Ryders Eyewear Vigor Sunglasses
Test Series by Kurt Papke
Tester Information
| Name: |
Kurt Papke |
| Age: |
56 |
| Gender: |
Male |
| Height: |
6' 4" (193 cm) |
| Weight: |
225 lbs (102 kg) |
| Email address: |
kwpapke at gmail dot com |
| City, State, Country: |
Tucson, Arizona USA |
My backpacking background is mostly in Minnesota where I have lived
most of my adult life. I have hiked all of
the
Superior
Hiking Trail, Kekekabic and Border Route through the Boundary
Waters.
This last year included hiking in Michigan, Wisconsin, Utah, Colorado,
south and North Dakota and Oregon. My preferred/typical backpack
trip has been one week, mostly in the
Spring/Fall
seasons, but I started doing more winter camping last year. I
recently moved to Tucson to take a new job, and am excitedly exploring
the surrounding mountain ranges. I have found with the brilliant
sunshine here I need to wear a hat and sunglasses, especially at high
altitudes.
Initial Report
The Vigor sunglasses are part of Ryders Eyewear Essential line, which means they do
not have polarized, photochromic, photo-polar nor interchangeable
lenses. Just plain UV protection and light reduction.
Notable features include adjustable anti-slip
nose pads and adjustable anti-slip temple tips.
The anti-slip property of the temple tips and nose pad derives from the
hydrophilic (moisture affinity) materials used, giving them a "tacky"
feel when they get wet. The adjustability of these components
results from the ability to pinch, spread or twist the nose piece and
bend or twist the temple tips. I guess I was fortunate that they
fit me perfectly right out of the box.
View of Vigor glasses from the back showing the substantial adjustable
nose pads
Left lens with top, side and bottom vents visible
The glasses were packed in a silky-feeling carrying pouch with a
drawstring closure. The pouch is nice and light and adds no extra
bulk to the glasses, so I feel good about using it on backpacking trips
to protect the lenses.
Vigor glasses in carrying pouch
The hinges give a nice amount of resistance when they are fully open,
which should prevent some unintended fold-up of the glasses. Once
the initial resistance is overcome, they close and re-open smoothly
with little effort.
I always have two problems with sunglasses:
- The hinges break. The Vigor's hinges look pretty robust.
- The inside of the lenses get scratched from the temple tips
rubbing against the lenses when the hinges are closed. The good
news is these frames are sized such that the temple tips cannot rub against the lenses: they
are too long and contact the outer frame when the hinge is closed.
Product Information
| Manufacturer: |
Ryders
Eyewear |
| Year of manufacture: |
2009 |
MSRP:
|
US $ 44.99
|
| Manufacturer website: |
http://www.ryderseyewear.com
|
Lens material:
|
polycarbonate
|
Lens tint/coating:
|
Grey
tint with 15% VLT (Visible Light Transmission), "Flash" coating gives a
hint of a silverized finish. The supplied brochure indicates the
lenses are also available in brown and orange.
|
Frame color:
|
Gloss
black. The supplied brochure indicates the frames are also
available in pearl white and bronzed carbon.
|
Size tested:
|
Only one
size available: medium-large
|
Weight:
|
1.1 oz
(31.2 g), 1.4 oz (39.7 g) with carrying pouch
No measurements (including weight) were available on the website,
brochure or supplied
packaging & labeling
|
Packaging/Instructions
The sunglasses arrived in a plastic bag inside the carrying pouch.
Labeling attached to the frames indicated the manufacturer, website,
"100% protection UVA & UVB" and the manufacturer's location on one
side, and the barcode, SKU and MSRP on the reverse side. There
was also a tag indicating the nose pads and arm tips were adjustable
for best fit.
Initial Use
I wore the Vigor sunglasses on a few commutes to work and on several
strolls between the buildings where I am employed. I found the
glasses to be very light, comfortable and they kept me from squinting
in the Arizona sun. I held them up in front of my face and tilted
them up and down to see if I could detect any visual distortion as I
changed the part of the lens I was looking through -- I could see none.
They did not slide down my nose when I walked. This is a
particular problem for me as I have very
oily skin, and my nose is pretty well lubed up all the time.
Summary
I am excited to use these sunglasses in the field. My initial
experience with them was a pleasant one and I feel good about the
prospect of using
them on all-day backpacking excursions.
This concludes my
Initial Report.
Field Report
Test Conditions
During the test period I wore the sunglasses daily for my commute to
and from work as well as on walks between buildings during the
day. I also wore them while driving during the day for shopping,
errands, etc. The sun shines brightly every day in Tucson
Arizona, and sunglasses are pretty much a requirement when outdoors for
whatever reason.
The following table describes the conditions the
sunglasses were used in specifically for hiking.
Dates
|
September 5-6, 2009
|
September 12-13, 2009
|
September 19-20, 2009 |
September 26-27, 2009
|
Oct 3,4 2009
|
October 9-11, 2009 |
October 24,25 2009
|
October 31-November 1, 2009
|
Location
|
Coronado National Forest
in the Santa Rita Mountains south of Tucson, Arizona in the Madera
Canyon
|
Coronado National Forest in the
Santa Rita Mountains south of Tucson, Arizona in the Madera
Canyon. Old Baldy and Agua Caliente trails. |
Coronado National Forest
in the Santa Rita Mountains south of Tucson, Arizona in the Madera
Canyon. Four Springs trail. |
Coconino National Forest just
north of Sedona, Arizona. West fork of Oak Creek Canyon.
|
Coronado National Forest in the
Santa Catalina Mountains, just north of Tucson, Arizona. Both
hikes were from the Finger Rock trailhead.
|
Cabin Loop Trail on the Mogollon
Rim in the Coconino National Forest just
north of Payson, Arizona. |
Coronado National Forest in the
Santa Catalina Mountains, just north of Tucson, Arizona. Both
hikes were from the Sabino Canyon trailhead
|
Canelo Hills section of the
Arizona Trail south of Tucson between Sonoita and Patagonia
|
Altitude
|
5500 ft to 6800 ft (1675 m to
2075 m)
|
5500 ft to 8700 ft (1675 m to
2650 m)
|
5000 ft to 8100 ft
(1520 m to 2470 m) |
5350 ft to 5800 ft
(1630 m to 1770 m)
|
3120 ft to 5500 ft (951 m to
1676 m)
|
6900 ft to 8000 ft (2100 m to
2440 m) |
2000 ft to 5200 ft (610 m to
1585 m)
|
6400 ft to 4200 ft (1950 m to
1280 m)
|
Terrain
|
Forested mountains. Hiking
was mostly in dappled shade.
|
Forested mountains with open
areas on slopes and saddles.
|
Forested mountains with open
areas on slopes and saddles. |
Canyon with running creek.
|
Dry canyon
|
Coniferous forest with some oak
and maple. Some open meadow areas. About 30% of the trip
was road walking. |
Dry canyon |
Rolling hills with oak and
mesquite groves.
|
Weather
|
Sunny, temperature around 75 F
(24 C)
|
Mostly sunny with thunderstorms,
temperature around 75 F
(24 C) |
Sunny and clear at the start,
about 70 F (21 C). Thunderstorms developed in the afternoon but
cleared up by nightfall. Low temperature was about 53
F (12 C). |
Sunny, temperatures from 53 F to
75 F
(12 C to 24 C)
|
Mostly sunny, temperatures
around 70 F (21 C)
|
Sunny, night temperatures were
25 F and 30 F (-4 C and -1 C), daytime temperatures up to 78 F (26 C) |
Mostly sunny, temperatures
around 70 F (21 C) |
Sunny with lows at night of 32 F
(0 C) and highs around 80 F (27 C)
|
Hiking
type
|
Day hikes of about 3 hours
duration, 3-4 miles (4.8 to 6.4 km) in length
|
Backpacking 8.6 miles (13.8 km)
on day one, 1.9 miles (3.1 km) on day 2
|
Backpacking 7.0 miles (11.3 km)
on day one, 4.4 miles (7.1 km) on day 2
|
Car camping & day hike
|
Day hikes (2) of about 5 miles
(8 km) each
|
Backpack 29.2 miles (47 km) over
2 days
|
Day hikes (2) of 10 miles and 7
miles (16.1 km and 11.3 km)
|
Backpack of 13.8 miles (22.2 km)
over 2 days
|
Observations
Madera Canyon Day hiking
My wife Susan and I decided to spend the 3-day Labor Day holiday
weekend exploring the area around Tucson. We drove down to Madera
Canyon stopping at a scenic mission along the way. The canyon is
a famous birdwatching spot, and in this regard we were not
disappointed. We stayed at the pleasant Santa Rita Lodge and
day hiked from there.
The first two hikes were on western slopes that were heavily
wooded. I was wearing my wide-brimmed hiking hat, and put on the
sunglasses only when we came to clearings. I was sweating pretty
well from the climbing exertion, and the Vigor glasses venting did a
good job of preventing them from fogging.
The third hike was on an interpretive trail on a northern slope that
was quite open to the sun, and I neglected to bring my hat. I
wore the sunglasses during the entire hike. My eyes were very
comfortable despite the bright sunlight.
During all of these hikes I had no problems with the glasses slipping
down my nose or falling off. They stay in place nicely, yet do
not exert pressure on the ears or temples.
Madera Canyon Backpacking - Old Baldy
After day hiking the canyon I decided to go back the following weekend
to backpack and explore in more depth. I hiked up near the summit
of Mt Wrightson (Old Baldy), but had to bail out of going to the top
due to
approaching thunderstorms. The following photo gives an
illustration of the trail, the lighting and the high desert vegetation
looking
southwest from the saddle before the thunderstorm rolled in:
Southwest view along the ridgeline from Old Baldy Saddle
After a rest I took the Aqua Caliente trail to the Aqua Caliente Saddle
and spent the night there, descending to my car in the morning.
I worked up a good sweat on the ascent, and I did have a problem with
perspiration dripping on the interior of the sunglasses. This is
a tough situation to avoid. I was pleasantly surprised that my
sweat drained off the lenses nicely, leaving only a very thin film of
salt behind.
My morning hike out was directly into the rising sun, and I greatly
appreciated the protection afforded by the Vigor sunglasses. I
had no problems with lens flare or other optical issues.
Madera Canyon Backpacking - Four Springs trail
I returned to the scene of the crime from the previous weekend to
explore the northern side of the canyon. I wore the sunglasses in
sunny areas, and took them off in shady areas. I set up camp
pretty early at 3 PM and settled down to watch the storms roll in from
Green Valley below:
A cloud about to rain on me
It was great to be able to wear the
Vigor sunglasses because I was staring right into the late afternoon
sun watching the storm (OK, one black cloud dumping rain).
Moments after the photo above was taken, I had to take cover to get out
of the rain.
The next morning I put on the sunglasses when the sun cleared the
mountain behind me on my descent. I was sweating pretty hard and
the glasses did steam up a bit despite the vents. I wiped off the
lenses with my bandanna, and it got stuck in a vent. I was able
to pop the bandanna out without a problem. This happened to me
once before, so apparently this was not a freak occurrence.
I also noticed that the nose piece was slightly out of place and the
temple tips were a little bent. Too much jostling around in my
pocket while getting dressed/undressed apparently can cause the
adjustable features to go out of alignment.
Coconino National Forest
On Saturday September 26 myself and two companions drove from Tucson to
just
north of Sedona. We left at around 6 PM and the first 30 minutes
of driving were directly into a setting sun, and I was glad I had the
Vigor glasses to protect my eyeballs.
After a night of car camping we set out the next morning to hike as
much of the Oak Creek West Fork Canyon as we could in one day. We
started hiking about 7:45AM and ended around 4:30 PM. I started
wearing the sunglasses around lunchtime, as prior to that we were
hiking away from the sun and the canyon was quite deep and shaded.
Lunchtime in Oak Creek Canyon
I have to stop getting profile pictures taken of me with my belly
hanging out. At least the sunglasses looked good!
I used the Vigor glasses all afternoon off and on as we went in &
out of sunny areas. They performed flawlessly.
Finger Rock Day Hikes
These two day hikes both began at the Finger Rock trailhead in the
foothills of the Santa Catalina Mountains. I had just relocated
to new temporary housing, and I wanted to explore the hikes close to my
new locale. There are three trails that begin at this trailhead,
two up Pontatoc Canyon, one up Finger Rock Canyon.
The second hike was the most notable for the Vigor sunglasses, as I
wore them for the entire duration of the hike due to the bright
sunshine. I was sweating profusely, particularly on the ascent
even though the weather was reasonably cool due to the exertion of the
altitude gain. I achieved a better understanding of the value of
the lower vent on the glasses. My sweat was running down the
lenses constantly, and the vent allowed it to drain without puddling on
the frames. This worked quite well and my vision clarity was
maintained. I did wipe the lenses off once at the top
of the climb, but the sweat started running down them again quickly
during the descent.
Mogollon Rim Backpacking
This trip turned out to be more road walking than I expected,
especially
along the Rim Road that parallels the Mogollon Rim. For those
unfamiliar with the geography of the area, this is literally the edge
of the vast Colorado Plateau that makes up so much of the great
topography of the southwestern United States. The following
picture shows myself and one of my hiking companions perched on a rock
outcropping on
the edge of the Rim, and it is quite apparent from the photo how bright
the Arizona sun is in these conditions, even with a little bit of
overcast:
Taking a break on the Mogollon Rim
I wore the Vigor sunglasses off-and-on for most of the weekend daylight
hours. I put them on when on a road or open area, and took them
off when we were in more dense forests. The weather was a little
cooler at altitude, so the sweat dripping problems I had experienced
before were not much of an issue.
One of the things I am starting to really appreciate about these
glasses is I can wear them all day long without getting a headache or
eye fatigue. The high optical flatness is a big benefit over
cheaper sunglasses.
Canelo Hills Backpacking
I was fortunate to be led on this backpacking trip by Rich Corbett,
steward for this section of the Arizona Trail. He knows this area
like the back of his hand after overseeing its maintenance for the
better part of the last decade. Here's a pic of Rich and I
pausing for a short "stand-up break" in the Canelo Hills:
The weather, vegetation and terrain in this photo were pretty typical
of
the two days of backpacking the trail. Despite the hat the sun
was still strong enough to give me a sunburn on the back of my neck.
I wore the Vigor glasses all day long both days with no issues.
The weather was a little cooler, so sweat dripping down the lenses was
not much of a problem on this trip.
Daily Use
I have come to appreciate the nice cloth carrying sack that is supplied
with the Vigor glasses. They have protected the lenses
from scratching, but still allow the glasses to fit in my pants pocket.
I have put the glasses on and taken them off 100's of times, and have
had no problems with the hinges.
I like using the Vigor glasses for driving. They have the right
amount of light transmission for my taste, and are comfortable to wear
for long periods of time. I particularly appreciate the flat
optics
and lack of distortion when driving, as I have owned other pairs of
sunglasses that did not have this quality and they would cause a lot of
eye fatigue.
Summary
I have greatly enjoyed using the Ryders Eyewear Vigor sunglasses during
the Field Report period for both hiking and daily use.
Likes:
- Comfort
- Effective venting
- Block the right amount of light
- No optical distortion
- Attractive
- Good value for the money -- I am impressed with the quality
afforded by the Vigor sunglasses in this price range
- Shed sweat well, do not get filmed up
- The temple tips are long enough that they do not rub against the
lenses when folded. I have no scratches on the interior of the
glasses from the tips scraping against them.
Concerns:
- The adjustability of the flexible frames is nice, but when
stuffed into a pocket or pack they will bend on their own.
- A cleaning cloth (e.g. bandanna) can get stuck in the vents.
Long Term Report
Test Conditions
During the long-term report period I continued to wear the Vigor
sunglasses on a daily basis for the drive to and from work, and for
walks between buildings at my employer's campus. Winter is just
as sunny in Tucson as summer (if not more so), and in these southern
latitudes the sun does not get that low in the sky even at the winter
solstice. Sunglasses are necessary here year-round.
The following tables documents the use of the Vigor sunglasses during
this report period specifically for hiking, both day hikes and
backpacking.
Dates
|
November 14-5, 2009
|
December 5, 2009 |
December 6, 2009 |
January 1, 2010
|
Location
|
Saguaro National Park, just east
of Tucson, Arizona in the Rincon Mountains
|
Catalina State Park, Romero
Canyon Trail, northeast of Tucson in the Catalina Mountains |
Picacho Peak State Park,
northwest of Tucson |
Upper Javelina Trail, Tortolita
Mountains northwest of Tucson |
Altitude
|
3088 ft to 6000 ft (941 m to
1829
m)
|
2758 ft to 3735 ft (841 m to
1138 m) |
1900 ft to 2960 ft (579 m to 902
m) |
2650 ft to 3600 ft (808 m to
1097 m)
|
Terrain
|
Rocky high desert. Hiking
was all in the open sun.
|
West-facing rocky trail up a
mountainside
|
The trail begins in a gentle
cactus forest, then transitions to steep climbing requiring the use of
cables & chains for handholds
|
Rocky high desert. Hiking
was all in the open sun. |
Weather
|
Sunny, daytime temperature
around 75 F
(24 C)
|
About 65 F (18 C) and sunny |
About 60 F (16 C) and sunny |
About 70 F (21 C) and sunny
|
Hiking
type
|
Backpacking total length of 13.8
miles (22.2 km)
|
Day hike
|
Day hike, 5.1 miles (8.2 km)
|
Day hike 6.2 miles (10 km)
|
Saguaro National Park
Ever since I moved to Tucson I had good intentions of doing some
backpacking in Saguaro National Park. There are actually two
parts to this park, one on the west side of the city in the Tucson
Mountains, and one on the east side in the Rincon Mountains. I
heard the view from the Rincons was spectacular, so on the weekend of
November 14 I thought I'd give it a try.
The hike up from the trailhead was quite warm, and the altitude gain
was constant and grueling with my pack loaded with 5 L of water.
I was dressed in just shorts and a T-shirt, but still sweated
profusely, and it ran down the sunglasses in sheets. I stopped
several times to wipe off the lenses with my bandanna, and had a
problem with the cleaning cloth getting caught in the bottom vent
almost every time. Not a big deal, just had to pop it out.
I wore the Vigor glasses during my entire ascent, as the afternoon sun
was beating brightly on the western slope of Tanque Verde Ridge which
the trail follows. That night I camped in Juniper Basin, the site
I had registered for with the park rangers.
The next morning I set off on my descent at about 7:45 AM. I
didn't wear the sunglasses for the first hour because the sun was still
pretty low in the sky behind the peaks, but soon it was too
bright to go without them and I took them out of the carrying
pouch. I noticed the left temple tip was slightly damaged, a bit
of a nick taken out of the plastic. I have no idea how this
happened, but it did not impact wearability. On the descent back
to my car I had no issues with sweat, as a cold front had rolled
through the night before and it was perfect for hiking. The view
was spectacular in the morning as the air was extremely clear -- I
could see all the mountain ranges surrounding the Tucson valley, and
with the optically flat Vigor lenses my view was not distorted.
Catalina State Park
Catalina State Park doesn't
sound impressive, but it actually has one of the better trails leading
up into the Santa Catalina Mountains on the west side of the
range. The
weather had
cooled down substantially, so sweating was not an issue on this
hike. The sun was not overly bright on the ascent, as I was
looking down at my feet most of the time facing away from the
sun. The descent was another matter, as I was facing west the
whole way down right into the blazing afternoon sunshine. The
sunglasses did a great job of protecting my eyes.
Picacho Peak State Park
Picacho Peak is a nice little mountain just northwest of Tucson on the
interstate that leads to Phoenix. It has a great trail that leads
up the backside of the mountain all the way to the peak, with beautiful
views to the south for much of the trail. Once again I didn't
need the sunglasses too much on the way up, but on the descent I was
staring right into the afternoon sun, but they did a great job of
keeping me from squinting.
Tortolita Mountains
Hiking in the Tortolitas on New Years Day
The picture above illustrates the type of hiking
terrain, the brightness of the sun, and my typical hiking configuration
of hat plus sunglasses. Note the hat does a pretty good job of
keeping direct sunlight out of my eyes, even when faced directly
towards the sun as I was in this picture. That is a field of
Saguaro cactus behind me, not a good place for bushwhacking so I stayed
right on the trail. The lenses are quite reflective: a Saguaro
with its "arms up" can be seen in the reflection in the left (my left,
the picture's right) lens.
Even though this hike was on January 1, it was warm enough for me to
break a good sweat on the uphill leg of my hike. The sweat ran
onto the glasses several times, and I had neglected to bring a bandanna
so I had to clean them with my shirt. No problems with the shirt
getting caught in the lens vents, it seems to be a problem more with
cloth
edges.
Conclusions
I don't have a lot to add beyond my earlier summary from
the Field Report. As mentioned above, I did notice a
slight amount of wear on
the temple tips where they would occasionally catch in the frame of the
glasses. This seemed to be cosmetic in nature only, but I would
think after a year or two of wear they could abrade to the point of
breaking at the very tip. The following picture illustrates how
the temple tips can get jammed into the frames, and the wear at the tip.
Wear at the temple tips where they can get jammed into the frames
I have now worn these sunglasses nearly every single day for four
months both in the car and on the trail. They have held up
incredibly well: I have no visible scratches on the lenses, which is
quite remarkable in my book. I don't know for sure if I just
cared for them well, or if they are simply that scratch-resistant.
My bottom line is that the Vigor glasses will continue to be my every
day sunglasses and hiking gear for the foreseeable future. I like
their comfort and optical clarity. They are great sunglasses for
the price.
Many thanks to Ryders Eyewear
and BackpackGearTest.org for the
opportunity to
test this product.
Read more gear reviews by Kurt Papke
|
