Posts Tagged travel sunglasses
Serengeti Velocity Sunglasses for Your Glove Compartment
If you visit the websites of companies making sunglasses it can get a little overwhelming. There are sunglasses for fishing, for golf, for snow, for cycling, and on and on. This Velocity model from Serengeti Eyewear though is for when most commuters use their shades the most: while driving.
These are the kind of compact sunglasses everyone used to keep in their glove compartment before giant bug-eye shades that cover half the face became all the rage with fashionable women—and a few too many men. These have a titanium metal frame and the model I’ve been testing has gradient glass lenses. They’re a little darker at the top than they are at the bottom—kind of like a car windshield. So you have dark glass in front of you when your eyes are on the road, but you can see to wipe the coffee you spilled off your pants when you look down. Or if you’re a pilot, you can see all your instruments.
These feel like sunglasses a real adult would wear, someone who is driving a nicer car than I’m usually buzzing around in, actually. I always worry that I’m going to trash sunglasses with elegant metal frames in two weeks flat, but these are far stronger than most and the flexible joints have some give to them. It doesn’t hurt either that these come with a nice hard case. So they won’t get smashed when someone shoves something into the glove compartment on top of them.
These fit into a jacket pocket or shirt pocket easily and they’re very comfortable to wear. I think they look pretty good on me too without dominating my face.
The Velocity gradient driving sunglasses come with espresso or gunmetal color frames. They list for more than $200 but usually retail somewhere in the $115 to $150 range. Get more info at the Serengeti Eyewear site and click the links below to check online prices.
Check Serengeti Velocity prices online
Serengeti Velocity gradient sunglasses at Amazon
Posted by Tim L. in General Gear on December 23rd, 2010
They’re the Bomba: Sunglasses from Costa del Mar
I just moved to a new country for a year, taking only what I could pack into a few suitcases. When it came to sunglasses, the first ones I reached for were these Bomba sunglasses from Costa del Mar. They’re the best all-around pair I’ve ever worn, simple as that.
I checked out a whole range of Costa del Mar sunglasses on the trade floor of the Outdoor Retailers Show back in January, but this model made me sit up and notice because of the extra shielding on the side. While the Julbo Bivouac sunglasses I reviewed a few weeks ago do a good job of keeping harmful rays from getting in from the sides, these take a step further by letting you still see out of the side in your peripheral vision.
All well and good, but that feature alone is just a sideshow if they don’t fit well and have high-performance lenses. Fortunately, the Bomba is the complete package, with amazingly comfortable lenses and frame design. These sunglasses stay in place better than most, thanks to the built-in grip pads in strategic places. Plus my eyes feel very rested with them on: more than once I’ve forgotten I had them on.
The company touts their lenses as “beyond polarized,” because they see that as just the starting point for quality glasses, so naturally the brand is a big hit with fishing enthusiasts and others who spend lots of time on a boat. Costa del Mar offers three levels of lenses in glass and polycarbonate, with the 580s being the top of the line.
So the type of lens can have a big impact on the price—the Bomba can run from around $140 to $240. Then there are seven lens colors to choose from, each with its own characteristics. The blue mirror ones pictured to the left, for example, are meant for open water. The company rep I met with a couple months ago matched the lenses on my model to my blue eyes, correctly judging the gray ones to offer the best mix of protection and clarity. The colors came alive riding across the Blue Ridge Mountains on my way home and these shades have opened up impressive vistas every time I’ve worn them since.
This is just one model out of more than 50 from Costa del Mar (Coast of the Sea, appropriately), so you won’t be hurting for choices, no matter what kind of frame you like best. Surfers, beach bums, yacht crews, and sport fisherman may gravitate to this brand naturally, but it’s a good choice for travelers as well. All models come with a hard shell case to protect them from the rigors of travel when the sun’s not shining.
Get the Costa Del Mar Bomba Sunglasses at Backcountry.com, where there is a great selection of other models.
See all the choices at CostadelMar.com
Posted by Tim L. in Adventure Gear, General Gear on July 8th, 2010
Julbo Multi-functional Bivouak Sunglasses
At the Outdoor Retailers show earlier this year, I spent a lot of time checking out sunglasses from different companies. I came away thinking that setting yourself apart with specific sunglasses is almost as hard as doing it with socks. Most of what makes one pair of sunglasses more expensive than another is pretty subtle until you put them on read the specifications. It’s hard to talk about “features” as much as technological innovations in the lenses and frame types.
So I was drawn to these Julbo Bivouak sunglasses because they do actually have some features to set them apart, plus there’s a bit of double-duty gear action with these. Sunglasses that aren’t wraparound generally don’t protect you from the sunlight coming in through the side. That can be bad for your eyes and your skin—especially since this area of the face is where crow’s feet wrinkles start as you age. If you’re climbing a snowy mountain or skiing, it’s even more of an issue because of the reflective rays.
So the Bivouak sunglasses have these little magnetic shields on the side to block off the area. When you need them, they shield the sides of your eyes from the harmful rays. When you don’t, like in the car, you can just pop off the shields and stow them.
There’s no need to attach Chums or some other kind of cord: there’s one built into the design. The included adjustable cord hooks into small holes at the end of the earpieces. As with the shields, this is removable when you don’t want or need it.
The model I’ve been testing came with a Zebra photchromic lens. I’m a big fan of photochromic lenses that get lighter or darker according to the conditions. I found I could keep these on all the time as I moved through sun and shade, car and parking garage, outside to inside. They fully change from a shade-worthy category 2 to darker category 4 in only 28 seconds. The Zebra lenses also have built-in anti-fog properties, which passed with flying colors when I tested them against some cheapo sunglasses. Going from crisp air conditioning to humid outdoors, plus biking on a foggy morning, these lenses stayed clear. There are small vents built into the top corner too, a feature I’ve always appreciated with Tifosi shades, as this seems to keep my eyes from getting teary when I’m biking downhill or skiing fast.
The Julbo Bivouak sunglasses come in seven colors and three different lenses, with the latter determining the price (list of $120-$190). This is at the high end of Julbo’s range—these are geared to serious climbers, skiers, and mountain bikers more than casual travelers. With the ability to adjust the shields and the cord as needed, however, they can be the only pair you need to carry for a wide range of activities.
See more styles at JulboUSA.com and see more of our Julbo reviews here.
Check Julbo Bivouak sunglasses prices at Campmor
Posted by Tim L. in Adventure Gear, Travel Light on June 16th, 2010
Bollé Sunglasses for Kids
Finding kids’ sunglasses that fit well, will last a while, are reasonably priced, and aren’t pieces of junk isn’t easy. These Bollé sunglasses fit the bill and have three great attributes on top. 1) The kid likes them. 2) I like them. 3) They haven’t broken yet.
As I mentioned in this review of Chums sunglasses straps earlier, it’s hard to justify spending good money on sunglasses for kids because odds are they’re going to either lose them or break them in no time flat. The problem is, their eyes are even more sensitive than ours, so you feel like a guilty parent outfitting them in dollar store cheapies of questionable sun blocking ability. This is especially important if you are taking kids hiking at high altitude, boating out on the water, or to a mountain for spring skiing.
These Bollé Breezy sunglasses generally run $30 to $40 at retail, about the price of a good pair of kids’ sneakers, but for that you get shatter-resistant polycarbonate lenses that block 100% of UV rays and very strong but flexible nylon frames. There are absorbent rubber grips on both the nose and the ears so they stay on the little one’s head easily.
The key attribute for me is that these are cool enough and comfortable enough that there’s not much whining involved when I give the order to wear them all the time when we’re in the bright sun. My daughter’s version picture here is girly pink, but there are three other colors including the Crystal Lime ones at the bottom.
These are meant for kids 7-10 years old, but Bollé has a whole line of other options. They start with strap ones that are suited for tiny toddlers on up to the very suave Sarah style for ages 9-12. The Bollé site is in Flash, so get on something not using the iPhone operating system to check out the whole product line for kids, men, and women—sunglasses and goggles.
Posted by Tim L. in Kids and Family on April 14th, 2010
Bolle Sunglasses and Goggles
“Jackie O!” was what my husband exclaimed when he first saw me sporting my new Bolle sunglasses. Indeed, these shades (style name: Queen) have bigger lenses than I typically wear — but not nearly as oversized as Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis did in the 1970′s. I absolutely love the style — I feel rather Hollywood movie star when I’m wearing them out and about. While the sunglasses may not take to the hiking trail or the river quite like my sporty and versatile Native Eyewear shades do, I’d happily wear these sunglasses to the pool and the beach, to shopping malls and city streets. They hug my face, don’t slip down my nose and successfully keep me from squinting in the sunlight.
Not only are the Queen glasses hip, but they protect my eyeballs, too. I appreciate the polarized lenses that reduce glare, as well as the extra anti-reflective coating on the backside of the lens that further reduces eye strain. The polyarbonate lenses are super lightweight and offer 100 percent UVA and UVB protection from the sun’s rays. Thermogrip® rubber temples and nose pads deliver a solid (but comfortable) grip.
Manufacturer’s suggested retail price for the Queen style in dark tortoise (pictured) is $139.99, but I found them on Amazon for $111.99.
I also tested some Bolle goggles on the slopes of Keystone, Colorado, a couple weeks ago. While the bright orange stripes of the Quasar Coral Snake frame with Fire Orange 50 lenses aren’t exactly my first choice of hues and style (should have asked the friendly Bolle marketing rep to please send a pair in solid black without the mirrored lenses), I very much appreciated all the fancy features of this technologically advanced goggle.
First, they cover a lot of my face — which is good when the wind is whipping at 11,000 feet in elevation. In comparison to my years-old Bolle goggles (which are narrower in solid black with rose-colored lenses) they just seem to offer more protection. Though I get the feeling I’m channeling Shaun White, or some other sort of rad teenage snowboarder when I’m wearing them, I do like how “solid” and protective they feel.
Second, in a side-by-side comparison with my older Bolle goggles, the orange Quasars blocked out a lot more of the sun; in my old pair I squinted when facing the setting sun, whereas with the Quasars I didn’t have to. The thick, triple-layer face foam is super comfy and cushy, and special coating on the lenses prevents fogging and most scratching (love that, since somehow we lost the nifty pouch that came with the goggles for storage — darn).
Overall, I appreciate the quality of these goggles, but the style is better suited to boys or men. See my husband sporting the goggles while tubing in this Keystone video — he can pull off the look so much better than this 40-year-old, non-flashy, mother of two.
These Quasar goggles (pictured above) retail for $119.99, but I’ve seen them as low as $79.99 on Amazon.com.
Browse a great selection of Bolle styles (and sale items) at Campmor.
Posted by Kara in General Gear on March 5th, 2010
