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COCOON SUNGLASSES
TEST SERIES BY JERRY ADAMS
LONG-TERM REPORT
INITIAL REPORT - December 27, 2010
FIELD REPORT - March 15, 2011
LONG TERM REPORT - May 31, 2011
TESTER INFORMATION
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NAME:
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Jerry Adams
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EMAIL:
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jerryaadamsatyahoodotcom
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AGE:
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57
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LOCATION:
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Portland, Oregon, USA
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GENDER:
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m
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HEIGHT:
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6' 1" (1.85 m)
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WEIGHT:
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190 lb (86.20 kg)
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I started hiking about 45 years ago. My first backpack was 40 years ago. I currently try to do one backpack trip of 1 to 5 nights every month (which can be tricky in the winter). Mostly I stay around Mount Hood, Columbia Gorge, Mount Adams, Goat Rocks, and the Olympic Peninsula. In recent years I have shifted to lightweight - my pack weight without food and water is about 15 lb (7 kg). I make a lot of my own gear - silnylon tarp-tent, bivy, synthetic bag, simple bag style pack.
INITIAL REPORT
PRODUCT INFORMATION & SPECIFICATIONS
Manufacturer: Live Eyewear, Inc.
Year of Manufacture: 2010
Manufacturer's Website: http://www.liveeyewear.com
MSRP: US $44.95
Measured Weight: 1 1/8 oz (32 g) for Wideline (Med-Large) size
Outside dimensions: 6" w x 1 5/8" h (152 mm w x 41.5 mm h)
From Cocoons website:
"Cocoons Overx sunglasses are available in gray, amber, copper or yellow polarized lenses."
"Cocoons are available in six different sizes, from small to extra large, with a choice of black, tortoiseshell, sand, slate and burgundy frame color. There is a table of dimensions of glasses vs which Cocoons size to use."
"All styles are constructed from ballistic nylon and feature a supple soft touch finish for the ultimate combination of durability and comfort."
"Each pair includes a protective neoprene case, lens cloth and a limited lifetime warranty."
"Cocoons adjustable Flex2Fit temples are designed for quick and easy manual adjustment of the shape and curvature of the ear pieces."
"It is important that a sunglass provides protection from all angles, not just the front. Standard sunglasses can allow up to 40% more unfiltered light to reach the eyes because they do not provide protection from the top, bottom and sides. Cocoons patented frame designs block damaging UV light and glare from all angles (top, bottom and sides), completely isolating the eyes in a cocoon of filtered light."
I am testing the Wideline (Med-Large) size for my glasses which are 5 5/8" w x 1 3/8" h (138 mm w x 36 mm h), gray lens, black frame.
The case weighs 1 7/8 ounces (53 g). It's funny that the case weighs somewhat more than the glasses.
Front view:
Side view:
Angled view:
View from inside, upside down:
INITIAL IMPRESSIONS
The Cocoons are amazingly light. The temples fit my head well.
Their sizing guide is accurate - they fit over my glasses.
Very nice looking - stylish.
On the top edge of the glasses is a "ledge" that goes over the top of my glasses resting against them, holding up the sunglasses. The Cocoons don't touch my nose. This might be a negative - too much weight from my regular glasses nose pieces against my nose. The Cocoons weigh so little I don't think this will be a problem, but testing will tell.
The manual says that the grey lenses transmit 15% of the light which seems about right, just looking through them. I can tell they're polarized by rotating them while looking at my LCD monitor.
I can't wait to test these out on some backpacking trips. Right now the sun is lowest on the horizon so sunglasses are needed the least, and it's cloudy a lot. I'll get at least one snow trip in, which will be a good test with all the reflected light off the snow. Towards the end of the long term test, the sun will be much higher and the weather better which will test the Cocoons better.
READING THE INSTRUCTIONS
There's a small hang tag and a larger marketing document that have the same information that's on the website.
There's a "use and care guide". It says the temples have a wire core so that the temples can be bent to fit. They don't have to be heated to bend them. I didn't need to adjust them any. It lists some available accessories such as cords to attach to temples so the glasses don't fall off and several hard cases. There's also a warranty return card.
SUMMARY
The Cocoons are amazingly light and fit well.
They provide good sun protection - 15% transmission with wrap around the sides to keep the sun out from there.
They look good.
The only concern I have is that they don't rest directly on my nose, but rest on my regular glasses, so there will be more weight on my regular glasses nose pieces against my nose. Testing will determine if this is a problem.
Thanks to Live Eyewear and backpackgeartest.org for letting me test these.
Look forward to my field report in about 2 months.
FIELD REPORT
FIELD LOCATIONS AND CONDITIONS
January 18 to 24 - I did a 4 night backpack on the Illinois River in Southwest Oregon. There were 22 miles (35 km) of walking. Temperatures were 34 to 55 F (1 to 13 C). I used the sunglasses 4 hours per day for 4 days hiking and 2 days walking/driving. It was a mixture of sun and clouds.
February 8 to 12 - I did a 3 night backpack on the beach of the Olympic Peninsula in Northwest Washington. I did 3 days of walking on the beach in the sun. I used the sunglasses 10 hours total. I walked 20 miles (32 km). Temperatures were 30 to 40 F (-1 to 5 C).
March 20 to 26 - I did a 4 night backpack up the Deschutes River in North central Oregon. I did 3 days of walking wearing the sunglasses. It was half sunny and half cloudy. There was a total of 12 hours. Temperatures were 30 to 55 F (-1 to 13 C).
 | | Near Deschutes River |
PERFORMANCE IN THE FIELD
I wore the Cocoons on 10 days of backpacking and 2 days of driving/walking around for a total of about 46 hours. I walked about 75 miles (121 km). Temperatures were 30 to 55 F (-1 to 13 C).
The Cocoons were very comfortable. My nose and ears never got sore. The glasses never fell off.
As I mentioned in the Initial Report, the way the Cocoons are designed, on the top edge of the glasses is a "ledge" that goes over the top of my regular glasses, resting against them, holding up the sunglasses. This has proven to work quite well. I have had other sunglasses that go over prescription glasses that don't attach very well or a clip will stick out and rub against my skin. I think the "ledge" approach of the Cocoons would make them comfortably fit a larger range of prescription glasses. I verified this on two old pairs of prescriptions that I don't wear anymore.
Since the Cocoons stuck out beyond my regular glasses, they felt just a little unstable. There's some physics going on here. If the lever arm is longer, there's more centrifugal force. But, since the Cocoons are so light, it's not too bad. They never came close to falling off or anything. After a while I got used to it.
The darkness of the lenses is a good compromise between dark enough for sun protection but not so dark I couldn't see when I was in the shade. When I was on the Illinois River it was mostly cloudy and I walked in trees a lot. When I was on the Olympic Peninsula it was mostly sunny and I walked mostly along the beach in complete sun. When I was walking on the Deschutes River there was a mixture of sun and clouds.
The arms of the glasses can be adjusted to fit. The Cocoons fit me just fine without adjustment, so I didn't really verify that functionality.
One negative about these glasses is there's a fairly wide strip around the perimeter that blocks my peripheral vision. My regular glasses have a narrower strip. With the Cocoons I tended to run into branches and things just a little more than with just my regular glasses.
In the recent past, I've worn prescription sunglasses, but they are much more expensive than the Cocoons. When the prescription changes on my regular glasses I'm too cheap to update my prescription glasses so I end up with a non-optimum prescription. I do like the lighter weight of prescriptions compared to regular glasses plus Cocoons. When I wear the Cocoons, there are two lenses to get dirty so I have to wash them more often.
SUMMARY
The Cocoons met my expectations.
Good things:
* The sizing information on their website was accurate - the sunglasses fit over my regular glasses.
* The Cocoons are very lightweight.
* They were comfortable to wear.
* The darkness of the lenses is good for sunlight but I can still see in the shade.
Bad thing:
* I like my prescription sunglasses better, but they're so expensive.
Look forward to my Long Term Report in two months.
Thanks to Live Eyewear and BackpackGearTest.org for letting me test these.
LONG-TERM REPORT
LONG-TERM TEST LOCATIONS AND CONDITIONS
April 22 - 28 - I used the Cocoons for about 12 hours driving and hiking on the beach in the sun. 46 to 55 F (8 to 13 C).
May 4 - I used the Cocoons for yard work.
May 10 - 14 - I used the Cocoons for a few hours on 4 night backpack on Herman Creek in North central Oregon. 38 to 55 F (4 to 13 C).
On Herman Creek:
PERFORMANCE IN THE FIELD
During the Long Term Test period, I used the Cocoons for another 6 days and 16 hours, for a total of about 62 hours and 18 days during Field Report and Long Term Report periods. Overall, I was very satisfied with the sunglasses.
Like I said in the Field Report, the glasses were comfortable, lightweight, and the darkness of the lenses provided a good compromise of sun protection without being so dark I can't see when it's shady.
Like I reported in the Field Report, the sunglasses obscure peripheral vision. I noticed that when I was driving, it's easy to miss a car in the lane to the left that's even with my back bumper. With my regular glasses I could see it. With the Cocoons I almost missed a car a couple times. I wouldn't call it dangerous, just need to be aware of it. Of course, the good thing about this is that UV light from that angle is blocked which is good protection for my eyes.
Like I mentioned in the Field Report, the Cocoons feel like they might come off because the weight is further away from my head. When I was doing yard work, when I flipped around once, the glasses almost came off. No big deal - I just pushed them back on, but it illustrates the point of the Cocoons being a little less stable than just glasses.
SUMMARY
The Cocoon Sunglasses met my expectations.
The sunglasses fit well over my regular glasses.
They are very lightweight and comfortable.
The darkness of the lenses is good for sunlight but I can still see in the shade.
A bad thing is that the weight (little as it is) is suspended far out on the end of my regular glasses so it's a little unstable. They tend to fall off if I make sharp movements. If I had an elastic strap it would mitigate this.
Even though the Cocoons are good, I like my prescription sunglasses better, but they're so expensive.
I'm not sure how much I'll use the Cocoons in the future. Maybe I'll leave them in the car as a back-up but normally use my prescription sunglasses for backpacking trips, but I really need to get new ones with the new prescription. Hmmm - maybe I'll just use the Cocoons because I'm such a cheapskate???
Thanks to Live Eye Wear and BackPackGearTest.org for letting me test these.
This report was created with the BackpackGearTest.org Report Writer Version 1.5
Copyright 2011. All rights reserved.
Read more reviews of Live Eyewear gear
Read more gear reviews by jerry adams
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