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Gear Reviews
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| Tester Information |
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Name: Rebecca
Sowards-Emmerd
Location: Los
Altos, CA
Age/Sex:
27/Female
Height: 5'5"
(1.65 m)
Weight: 125
lb (57 kg)
Email:
rebecca@backpackgeartest.org
Website:
http://www.calipidder.com |
I began backpacking in
the summer of 2000 after moving to California. Although I started off
carrying everything but the kitchen sink, my style has shifted to
lightweight gear and techniques, though I am known to carry a few luxury
items. First in
my heart is summer backpacking, but I also enjoy snowshoeing, skiing,
and snowcamping, as well as long dayhikes and peak climbing. I
spend time outside during weekends year-round in the deserts and mountains
of California. My weekend hikes are often 'spur-of-the-moment', and
usually occur in and around Yosemite National Park, Desolation Wilderness
(near Lake Tahoe), and Sonora Pass in the Sierra Nevada mountains, as well
as Lassen National Park and Mt. Shasta area in the Southern
Cascades. |
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Product Information |
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Name: Smith Theory
Sunglasses
Manufacturer: Smith
Optics
Manufacturer website: www.smithoptics.com
Year of Manufacture:
2005
Listed Weight:
none
Measured
weight: 0.6 oz/17 g
MSRP: $99 to $129 USD,
depending on lens/frame combination.
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The Smith Theory sunglasses are part of Smith's
Interchangeable lens series. This series, consisting of 14 different
frame styles at the time of this writing, allows the user to change among
different lenses depending on the conditions in which they will be using
the glasses. There are several frame colors and lens combinations to
choose among.
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| Long Term Report |
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For the past six months the Smith
Theory Sunglasses have been my primary sunglasses for athletic wear. Since
the Field Report they have been worn on several weekend backpacking trips
in the Sierra Nevada, countless dayhikes in the San Francisco Bay area and
Lava Beds National Monument, kayaking and hiking the dunes on Lake
Michigan, and running in my neighborhood three mornings a week.
Comfort
These glasses are very comfortable for
athletic use. In fact, I frequently forget that I am wearing them! When I
am backpacking in the Sierra the early morning sun can be quite bright, so
they are one of the first things I put on in the mornings. They have to
stay on all day until the sun goes down and through all kinds of
activity. Even after a full day of use I don't notice them - I'll think
it's getting dark out early until I remember (or someone reminds me) that
I still have my sunglasses on. I'm very happy to have a pair of glasses
that I can wear all day without feeling pinched. I attribute the
comfort to the 'bendy' material of the arms. They fit snug but have
the flexibility so that they don't squeeze my head too tight. I wear them
regularly while running. Even when I am sweating heavily and jogging on
pavement (which jolts the body a bit) they don't budge and I don't notice
them.
.JPG) I put the Theorys up on my head all of the time. I love
how they will stay put - this was especially nice in Lava beds National
Monument, where we were hiking between caves. Constantly going in and out
of the dark can be a pain if you don't have a quick place to stash the
sunglasses. In my case, that was my head. If we were going into small
caves I'd put them in a case for protection.
Interchangeable
Lenses
I don't have much to add about the lens
interchangeability since my comments in the Field Report. In sunshiney
California we are fortunate enough to not have to deal with clouds and
rain through the summer. I found the Rose Copper lenses to be very nice in
the cloudy winter conditions in the San Francisco Bay area, but once the
summer sun appeared I put in the brown polarized lenses and rarely needed
to change them. These lenses are perfect in the bright sun, especially at
altitude in the Sierra, and I have no desire to switch to the yellow or
Rose Copper lenses until the clouds appear again this winter. I am very
happy that I have this option. The polarized lenses are too dark for local
use in the winter, and it is nice to be able to use the same glasses
year-round, simply by changing out the lenses. I will still use the
polarized brown lenses for playing on the snow in the Sierra this winter.
In the last weekend of the Long Term Test period I wore the brown
polarized lenses on a hike along a bluff over the Pacific Ocean on the
foggy coast just north of San Francisco. When the sun finally came
out I looked out on the shimmery water and noticed that something was a
bit off. I tilted my head a few degrees to the right and then the left. I
did it again with my right eye closed, then my left eye. I noticed that
the polarization, which prevents the reflected light from passing through
the glasses, was a bit off between the lenses. The right lens had the
maximum filter when my head was straight. In order for the left lens to
block the most reflected light I had to tilt my head about ten degrees to
the left. I asked a friend (and fellow BGT tester) who I was with to try
it. He also observed that the polarization in the lenses was off.
Since the shimmery surface of the Pacific Ocean doesn't provide a
smooth surface for reflected light, I wanted to test this observation
another way. At home, I took another pair of polarized glasses that I own
(the Smith Spawns) and held the Theory brown polarized lenses up to them
one by one. The right lens blocked all light when held at a 90 degree
angle to the right lens of the Spawn. This is what is expected in
polarized lenses. The left Theory lens, when held at a 90 degree angle to
the right lens of the Spawn still let a little light through. I had to
turn it about 10 degrees for the maximum blockage. This unscientific test
confirmed what I saw last week when looking at the water - the
polarization in the Theory lenses are off from each other by about 10
degrees.
This isn't a big deal to me - I wore them for six months before
noticing it at all. I have worn them on the snow, while kayaking, and
while at the beach, and even in those conditions where there was a lot of
reflected light I didn't notice it. It certainly doesn't bother me enough
to stop wearing them, and I'm still looking forward to wearing them on the
reflective snow when the sun is out this winter.
Wear and
Tear
Sunglasses that I use for backpacking, running, and hiking must be
durable. I always have the best intentions to treat my sunglasses
carefully, but it is inevitable that I'll drop them on granite, kneel on
them in my tent, or drop them in the dirt. Usually all three happen in the
span of a weekend backpacking trip. So far the Theorys have taken these
beatings in stride. The lenses I use the most frequently, the polarized
brown lenses, have a few very minor scratches and knicks. They do not
bother me when I am wearing the glasses, and I have to look at them
carefully in just the right light in order to see the damage. Considering
the number of times I've dropped them around camp (at least three that I
can remember), they look remarkably good! The frames don't even look used
- I can't find any scratches or markings. Even the painted text on the
inside of arms hasn't faded. The nose and ear padding is clean and smooth,
just as it was when they were new. They definitely don't look as used as
they actually are.
 I have gotten into the habit of only changing
the lenses at home. I don't feel comfortable doing this in the backcountry
where I may drop or break lenses more easily. At home I can change
them with clean hands and over a soft surface, so before I head out on a
trip I pick the lenses that are the most appropriate for the
conditions. I believe this has helped keep the lenses in
good condition.
Conclusions
The Smith Theory Sunglasses are, in my opinion, the perfect outdoor
glasses. They are extremely comfortable, durable, and most
importantly stay put on my face whether I'm hopping boulders in
Yosemite, jogging down my paved street, or hiking down a trail while
covered in sweat. They do a good job at keeping out the light
and protecting the eyes, especially when the Theory Max lenses are
used. The different lens options allow me to wear them year-round,
perfect for the semi-cloudy conditions that are common in winter around
here.
As my second pair of Smith sunglasses, I am very impressed with the
quality and design of their glasses and look forward to using them for
many years to come. |
Read more reviews of Smith gear
Read more gear reviews by Rebecca Sowards-Emmerd
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