Sunglasses / Camino Portugues / Walking in August

[YYC on the go]

I'm wondering about spending gobs of money on photochromic sunglasses designed for intense sports. The Ryder's Seventh I'm looking at have not only very protective lenses, but also a nosepiece that resists slipping from sweat. I'm planning on wearing a wide-brimmed hat, but I must say, I don't like hats very much and suspect it will be me, my buff and the sunglasses. Walking the Portugues means walking north with morning sun on one's right, and afternoon sun on one's left.
I'd like some input on the types of sunglasses people have selected for daily wear on the Camino, and why those sunglasses seemed to be best for them.....

 

[Kathy F.]

In my opinion, sunglasses are a necessity on the Camino.

Don’t worry about how you look - you’ll probably be spending most of your time by yourself . You’re not going to be hit in the face by rocks and pebbles, only photons. Protect your eyes from the sun and glare (ok, the glasses might get scratched up, most likely from user abuse, lol).
Buy one’s that are the most effective for your needs and that you won’t be devastated if/when they get lost or broken.
If you are sweating so much that your glasses are slipping off your face, you might consider, a) slowing down, b) taking a break, or c) calling it a day.
Buen Camino!

 

[henrythedog]

I have a cousin who is an eye surgeon. She gives two pieces of advice to everyone:

Eat a diet with lots and lots of vegetables with ‘a rainbow’ of colours.

Wear good quality sunglasses - all the time - outdoors; unless you have brown eyes, in which case wear them almost all the time outdoors.

I’ve no idea of the scientific basis of her advice, but she’s a damn sight richer than I am.

I wear Oakleys with Cat 4 lenses.

Welding goggles are darker, but not by much.

 

[trecile]

I wear cheap sunglasses on the Camino. It's not an intense sport that requires special sunglasses.

 

[Sheesh]

Though I'm unable to comment on the specific type of glasses @Looking4suggestions has listed, one thing I found that made a difference in my comfort level was to have sunglasses with nose pads. That tiny amount of elevation the nose pads provided allowed for more air flow and actually made a big difference. The first time I went my sunglasses sat flush on my nose and I felt hotter as a result and they would often steam up.
.

 

[chinacat]

I'm wondering about spending gobs of money on photochromic sunglasses designed for intense sports. The Ryder's Seventh I'm looking at have not only very protective lenses, but also a nosepiece that resists slipping from sweat. I'm planning on wearing a wide-brimmed hat, but I must say, I don't like hats very much and suspect it will be me, my buff and the sunglasses. Walking the Portugues means walking north with morning sun on one's right, and afternoon sun on one's left.
I'd like some input on the types of sunglasses people have selected for daily wear on the Camino, and why those sunglasses seemed to be best for them.....

I use sunglasses, purchased from my optician in the UK, that are designed to fit over ordinary glasses. That way, I can wear them over contacts or prescription glasses. They have protection at the sides too, so they keep flashes of sunlight out of the sides of my eyes … these tend to give me migraines.
They are also optically correct.
They’re not expensive and they work.
I wouldn’t take anything ‘special’ on camino, just these everyday ones.

 

[Tassie Kaz]

My sunnies are essential & of the standard everyday type but are prescription with the addition of being polarised. I've never had any problems on any of my walks.
When choosing sunnies, a big consideration for me is the colour of the lenses; my preference is for green or grey. I avoid orange lenses as IMHO they distort the colour of your surroundings too much.

 

[Duayne Meyer]

I wear lightweight wrap-around, relatively inexpensive, sunglasses with polarized lenses that would not cause me great consternation if, by chance, they are broken or left behind. The key for me - besides the polarized lenses - is the croakies, so I can take the sunglasses off and on easily without needing to rifle through pockets. I’ve looked at transition lenses (photochromic) and am not yet convinced I need to make that investment. Good luck in the process of discerning what will work best for you. Buen Camino!

 

[chinacat]

I had photochom(at?)ic lenses in my prescription specs in the late 60s /early 70s.
They were a novelty and worked rather well but I didn’t bother to get them again when next I changed my frames.

 

[DyanTX]

My eyeglasses have photochromic lenses. Best $$ I have ever spent as I wear them all the time and hate changing glasses.

 

[Sean1960]

I'm wondering about spending gobs of money on photochromic sunglasses designed for intense sports. The Ryder's Seventh I'm looking at have not only very protective lenses, but also a nosepiece that resists slipping from sweat. I'm planning on wearing a wide-brimmed hat, but I must say, I don't like hats very much and suspect it will be me, my buff and the sunglasses. Walking the Portugues means walking north with morning sun on one's right, and afternoon sun on one's left.
I'd like some input on the types of sunglasses people have selected for daily wear on the Camino, and why those sunglasses seemed to be best for them.....

I'm kind of a sunglass junkie with over 50 pairs, though I tend to pick sunglasses primarily based on how they look. I'm walking the Portuguese Camino in June 2022 and the sunglasses I picked for the walk are Maui Jim Front Street for two reasons: (1) they wrap around so the sun won't be coming in through the sides or over the top; and (2) they're super comfortable because they're light weight and have a nice nose pad. I wore them for a Crested Butte to Aspen hike last year and they worked out great. They have Polycarbonate lens, and although my Vuarnet sunglasses have better lens using mineral glass, they're quite a bit heaver.

 

[A Crackpot Abroad]

I'm wondering about spending gobs of money on photochromic sunglasses designed for intense sports. The Ryder's Seventh I'm looking at have not only very protective lenses, but also a nosepiece that resists slipping from sweat. I'm planning on wearing a wide-brimmed hat, but I must say, I don't like hats very much and suspect it will be me, my buff and the sunglasses. Walking the Portugues means walking north with morning sun on one's right, and afternoon sun on one's left.
I'd like some input on the types of sunglasses people have selected for daily wear on the Camino, and why those sunglasses seemed to be best for them.....

I get my safety sunglasses (eye protection, UV protection and stylish too) at Home Depot in the U.S. for $4.99. They're sturdy won't disintegrate in a day.. I carry extra incase I lose them. That way I won't fret over losing an expensive pair of sunglasses.

 

[frida1]

I’ve worn good sunglasses all my adult life. I don’t see how the intensity of what you do effects the need-it’s how much time you spend in the sun. Portugal is sunny-protect your eyes!

 

[makingtrax]

I wear lightweight wrap-around, relatively inexpensive, sunglasses with polarized lenses that would not cause me great consternation if, by chance, they are broken or left behind. The key for me - besides the polarized lenses - is the croakies, so I can take the sunglasses off and on easily without needing to rifle through pockets. I’ve looked at transition lenses (photochromic) and am not yet convinced I need to make that investment. Good luck in the process of discerning what will work best for you. Buen Camino!

What r croakies? Thanks u

 

[RussB]

I wear lightweight wrap-around, relatively inexpensive, sunglasses with polarized lenses that would not cause me great consternation if, by chance, they are broken or left behind. The key for me - besides the polarized lenses - is the croakies, so I can take the sunglasses off and on easily without needing to rifle through pockets. I’ve looked at transition lenses (photochromic) and am not yet convinced I need to make that investment. Good luck in the process of discerning what will work best for you. Buen Camino!

Agree, Amazon have loads , if you leave them somewhere it’s not the end of the world

 

[trecile]

What r croakies? Thanks u

You use Croakies to hang your sunglasses around your neck when you aren't wearing them.

 

[YYC on the go]

What r croakies? Thanks u

Makingtrax -croakies are the around your neck sunglasses holders/ straps. Here's the link. I have a couple pairs of them https://www.croakies.com/

 

[JCarpenter]

Raybans polarized. They are very hard to scratch and have a very comfortable nose piece. With croaking to prevent loss.

 

[JCarpenter]

Love the spell correct. Croakies

 

[YYC on the go]

Love the spell correct. Croakies

One day I will make it my mission to end auto-correct! Yup - getting closer to liking Raybans or Oakley. thinking about sunlight from the sides, that most 'flat' lenses don't take care of - thinking that sun is only in front of our face.....

 

[Keith H]

I'm kind of a sunglass junkie with over 50 pairs, though I tend to pick sunglasses primarily based on how they look. I'm walking the Portuguese Camino in June 2022 and the sunglasses I picked for the walk are Maui Jim Front Street for two reasons: (1) they wrap around so the sun won't be coming in through the sides or over the top; and (2) they're super comfortable because they're light weight and have a nice nose pad. I wore them for a Crested Butte to Aspen hike last year and they worked out great. They have Polycarbonate lens, and although my Vuarnet sunglasses have better lens using mineral glass, they're quite a bit heaver.

Maui Jim’s and Revos are my favourite lenses. I rarely wear sunglasses but if I do it’s those. As light as possible.

 

[Duayne Meyer]

What r croakies? Thanks u

Hi Making Trax,
There are a LOT of different kinds/styles. The ones I have my kids brought me from Florida. Croakies attach (different kinds attach in slightly different ways) to your sunglasses. When you aren't wearing your glasses they hang down.

 

[Owensr23]

Check my profile photo - Tilley hat and wrap around sport glasses from Amazon for about $20.

You need both and sunscreen on the CP.

 

[YYC on the go]

Check my profile photo - Tilley hat and wrap around sport glasses from Amazon for about $20.

You need both and sunscreen on the CP.

Lots of sunscreen. And walking north the whole time, more sunscreen on my right side - the part that gets afternoon sun!

 

[Friend from Barquinha]

I’ve worn good sunglasses all my adult life. I don’t see how the intensity of what you do effects the need-it’s how much time you spend in the sun. Portugal is sunny-protect your eyes!

If you're from the Pacific Northwest of North America or from northern Europe, you'll likely find the ambient brightness in Portugal and Spain pretty harsh--particularly in towns where all the walls are white and often, so are the cobbled sidewalks. The other thing you'll find surprising is how short the dawn and dusk periods are: you go from dark to bright very quickly in the morning, and the reverse, come evening.

I need strong prescription glasses so have a pair with photochromatic lenses that I wear almost all the time in central Portugal. The tricky thing is going into buildings. They will seem very shadowy in comparison to outside, and your glasses may not "de-shade"all that quickly. Clip-ons--it seems not that easy to find, nowadays--may be a good and cost-effective alternative for peregrinos/as.

I and others in my age-group (older) may find the bright-sky issue particularly challenging because our eyes adapt less quickly to changes in light levels.