Guest - Not logged in | ||||||||||||||||||||
Reviews > Eye Protection and Binoculars > Sun Glasses > Ryders Eyewear Defcon Sunglasses > Test Report by Nancy Griffith
RYDERS EYEWEAR DEFCON SUNGLASSES
CLICK HERE TO SKIP TO THE FIELD REPORT
TESTER INFORMATION
My outdoor experience began in high school with involvement in a local canoeing/camping group called Canoe Trails. The culmination was a 10-day canoe voyage through the Quebec wilds. I've been backpacking since my college days in Pennsylvania. I have completed all of the Appalachian Trail in Georgia, Tennessee and North Carolina. My typical trip now is in the Sierra Nevada in California and is from a few days to a week long. I carry a light to mid-weight load, use a tent, stove and hiking poles.
INITIAL REPORT
PRODUCT INFORMATION & SPECIFICATIONS
PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
The Ryders Eyewear Defcon sunglasses are what they call full-rimmed meaning that the frame goes completely around the lens. The frame is made of a thermoplastic material which is supposed to be durable, flexible and lightweight. The glasses have a slight wrap-around shape. The stems are curved for a tighter fit on the temples. The tips of the stems and the nose pads have a rubbery (hydrophilic) material to aid in holding the glasses in place especially in wet conditions. INITIAL IMPRESSIONS & TRYING THEM OUT
The sunglasses arrived in a hard-shell box. Inside this box the sunglasses were in a soft bag. My initial impression was that the box seems like over-kill since I never end up using these to store my sunglasses due to the bulk. Since sunglasses are a year-round item for me I don't have the opportunity to store them in a drawer in the off season which is when I would use the box. However, I love the soft bag and have definitely used this type of thing for storage and cleaning of my sunglasses in the past. SUMMARY
The Ryders Eyewear Defcon sunglasses seem to be a nicely made pair of face-fitting sunglasses for smaller faces and have a fairly dark tint. FIELD LOCATIONS AND CONDITIONS
During the Field Testing period I wore the sunglasses nearly daily for driving and walking. Outdoor active use consisted of 2 backpacking trips, 5 mountain bike rides, 3 fishing trips and 3 dayhikes for a total of 19 days. I stored them on my car visor during the week. While backpacking I stored them in the tent pocket at night. PERFORMANCE IN THE FIELD
The Defcon are one of the few pairs of sunglasses that I've worn that actually fit me really well. Usually sunglasses are too wide and big which cause the stems to hurt my ears and for them to slip down on my nose. The Defcon sunglasses are perfectly comfortable, never hurt my ears and never slip down despite sweat dripping down my face. The non-slip material on the stems helps to keep them in place without grabbing my hair. I often wear the glasses on top of my head and when I do my hair doesn't get pulled by them. SUMMARY
The Ryders Eyewear Defcon are a great-fitting, functional pair of sunglasses that work well for outdoor athletic use. LONG-TERM TEST LOCATIONS AND CONDITIONS
I wore the Defcon sunglasses nearly every day during the Long-Term test period. I wore them on my daily lunchtime walks at work and on the drive home. I wore them for nine dayhikes, two mountain bike rides, two afternoon runs, two tennis matches, playing disc golf, a snowshoe hike and multiple sessions of cutting firewood. PERFORMANCE IN THE FIELD
I continue to find the Defcon to be the best-fitting glasses I've ever owned. In my experience sport sunglasses are typically designed for larger people than I so they usually hurt my ears and slide off of my nose during vigorous activity. The Defcon fit snugly without causing any irritation and never slip on my nose despite my face being soaking wet with sweat at times. Although these aren't marketed as safety glasses I like using them for wood-cutting and feel more comfortable using a chainsaw with these glasses than with any of the safety glasses that I own since they fit so well. The only time this didn't work was in lower light conditions where the Defcon lenses were just too dark for me. SUMMARY
The Ryders Eyewear Defcon are a great-fitting, functional pair of sunglasses that work well for outdoor athletic use. Read more gear reviews by Nancy Griffith Reviews > Eye Protection and Binoculars > Sun Glasses > Ryders Eyewear Defcon Sunglasses > Test Report by Nancy Griffith |