Reviews > Eye Protection > Sun Glasses > Numa SWAT Sunglasses > Test Report by Ray Estrella

Numa Swat Sunglasses
Test Series by Raymond Estrella
FIELD REPORT
May 27, 2008

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TESTER INFORMATION

I have been backpacking for over 30 years, all over California, and in many of the western states and Minnesota. I hike year-round, and average 500+ miles (800+ km) per year. I have made a move to lightweight gear, and smaller volume packs. I start early and hike hard so as to enjoy the afternoons exploring. I usually take a freestanding tent and enjoy hot meals at night. If not hiking solo I am usually with my wife Jenn or brother-in-law Dave.

INITIAL REPORT

Product Information

Product Description

The Numa Swat glasses get their name from being the standard-issue eyewear of the Swiss Police SWAT teams. As this model offers the largest field of vision of any Numa model I chose it for use in winter conditions when I need the most protection from sun, reflected glare, wind and blowing snow.

Numa claims to have been started to provide a tougher more durable alternative to other available eyewear. I unfortunately am pretty hard on my sunglasses, just because of the locations I use them, and so this will be a good test for me and Numa.

I received the Numa Swat glasses in a padded nylon case containing the glasses, three extra sets of lenses and a micro-fiber carrying bag. Included was a separate plastic hard-shell carrying case. Also inside the box were some stickers, postcards, brochures and a note from the founder and CEO thanking me for testing the Swats.

The frames are made of a Swiss material called MemFibr. They claim to be able to be "bent, flexed, sat on or whatever, they won't break". Indeed the web site shows a pair tied in a knot. If I try this I will wait until the end of the testing period…

As mentioned above they came with four sets of interchangeable lenses that Numa calls OpticArmor which are made of impact-resistant polycarbonate with NumaPlate hard coat and an anti-reflective layer. They are as follows.

Invisible: this clear lens blocks 8% of visible light while still cutting out 100% of UV400 rays. I plan to use these on night or early morning summit bids.

Mandarin: this orange lens is made for low light conditions. I will use this on stormy or overcast days.

Fire: this lens has a reflective red coating on a grey tinted lens. These will be the lenses I use most often on sunny days backpacking.

Polar Smoke: this neutral grey colored lens boasts a polarized layer that blocks 99% of reflected light eliminating glare from surfaces. While Numa suggests using this for boating and angling, I will use it for driving and crossing snow fields.

All are said to give 100% UVA, UVB, & UVC protection.

Venting between frame and top of lens is supposed to create airflow and prevent fogging of the glasses. The temples of the frames have some grippy material called TAK rubber to prevent slipping. There is no grip or cushion material on the nose pad.

While the big storage case is very nice I do not see myself carrying it in the field. The hard case fits the glasses very well and seems to hold them securely. When I shake it I can not hear or feel the glasses move one bit. This is how I will bring them on backpacking trips.

FIELD REPORT

Quick & Dirty Nitty Gritty

This pair of glasses can be many things for many situations and activities, but the lens hardness comes under scrutiny in the report that follows. Please read on.

Field Conditions

Observations

The Numa Swat sunglasses have proven to be a very useful and adaptable pair of glasses. I got to use them a lot at the end of winter in the mountains where the sun was blasting down on the snow covered terrain making for some tough vision conditions. I used the Polar Smoke polarized lenses for these trips and they worked very well. I also used these lenses for driving many times both in California and Minnesota to great effect.

I have used the Fire lenses for bike riding and on the trip to Joshua Tree National Park while approach hiking and rock climbing. I really like the balance of protection and light allowed with these lenses. They are my favorite. My children like them the best also. My son says they make me look like a robot (Transformer?) and he really wants some of his own.

I was only able to use the Mandarin lenses in Minnesota during some grey snowy days as I did not get them in time for any backpacking trips in the heart of winter. They worked well while shoveling snow and I do look forward to using them for packing next winter.

I have not had any opportunity yet to use the clear but should during the long term phase as I have a night-start summit attempt coming up.

I have used both cases so far with the hard clam-shell getting the nod most of the time. I carry one set of extra lenses wrapped in a small micro fiber cleaning cloth that fits just inside of the glasses when they are in the case. I did not carry all four lenses at any point while backpacking but do when I travel.

The only issues I have seen with the Swats was some fogging on one winter trip. I do not consider this anything wrong with them as it happens to all of my glasses. Looking back I think that the Swats may have experienced less fogging than I normally see. So I guess the venting is working.

They did great for bike riding, blocking the wind quite well and affording me plenty of peripheral vision to watch for those pesky cars.

The only bad thing I have to report is that while sorting gear in Joshua Tree NP they fell off the boulder I had set them on and fell about 3 ft (1 m), landing on the lenses. I picked them right up and saw that this little spill had resulted in one lens getting scratched and the other getting a fine fog effect, which I assume is very fine scratches or pits. It is quite noticeable while wearing them. This does not say much for the NumaPlate to me. I will continue to watch for any other instances of this.

The wind blocking properties have been very good. Jenn and I try to walk 4-5 miles (6-8 km) about five days a week, often at the beach where a breeze is usually blowing off the ocean. The coverage afforded by the Swats is very good.

They are pretty comfortable and stay on my face. I wore them rock climbing even though Jenn was worried that I may have them fall off 70 ft (21 m) from the ground. I told her, "no worries. I have three more sets of lenses in the truck". They stayed put, even when I lost it on a move and launched myself from the face of the rock. I wished I were NumaPlated then…

This concludes my Field Report, please come back in a couple of months to see how the rest of the testing went. My thanks to Numa Sports Optics and BackpackGearTest for letting me participate in this test.

Reviews > Eye Protection > Sun Glasses > Numa SWAT Sunglasses > Test Report by Ray Estrella