When packing for a hike, most think about their hiking boots, a backpack, and quality sunscreen. While these essentials are good for comfortable hiking, carrying a pair of sunglasses is also advisable to protect your eyes. The sun emits harmful UV rays, and protecting your eyes will ensure good health. Sunglasses also protect your eyes from flying debris, bugs, and dirt.
In this article, we give you tips on selecting sunglasses for outdoors and hiking.
Lens Types For Outdoor Activities
When selecting the right sunglasses for outdoors and hiking, the lens type is key to improved visibility and reduced glare. These lens types include:
Mirrored Lenses For Intense Sunlight
Mirrored lenses, available in different colors, comprise a reflective cover on their surfaces that reflects intense sunlight away from your eyes, enabling you to see clearly in an outdoor setting. Mirrored lenses also offer UV protection, hence ideal for outdoor activities like cycling, where sunglasses act as protective gear. Their ability to reduce harsh glare from water further makes them a food choice for boating and fishing.
Photochromic Lenses For Varying Light Conditions
Photochromic lenses are coated with a chemical that darkens them in bright light and normalizes them indoors or in normal surroundings. These lenses are ideal for individuals wearing prescription lenses as they reduce the need for two pairs. Photochromic lenses also offer complete protection from UVA and UVB rays, which can damage the eyes and skin around them.
Polarized Lenses For Reducing Glare
Polarized lenses are among the best sunglasses options for hiking and outdoors, courtesy of the chemical applied to them that filters light. Wear polarized sunglasses for reducing glare, especially of sporting on water or snow, to reduce eye fatigue.
Lens Colors And Tints
The lens colors and tints affect how much light reaches your eyes and how well you see colors and contrasts.
Benefits And Drawbacks Of Different Lens Colors
Colored sunglasses serve beyond making a fashion statement to filter the light away from your eyes. Depending on the lens color, functionality will differ. Gray lenses are anti-fatigue lenses that reduce glare, give true color perception, and offer overall protection under all weather conditions.
Brown or amber lenses enhance contrast and depth perception on sunny days but are not your ideal lens under low light conditions. Blue lenses reduce glare, contour vision, and color perception. Red or pink lenses reduce eye strains, adjust contrast and enhance visual depth. On the flip side, they feature color imbalance, limiting them to drives. Green lenses are perfect in even color transmission, hence an all-purpose lens for water and field sports.
Choosing The Right Lens Color Based On Outdoor Conditions
The right lens color for hiking will also depend on the outdoor conditions. Brown or amber lenses are ideal for hiking under bright light conditions. Wear gray lenses in sunny and cloudy spaces if you want a true life color experience. Gray lenses are also ideal for sunny and cloudy days.
Red and pink tints feature a color imbalance, but their low strain feature makes them perfect for road visibility in cloudy and sunny conditions. Blue and purple tints block light on the lower spectrum, reducing white light and glare, hence ideal under bright sunlight, snowy, fog, and haze conditions. The green tint will comfort your eyes on cloudy, foggy, and sunny days.
Note: Alongside wearing quality lenses to protect your eyes, maintaining healthy eyesight during outdoor expeditions is just as important. By including foods like mixed nuts, leafy greens, and citrusy fruits in your diet, you ensure that you have all the essential nutrients to have a clear vision.
Fit And Comfort
Since you will use your glasses for surfing, zip lining, and hiking, they should fit well.
Importance Of Proper Fit To Prevent Slipping And Discomfort
Your sunglasses for outdoors and hiking should fit your face for comfort and optimum protection. Wearing properly fitting sunglasses is important for the following reasons.
● Perfectly fitting sunglasses are safe to use when traveling at high speeds.
● Too large sunglasses will allow UV light into your eyes.
● Sunglasses that snugly fit on your nose and ears will better protect your eyes from wind and debris.
● The sunglasses with an even weight distribution on your ears and nose will prevent indents upon taking them off.
● Fitting sunglasses saves your eyes from irritation. Therefore, ensure your lashes do not touch the lenses, as this will trigger eye scratching.
Adjustable Features For Customization
With manufacturers offering standard fit, uncomfortable sunglasses is a common issue among wearers. Sunglasses with adjustable features solve this problem by allowing allow you to customize your fit by adjusting the following:
● Nose Bridge: A higher nose bridge allows your sunglasses to fit your facial structure better and sit on your nose without sliding.
● Curved temple arms: These arms make sunglasses wearable for people with prominent cheekbones and wider faces that could press against the standard frames.
● Adjustable nose pads: These pads can be tweaked for a more comfortable nose fit.
Consideration Of Face Shape For Optimal Fit
Your face has unique dimensions and characteristics that will impact your sunglasses fit. Therefore, before buying sunglasses for hiking, check the shape of your face. Consider glasses with round and soft edges if you have an oval or round face. Square and angular faces should opt for glasses with sharp angles and straight lines, while oblong faces should consider round and cat-eye sunglasses.
Conclusion
Outdoor and hiking sunglasses are more than ordinary wear for short trips. Your selection will vary depending on the activity, weather conditions, and facial features. For a perfect fit, consider sunglasses with adjustable fit for maximum comfort and protection from UV rays when outdoors and hiking.
