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Unlike most backpacking gear,
sunglasses are something that I use daily. As a resident of the
sunny state of California sunglasses are needed all the time, whether it's
for a quick walk to the produce stand, driving to work, jogging, hiking,
skiing, or anything else! Even in the rainy winter season I always
keep sunglasses at hand. This means that the Smith Theory sunglasses
have gotten a large amount of use in a wide variety of conditions in the
Field Testing period - more use than I am used to writing about in my
reports about backpacking-only gear!
These activities and field conditions
include:
- Hiking and backpacking in the San
Francisco Bay area: During the past couple of months most of
my local park hiking has been on the east side of the Santa
Cruz mountains, which are usually dry grassy two-track style
trails. In the summer these trails can be miserably hot, but in
the spring these are great trails to get out and see some wildflowers in
the warm sun before things get too hot. One
backpacking trip to Henry Coe State Park also occurred, with similar
terrain and some hot and sunny weather. There is barely any flat
trail in Henry Coe, so much of the hiking is never ending sweaty uphill
slogs.
- Snowshoeing in Lassen National
Park: I spent an overnight in Lassen with a group of twelve
people. It was a lovely sunny weekend on the fresh snow,
with the sun beating down enough to make me snowshoe in a summer
tank top!
- Snowshoeing in North Tahoe to Loch
Leven Lakes: I lucked out this winter and had warm sunny weather
for most of my outings. Until recently, that is, where we
spent a late season overnight in the snow that brought rain.
- Two days of day trips on the snow
in the Tahoe area, one on cross country skis and the other on
snowshoes. Conditions were just like those in Lassen
National Park.
- Jogging around home: Three
days a week I jog around the local neighborhood after work. This
is usually early evening and the sun is still pretty hot, so I sweat a
lot.
- Bay-to-Breakers party/race in San
Francisco: I wore the Theory sunglasses during the Bay-to-Breakers
7.5 mile (12 km) race in San Francisco. I wasn't a runner; I was a
"back of the pack" person, taking part in the moving block party element
of the fun. It was sunny, then sprinkly, then foggy, and the crowd
was huge and I was jostled around quite a bit.
- Daily around-town wear: Again, one
advantage to sunglasses is that I can use them every day in
California. I keep these glasses on the table right next to my
front door and put them on whenever I walk outside, whether it is for a
jog, or to drive somewhere.
While seemingly a simple piece of
gear, there is a lot to talk about when it comes to these
sunglasses. I've broken down this report into the following
sections:
- Fit and Function
- Interchangeable Lenses
- Storage
- Wear and Tear
Fit and
Function
 The single most important thing I look for in a
pair of sunglasses is the answer to this question: Do they protect my
eyes comfortably? Due to the time I spend in the snow and
at high altitude, I must have sunglasses that will protect
my somewhat light-sensitive eyes. I wear contacts and
seem to react more strongly to bright light and reflected light
than my husband, who does not wear contacts. And, due to the
fact that when I am in these conditions I am usually doing an active
sport, I must have glasses that are comfortable and well-fitting as
well.
I have a narrow face and that means
most glasses I use are too wide. Wide glasses will wobble and let in
too much light around the sides, which is not good! The Theory
glasses, which Smith lists as having a small/medium fit, are the first
glasses I've had that don't have a big gap around the temple. They
slide on snug around my face and stay put no matter what I am doing.
I've taken tumbles on skis, postholed in my snowshoes, jogged while
sweating like crazy, trudged up steep trails while sweating and losing my
footing, and still they won't budge. The nose and temple pad
material, combined with the snug fit, do a perfect job at keeping the
glasses in place. I frequently forget that I'm wearing them.
I've said this before - if I forget I'm wearing something that is the best
sign of good fit and comfort, whether it is a backpack, pants,
or sunglasses. The first couple times I wore them I noticed a small
amount of pinching behind my ears after hours and hours of wear, but this
has gone away with use.
I've worn the Theory sunglasses with
two types of hats: a baseball style cap and wide-brimmed sun/rain
hats. The arms of the sunglasses extend back far enough that the
baseball cap doesn't fit too well with them, but the two wide-brimmed hats
I have used with them have worked quite well.
My mom told me never to rest glasses
on the top of my head since I would surely lose them/drop them/break
them. Sorry Mom, but I do this frequently with sunglasses.
Since I wear them pretty much everywhere, I'll simply slide them up on my
head when I walk into a store or crawl into my tent, among other
reasons. The temple pads and shape of the frames keep them in place
here, and I've never felt like they are at risk of falling off of my
head. And, more importantly, they never have.
There is a certain amount of light
leakage around the bottom and lower outside of the standard Theory
lenses. It is minimal and doesn't bother me too much. The
Theory Max lenses eliminate the majority of the light leakage by having an
extended lens that covers just the right spot where the light leaks
through on the lower outside. There is still a small amount of
light leakage on the bottom with the Theory Max lenses. The photo
below shows the regular Theory lens (left) and the Theory Max lens
(right). Notice the Theory Max has more coverage to the bottom and
outside of the lens.
Interchangeable
Lenses
 The lens changing procedure has gotten much, much easier
with time. Actually, after the first two or three changes, the
process became very quick and simple. I give the lens a tug (as
shown in the photo to the right) to remove it, and the opposite motion to
snap a new lens into place. Either the track has smoothed out a bit,
or I have gotten the 'feel' for it now. Probably a little bit of
both. In any case, it has become second nature and I no longer feel
nervous that I am hurting the glasses. Once in place, the lenses
feel tight and secure - not once have I felt like the lenses were loose or
that they would come unsecured.
How practical is the lens
interchangeability feature? As described in my Initial Report, I
received the following lenses with the Theory sunglasses. Each lens
has a Visible Light Transmission (VLT) rate, which Smith defines as
the percentage of visible light allowed to reach the eye. All
lenses included with my test set have 100% UVA and UVB protection.
- Sienna Brown (Theory and
Theory Max): This lens shade is good for sunny and slightly
overcast conditions. The brown tint is supposed to enhance depth
perception. VLT= 18%.
- Yellow (Theory and Theory
Max): Increases seeing ability in flat and low light
conditions. VLT = 68%
- Rose Copper 36 (Theory): Best for
widest variety of conditions. VLT = 36%
- Sienna Brown Polarized
(Theory): Similar to the regular Sienna Brown, but with
polarization that cuts 99% or reflected light. VLT =
15%
I have found myself using two of these lenses 90% of the time.
Since it is the end of the rainy season in California there have been some
cloudy and rainy days during the testing period. On these gloomy
days I choose to use the Rose Copper lenses. I find that they
provide a cheery view of a dismal day, and if the sun decides to poke out
they still give me protection. I can keep them on when it's clouding
up and I don't feel like I'm left in the dark - I can still see
clearly. Most other sunglasses I have used would be too dark to use
when the clouds came out, so I'd be constantly putting them on and taking
them off at this time of year. This is not necessary with the
lovely Rose Copper lenses. Colors, especially greens,
become very vibrant when viewed through these lenses. My other
favorite lenses are the Sienna Brown Polarized. I have used these
extensively on the snow and have loved them and the protection they
provide. They are always my first choice on bright sunny
days. If I don't want to be bothered by light leaks, but don't
need the polarization, I will use the bigger Sienna Brown Theory Max
lenses. I wish that the Sienna Brown Theory Max lenses
were also polarized, which would give me the best of both worlds.
I have found little use for the yellow lenses, but if I have a
chance to go jogging in the rain I will definitely try them in those
conditions.
I've found that I like to switch the lenses out in the safety of
my own home. I look at the weather report and determine
which lenses will be the most appropriate for the conditions I will be in,
then pick which lens I will use. I don't carry lens
changes with me on the trail, mostly because I'm nervous that I will break
them, lose them, or hurt them if I try to switch them out in the
backcountry with dirty hands. I like changing them at home,
over a carpeted surface, with my lens cleaning cloth
nearby. It's just simpler that way. If I were
heading out for several days I would definitely consider
bringing multiple sets of lenses, but right now I prefer to change
them at home.
Storage
The standard case provided with
the Theory sunglasses is quite nice, but not at all what I want for a pair
of sport glasses. The standard case is soft, but has great pockets
for storing two sets of extra lenses. But, I tend to throw my
glasses in purses, backpacks, car seats, and other dangerous places.
Therefore I need a hard case for any sunglasses that I use or they won't
last very long! My solution is that I leave the Smith case at home
on a safe shelf as storage for the extra lenses (photo on the right - note
the extra lens pockets). The sunglasses themselves are carried in a
hard shelled case (photo on the left). I can put them away in the
hard case and toss them willy-nilly into a pack or tent without worrying
about crushing them with gear or my knees.
 
Wear and
Tear
Daily use of the Theory sunglasses - putting them on and taking
them off, propping them up on my head, tossing them on tables, car seats,
dashboards, etc, getting covered with snow and dust - and they
still look brand new! The lenses and frames both look like the
day they were received. I am incredibly pleased with the way these
glasses have handled regular and tough use. For being so
lightweight, with the interchangeable lens function, these things are
bombproof. Well, I haven't exactly gone out of my way to drop them
on concrete to test this, but they certainly haven't received special
treatment either. I'm not purposefully rough with my gear, but I
also don't treat it with kid gloves. I expect gear intended for
outdoor use to withstand the type of abuse typical of outdoor sports, and
these glasses have performed perfectly. In my Initial Report I
mentioned being concerned about the flexible Grilamid material, and
if it would become loose over time. So far there has
been no deterioration in the fit at all. I'll discuss this in
further detail in the Long Term Report - once I have four more months of
every day use I should be able to comment further about the durability of
the Theory sunglasses.
In the short two months I have been
using the Smith Theory sunglasses I have been incredibly pleased with the
fit, performance, and quality. The interchangeable lenses have been
fun to play with an I enjoy having the option of different lenses with the
comfortable frames. I expect that the rest of the test period will
provide more positive experiences with these glasses, and I look forward
to reporting on their long term performance.
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