Good mountaineering sun glasses advice?

I have been trying to find the top brands and models of mountaineering and glacier sun glasses. There may already be a forum on this I just did not come across it. I know julbo is a top brand and I am leaning towards them. But I was also looking towards native as well. Any info or suggestions would be great.

I've never owned anything by Native, but the 2 pairs of Julbo glasses I have held up quite well over the 6 or 8 years I've had them- still working fine.

julbousa.com/mountain/explo…

Spring for the Camel lenses, they really are that good.

Hands down the best sun glasses I've ever had for mountaineering or skiing.

Don't waste your money on Natives. I got 2 pairs for free and that is the most I would ever spend on them. Go with the Julbos.

Just a side note...are you doing high altitude climbing? I haven't found anything in Colorado that my regular oakley's or natives and a visor couldn't handle. And I've always got them on super sale.

Hey thanks all for the advice...I have trips planned for: mt.whitney, Tetons and more stuff to do in the future...just trying to get good gear for now and the future.

Scott McMahon wrote:Just a side note...are you doing high altitude climbing? I haven't found anything in Colorado that my regular oakley's or natives and a visor couldn't handle. And I've always got them on super sale.

+1 on the oakley's.
I wear contact lenses and the M-frames with hammers IMHO work the best at keeping out dust while being less prone to fogging as my julbos were.

Less sliding down the nose at a fraction of the weight.

Agreed on nixing the Natives. I've had and used them for several years and simply unimpressed when it came to durability and warrenty issues.

Julbo on the other hand I nothing but rave reviews for.
Zebra lens rocks.

I tried a lot of glasses this fall ( a dozen or so models) and the only ones I paid full retail for were Julbos. In the end they were worth every penny imo. A real value might well be Optic Nerve instead of Native. I still use several pair from Optic Nerve. Great quality for the price point and they are inexpensive compared to Julbos.

I have used Julbo and like some of their models and dislike others.

Their Camel and Zebra lenses, which change with the amount of available light, are top notch.

Of the Julbo frames, I like the Race frames. Comfortable, and enough ventilation that they don't fog much. They aren't full on glacier glasses, however. I have also used their Explorer model, which are designed for glaciers and high mountain environments. They were not ideal on my face, however. They fogged up a bit too much, and sit too close to my face for comfort (my eyelashes actually rub the inside of the lens when I blink.)

My current favorites are the Addidas Terrex Pro. Crazy expensive, but comfortable, adjustable, and somewhat modular, so you can alter the amount of protection and ventilation, from rather free flowing to goggle-like. They have a nose guard that snaps on and off too, for sun protection for your nose. I've taken to leaving my goggles behind now, and just rely on the Addidas sunglasses.

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+1 for the Adidas glasses. Can't speak to their durability quite yet. But, they seem to be everything I've ever wanted in mountain sunnies: large, good coverage, don't fog often, extra lenses, very adjustable, nose guard!

Big +1 for Oakley. I have the Straight Jacket with the Black Iridium lens and when the sun's shining bright, reflecting off the snow, putting them on is like a soothing balm for my eyeballs. They sit close to my face which helps on windy days but can cause a fogging issue.

I've always felt that despite the super-hype marketing and some of the God-awful frame designs they've had lately, Oakley lenses are absolutely the best available. Worth the price. Also, I took a bad fall on Longs once and my old Straight Jackets probably saved me from a broken orbital. Most glasses would have provided protection but the fact that the Oakleys stayed on while I tumbled and got battered by the mountain says a lot.

I went another direction.
I use Stihl Black Widow Glasses chain saw safty glasses. They wrap well keeping ice and such out of my eyes, shaded for bright days, fit well over my hat and they are $15.00 at the hardwear store. I dont feel bad about scratching them a bit when a dinner plate of ice hits me in the face on a cold day.

Keep in mind that true "glacier glasses" have much darker lenses than any conventional sunglass. If you are using the glasses for general outdoor activities at relatively low elevations for limited exposure times almost any sunglass will do the trick. For extended above treeline snow exposure real glacier glasses are what you need. I was on Mount Rainier for four sunny days last July and those of us with glacier glasses had no trouble. Those with conventional sunglasses were all complaining of various eye issues (probably sunburned corneas). I have Julbo Montebianco glasses and they worked perfectly under very "harsh" sun conditions.

ADKMan wrote:Keep in mind that true "glacier glasses" have much darker lenses than any conventional sunglass. .

Thats why I love Julbo, currently use the Falcon lense which does very well in bright light, but the Camel is even better. would have the camels but that lense wasn't out yet when I bought my last pair, which should tell you how long a good Julbo lense holds up.

for a break down, zebra does good strictly outside but I wouldn't want them on a major snow climb.

Falcon is the best all rounder, great for snow and for everything else including driving

Camel is the best for snow but possible too dark for things like driving

I love my julbos. The camel lenses work really well -- I can wear mine on a snowfield or just around town (not that I normally do). I was initially skeptical of a photochromic lens but I've been really pleased with the performance.

Julbo also has awesome customer service. I broke one of my frames, wrote them an email about what happened, they asked them to ship them to me, and they sent me back a brand new pair free of charge.

Plus the glasses are awesome as well.

you can also find them relatively cheap online.

I got a pair of the spectron 4 bivuaks (which are fantastic mountaineering glasses) for about $70 on optics planet. If photcrhomatic really floats your boat, those can be found a good amount of retail as well.

Other teams will stare in awe as you pass them by.

superkick wrote:Julbo also has awesome customer service. I broke one of my frames, wrote them an email about what happened, they asked them to ship them to me, and they sent me back a brand new pair free of charge. Plus the glasses are awesome as well.

were those metal or composite frames? I've broken a few pairs that I still have, never thought about trying to warranty them....

Interesting bit on the Zebra lens. In a car they won't get as dark as they will in direct sunlight. Makes them a great drving glass for me. But mid summer on a hot glacier?...they are perfect...dark enough to be very comfortable. Good coverage and good protection without being so dark they are useless at dawn or twilight.

Big fan of the Trek frames 24/7 and any sport.

By the way I have a pair of Adidas Terrex Fast sunglasses with Space replacement lenses. BRAND NEW, never used. This is the lighter model of the Terrex Pro.

Retail for both is $260, although you can find the sunglasses cheaper online, I am selling these for $150. $110 dollars off. I got them, then needed the cash. My loss, your gain.

Please pm me.