Glasses

[sleeman13]

I know there are prob. a lot of threads already addressing this question, but I'll ask anyways. For those hikers that wear glasses, what have your experiences been? I have glasses and was wondering how much of a pain they are, especially when it's raining or when your sweating a lot. Have those who wear glasses had lots of problems with them fogging up. I've also seen 30-day contacts. Has anyone tried those out. What is your opinion of them?
Thanks

[Tennessee Viking]

I use a alcohol based cleaner and it helps keep the fogging down. Winter weather is the only time I really have any problems but thats usually because I have my head and mouth covered over and my breath hits my glasses.

[Erin]

I wear glasses. I don't have contacts and can't wear them. I do take a brim hat for rain and it does help alot. If it is a long hike, check your screws if you are only taking one pair of glasses. As in, go in with new ones. After my hike, the day I got back, my screws basically popped out and broke on both sides (sweat and dirt) and I would have been "screwed" since I really don't see well without my glasses.

[Marta]

I was involved in a glasses "rescue." I was out for a section a few springs ago and a NOBO's screw popped out of one side of his glasses. He couldn't even see his feet without them. We ended up using dental floss to sew the frame together to get him to Damascus.

I wear glasses for close-up only. I lost a pair somewhere near Bemis Mountain Lean-To in Maine. Hunted for them for at least an hour. Never did find them.

Carry a spare pair.

Even Ray Jardine, lightweight lama of lamas, carries spare glasses with him.

[mudhead]

Carry a spare pair.

Even Ray Jardine, lightweight lama of lamas, carries spare glasses with him.

Good advice. If you have a screw loose,

visit an optician.

Clear nail polish on a loose screw will buy you some time. Very small safety pin will work if you lose a screw on the temple.

[Lone Wolf]

Good advice. If you have a screw loose...

...seek a qualified psychologist

[BumpJumper]

Marta I bet that fella learned to take something on the next trip!

[Montana Mac]

Good advice. If you have a screw loose,

...seek a qualified psychologist

Hell LW that means the AT should lead to their office door - we all must have a screw loose to put a pack on our back, hike thru the mud and rain so we can setup a tent and sleep on the ground

[Lone Wolf]

Hell LW that means the AT should lead to their office door - we all must have a screw loose to put a pack on our back, hike thru the mud and rain so we can setup a tent and sleep on the ground

i don't hike thru mud and rain

[mudhead]

Must be a bolt.

[buff_jeff]

I wear prescription sunglasses most of the time. They're a lot more sturdy than regular specs. I also carry a normal pair for cloudy days. Whichever pair I'm not wearing I keep in a case in my pack.

I never really had a problem with them fogging up on the trail. I wear a hat and the brim keeps them relatively dry.

I hiked with a few people this summer who used contacts, something I'd never recommend. The propensity for an eye infection is huge on the trail with lack of hygiene and long hours with contacts in.

[TwistedToad]

while at home you can take the screws out put a lil fingernail polish on the screw and then screw them back in. They will stay tight for a long time.

[OldStormcrow]

My glasses are a real pain when hiking in cold weather....they keep fogging up whenever I slow down for a moment and sit there panting and wheezing. I've heard that the product call "Cat Crap" works when applied to the inside of the lenses, but I keep forgetting to use some before wandering out into the waether....

[Blissful]

I had some problems with glasses fogging up on rainy days while hiking, but not that bad. Never really had a problem in cold weather, unless I went into a warm place. I carried a bandana in a little pouch to wipe them off. I also used a Marmot precip baseball cap in the rain, though I would like to get a bigger rain hat to use while hiking.

[Slo-go'en]

I carry one of those little eye glass repair kits and has saved me a couple of times. I also carried one of those microfiber lens cleaning cloths on my last trip and was a big hit will all the eyeglass wearers around me. Everytime I pulled it out, everyone else wanted to use it too!

A hat with a brim is a must when it rains, but sometimes the best thing to do it take the glasses off and stumble along best you can. This is usually in exposed areas when the wind is blowing the rain in your face. Can't see much of anything anyway. But I do like the smell of the forest when its raining.

[berninbush]

I used to wear glasses (before Lasik) and I used to ride my bike to work every day. Most of the time it was fine but I remember one uber-foggy day when I could actually see better without my glasses than with them. And that's quite a statement because I was seriously disabled without them... with my right eye I could just make out the top E on the eye chart, and the left wasn't much better. I rode slow so I wouldn't hit anything, and I was glad to get to the end of the trail that day, lemme tell you.

Now I don't wear glasses and have no worries.

How much precaution you take with your glasses depends in part on how dependent you are on them. If you can't safely navigate out of the woods without them, I would think a backup pair would be a must.

[Jack Tarlin]

All my miles have been with glasses, so yeah, it's possible to hike with them.

A few tips for the bespectacled:

*Carrying an extra pair is not a bad idea. Or at very least, make sure you
have your prescription with you in case you need a quick replacement.
*Carry a repair kit, you'll need it sooner or later.
*Bring a HARD glasses case, as sooner or later, you or someone else will step
or sit on your glasses in camp, at a shelter, wherever.
*Put your contact info in or on the case.
*When you're not wearing or needing them, put them in the case, and put the
case away. Glasses, including sunglasses, are among the most frequently
lost items on a hike.
*A visored hat will help in bad weather, but having a dry bandana within easy
reach doesn't hurt either.
*Be careful in shelters, as this is where a lot of glasses get messed up. I put
mine in my ballcap at night, and they stay next to my head, along with my
headlamp and a few other things. Another way to avoid problems here is
to avoid staying in shelters!
*Same thing in tents......watch where you put them. Glasses usually get
damaged or broken when they're NOT actually being used.
*Oh, and watch it when you're swimming. Sounds crazy, but I've seen
people jump in lakes while wearing their glasses. Bad idea.

[jersey joe]

I thru hiked with contacts. I brought glasses with me as a backup, but can't stand wearing them while hiking for many of the reasons listed above. I took my contacts out every night and it is very difficult to get your hands clean enough, but I did my best.

[ChinMusic]

Before I had Lasik I dropped my glasses off a bridge into a shallow stream. There was NO WAY I would have been able to find them without the help of others. After that I never backpacked without a spare. That scared me. Had I been in some remote area I would have been toast.

[Marta]

One reason I carry a spare pair instead of a repair kit is that what I don't have is close-up vision. I have to wear the spare pair in order to fix the other pair.