while back. Had to get some just for the box though it is good stuff.

[jbwood5]

I've worn contacts before on long section hikes and it can be a nuisance, but is manageable. Of course the biggest problem is dealing with grit and gnats. I remember rubbing my contacts out of one of my eyes a few times and then dealing with grit on my hands. I usually kept a small bottle of sterile solution nearby in a pouch to rinse my hands and the contact off. It was not a good time trying to get it back in my eye with no mirror. Sometimes I would just take them out and put on a pair of glasses, but if you get a rainy drippy cool day, glasses can fog; especially in the morning. After a few frustrating times with contacts, I usually just wore the glasses. When I hit a town or a place with running water and a mirror, I'd put the contacts back in. Be sure to bring a few spares. I lost a couple while hiking over the years.
BTW, I ultimately got lasik (mono vision) and don't deal with either anymore.

[Different Socks]

I've been wondering the same thing, but didn't ask because I am tired of all the elitist better than you answers.

So here's a non-elitist answer: On the AT, I was still wearing glasses every day. On the PCT I was wwearing contacts, then take them out at night and put back in the next morning. Used a small mirror then, but now will use a larger signal mirror. Hey, everything has at least 2 uses right??!! Use it for saving me, use it for seeing too.