Reviews > Eye Protection > Sun Glasses > Costa Del Mar Fathom > Steve Nelson > Field Report

Field Report: Costa Del Mar Fathom Wave Sunglasses
December 6, 2005

Reviewer's Information

Name: Steve Nelson
Age: 45
Gender: Male
Height: 5' 9" (1.75 m)
Email address: nazdarovye at y..oo dot com
City, State, Country: San Francisco, CA, U.S.A.

Backpacking Background:

As an interface design and usability consultant by trade, I'm always excited by analyzing and improving designs and processes; backpacking provides a fertile and fun arena for that. I have been backpacking since I was a kid growing up in upstate New York: we backpacked and canoe-camped in all seasons, throughout the Adirondacks and nearby areas, ranging as far as La Verendrye Wildlife Reserve, Quebec. As an adult, I've backpacked and hiked extensively in California, but also have taken trips throughout the West, from New Mexico to British Columbia, and return often to the Adirondacks.

In the past year I made the transition to lightweight and ultralight backpacking. I like moving fast, and lightening the load facilitates that. I also enjoy urban strolls, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, kayaking, and aviation in addition to hiking and backpacking, so my gear gets exposed to a wide variety of uses and conditions.

Product information

Overview

The Costa Del Mar Fathom Frame with Wave 580 Lenses is a high-end pair of sunglasses which the manufacturer claims offer unique benefits in color fidelity and comfort (see my initial report for more details and background on this product). I've now used my pair of Fathom sunglasses for over two months, wearing them almost every day while backpacking, hiking, driving, commuting via ferry boat, and strolling around town, both at home and while traveling. This report provides details on my experiences during that period.

Field Conditions

In addition to wearing the Fathom sunglasses on backpacking trips in Hetch Hetchy and the Desolation Wilderness, I've had them all over the Bay Area of California on hikes and strolls and commutes, on roads between there and Yosemite and Lake Tahoe, on the San Francisco Bay, and in Los Angeles and New York (both upstate and in Manhattan). Elevations have ranged from sea level to 7,000 ft (2,134 m), temperatures from 20-75 F (-5-24 C), and conditions from clear and sunny to foggy, rainy and snowy. The sunglasses have been exposed to winds in excess of 50 mph (80 kph) and lots of dust and grime.

Field Results

I can sum this up pretty succinctly: these sunglasses work great!

The lenses are sharp, clear, and provide more accurate color and shape representation than any other sunglass lenses I've used (I'm a designer by trade, so I pay attention to this pretty closely). The amount of light blocked is such that my eyes are not fatigued even after a full day hiking with the sunglasses on. They let through enough light—and are so comfortable—that I've sometimes had to remind myself to take them off on hikes as dusk falls. The polarization is reasonably effective—though I do note that it doesn't reduce surface reflections on water as much as I'd expected. As expected, the polarization causes moiré patterning on certain electronics displays and glass—but that's par for the course.

The frames are also excellent. They've been extremely durable, and I find them comfortable even after a full day of wear. The Hydrolite composite on the temples grips well: the frames stay in place, even when I'm active, and they don't seem to get too sweaty or slippery. One minor quibble: this particular frame shape dips down at the bridge of my nose, and lets in more light there than I'd like. I'd personally prefer a frame that blocked sun in that area (but as noted in my initial report, I didn't select the frame style for this test, and Costa Del Mar offers many other styles). They also are a bit bulky when folded up—but this hasn't been a problem for me.

One other interesting point: I've yet to have the glasses fog up, despite being in some cold and humid conditions. I don't know yet if this is just luck of the draw or if the venting holes or some other design element has led to this. However, I do appreciate it (and also will be pushing the limits of this in my winter snowshoeing and snow camping trips—more to come in my long term report).

As noted in my initial report, the case is way too bulky for my backpacking style. I've left it at home or in the car on all of my trips (using it only to transport the glasses in a day pack or suitcase for travel), and instead used a keeper strap to hang the sunglasses around my neck. I've not babied them, have worn them every day, have only occasionally put them in their case, have had them out often for backpacking and other active pursuits. So far the frames show essentially no wear; however, I do see a small oval spot on the outside of each lens (mid far left on the right lens, lower right on the left lens), where it appears some coating has chipped or worn off (it is also possible that this was a flaw in the lenses that I only noticed when closely examining the lenses for this report).

The lenses of course do get greasy, smudged and soiled, and I was unable to find cleaning instructions anywhere on the Costa Del Mar site (nor did any come with the glasses). I've used regular soap to wash them, based on past experience with similar glasses, and this has done a fine job of cleaning them up.

Long-Term Test Plan

I'll continue to use the Costa Del Mar Fathom Sunglasses pretty much every day throughout the test period. I'll continue to evaluate:

• How do the Wave 580 lenses perform in the wide-ranging conditions I'll be experiencing; do they filter out an adequate amount of light; is the polarization effective against reflections on water and other surfaces; do they work well in both bright and low light?
• I've confirmed Costa del Mar's claims that these lenses provide "rich color saturation, unsurpassed definition and a more vivid world"; are there benefits as a result of this for backpacking and hiking?
• How well-vented are the Fathoms; do the lenses fog up in adverse conditions (especially during strenuous winter activities); do the frames encourage trapping heat or moisture?
• Performance of frames in adverse conditions: how does the frame material perform in extreme heat or cold (I'll be in both); how does the frame feel when it gets wet with precipitation or sweaty; does it slip or otherwise lose performance in adverse conditions, especially sweaty winter hikes with big temperature and humidity swings?
• Performance of lenses in adverse conditions: how do the lenses handle rain, snow, ice and wind; how do they handle temperature extremes?
• Durability of frames: how do they hold up to being worn all over the place, from ocean to mountaintop, sunny Tiburon afternoons to frigid Desolation Wilderness mornings; do they easily become soiled, and if so, are they easy to clean; how do they rebound from being bent or crushed or dropped (not that I'll push that...but glasses do get tossed into packs and pockets and bounce around on keeper straps)?
• Durability of lenses: do they scratch or peel or otherwise degrade over the course of the test; how do they respond to the rubber eyecups on my cameras and binoculars; how do they respond to cleaning?
• Along those lines: do spots on the outside where coating is missing from the lenses get worse, or do more of them pop up?
• Looks: subjective, for the most part, but...how nice do the glasses look; what do others say about this?

Summary

Things I like:

• Optically correct, distortion-free lenses
• Hyper-real color
• Comfortable but snug and grippy temples

Things I don't like:

• Weight of the included case (for backpacking or travel; fine for storage around the house)
• Omission of a cleaning cloth and cleaning instructions for the lenses
• Shape of this particular frame style lets sunlight in between my eyes at the bridge
• Two spots of coating have come off of (or are missing from) the lenses

Thanks to BackpackGearTest and Costa Del Mar for giving me the opportunity to participate in this test.

Reviews > Eye Protection > Sun Glasses > Costa Del Mar Fathom > Steve Nelson > Field Report