# Suggestions for paddling glasses?



## Nessy (May 25, 2009)

Check out Rudy Project.


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## wildh2onriver (Jul 21, 2009)

Or phazzer. Kinda cool for rivers? Idk how well they'd do in whitewater situations? Anyone have any beta on this product?


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## raferguson1 (Feb 13, 2007)

*Get a strap*

The most important thing is to have a strap. They even sell straps with floatation, so if you drop the glasses with the strap on them, the glasses will not go to the bottom. I don't think that it matters that much what kind of strap you use. I have never lost a pair of glasses when I wore a strap.

I have paddled with a variety of glasses. I generally paddle with prescription polarized sunglasses. I have a small bifocal in them so I can read maps, without losing periferal vision. Glasses are custom made, so ask questions, and ask for what you want and need. 

Sunglasses make sense, in that the sun reflects off the water, making it brighter, so protect your eyes. On a multi-day trip I take both sunglasses and regular glasses, and switch when the sun goes behind the canyon wall.

Look for a sturdy frame. Industrial safety glasses have sturdy frames, but you can tell by looking which frames are flimsy.

I have not found fogging to be an issue with glasses. When it is really hot, sweat can be an issue, but you can take them off, rinse them in the water, and then dry them on a cotton t-shirt.

I wear glasses all the time, and I don't see glasses for river use as that different.

Richard


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## cadster (May 1, 2005)

For whitewater kayaking, fogging can definitely be an issue.

The combination of cold water and a warm face cause droplets to form. The generally dry air in the rocky mtns make it less of a problem than more humid destinations.

Small lenses are the best at promoting air flow and less fog.

I suspect full face helmets would also cause more fogging.


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## jennifer (Oct 14, 2003)

If rafting - no fog issues..... If kayaking - big time fog issues. I like cat crap. You'll have to use it just about every time you go kayaking bec. the water splashing will wash it off. Some of the anti-fog applications will distort polycarbonate lenses. If you get an anti-glare coat on them they will be scratched, smudged, and foggy after their first river trip (and it will cost you extra for that coating so don't bother). Plastic vs metal is personal preference but I prefer plastic or the flex metal for their durability. And don't forget Murphy's law here - the more you spend the sooner they will be lost. I have a pair of $500 RX transition Oakley's sitting on the bottom of the Futaleufu that I wore for 3 days. In my desk is an old pair of hideous crap specs I got for nothing 12 years and hundreds of river days ago that I just can't lose. And... croakies get ripped of in the most inopportune moments - duck tape them on. Last thing - brand doesn't matter but how it fits under you helmet does! Bring your helmet when trying on the frames.


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## johng (Apr 25, 2005)

Like Jennifer said. I've been cursed to kayak with glasses for 30 yrs. Fogging can be a huge deal. I don't know how many rapids I've run mostly blind because I went deep at the top and glasses fogged on surfacing. If you use anti-fog (Cat Crap, waxed cloths for skiing or whatever) you'll have to use it _every_ time, and sometimes re-apply during the day. And you'll still fog on bad days since nothing works all the time. Ventilation around the lenses is extremely important (same as for skiing ...). If you get close-fitting lenses or wrap-arounds you'll likely have a lot more trouble with fogging. But as someone said, this is also highly dependent on what you're running. Fogging usually isn't an issue on the Arkansas on a beautiful sunny day. It's serious issue on steep, cold creeks on rainy days in spring.

I use my regular sunglasses kayaking, which are high quality, expensive, coated, polarizing, etc. You're the best judge of how you treat glasses. I'm careful (hey, these things cost more than $500!) and mine even survived a Grand Canyon trip with only a few minor scratches. When it's bad - a wet warm day on a very cold river - kayaking with glasses really sucks, but I'd probably wear glasses most of the time anyway since they offer so much protection from physical abuses, glare, UV, etc. 

Second advice to use duct tape with Croakies. Croakies are very good (and for whitewater kayaking I think floating is totally irrelevant) and you have to get thrashed to pull glasses out of Croakies. BUT (from experience!) it's a real (expensive) bummer when you get worked in a hole and emerge without glasses.

And be sure to remember that glasses DO NOT stay on if you're not wearing a helmet!!! I made the stupid mistake of a practice roll without my helmet - but only once.


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## whitewater_fishin (Mar 28, 2012)

Thanks so much everyone! 

anyone have opinions of getting upgrades to photochromatic lenses?


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## MT4Runner (Apr 6, 2012)

jennifer said:


> And don't forget Murphy's law here - the more you spend the sooner they will be lost. I have a pair of $500 RX transition Oakley's sitting on the bottom of the Futaleufu that I wore for 3 days. In my desk is an old pair of hideous crap specs I got for nothing 12 years and hundreds of river days ago that I just can't lose.


No kidding.

I had Lasik done 6 years ago, but for my first 10 years of kayaking, usually wore prescription sunglasses from WalMart. I'd buy whatever frames looked decent--and beefy--and usually didn't pay more than $30-40/pair. I was fortunate to only have a fairly simple spherical correction prescription. My wife's astigmatism corrective lenses always cost a lot more.

I'd end up stepping on them and have to replace them about the time they were scratched up enough to need replacement anyway. They probably lasted 1.5 years each, on average. 



jennifer said:


> And... croakies get ripped of in the most inopportune moments - duck tape them on. Last thing - brand doesn't matter but how it fits under you helmet does! Bring your helmet when trying on the frames.


I used 2 or 3mm accessory cord and electrical heat shrink to permanently attach the cord to the temples. I cut the cord short enough that the glasses/cord would barely fit over my head when aligned just so. The cord would hang down just behind my ears. When my glasses got pushed up by the lenses, they would go no farther than my forehead.


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## gh (Oct 13, 2003)

I wear contacts, disposables.


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## cadster (May 1, 2005)

johng said:


> If you use anti-fog (Cat Crap, waxed cloths for skiing or whatever) you'll have to use it _every_ time, and sometimes re-apply during the day.


I rely on frequent applications of spit.


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## Ed Hansen (Oct 12, 2003)

I used to use an old Army glasses. (BCGs for guys, RPDs of ladies) You can buy the type in the super cheap section of any eyeglass store. Heavy, thick plastic frame that went out of style in the 70s.

I had about 10 extra pair but as my eyes changed over the years they are all just about long since useless. 

Black duct tape is great, Gorilla tape (also black) is awesome. Once boating season starts, I usually have the tape on for months. Duct-tape sticky gets soft after a couple weeks if you are boating 5 or more days a week and the band needs to be remade. Gorilla tape is waterproof and will last a couple months. Gorilla tape is very thick and stiff, so you have to "mold" a couple curves to it so it rests in the right spot on your neck. Trial and error till you get it right. Worth the time if you leave it on full time. Function over fashion.

For the past 10 years or so, I just make a 1/2-inch duct tape band on whatever pair I wear every day of my life. It stays on my head no matter what hole I get chundered in. Sometimes my glasses pull off and end up around my neck, but never lost. Before I started using duct tape, I have had croakies work off one side of the temple or the other and come off my face while under water. 

That means stop your roll attempt immediately, cup your face with both hands, blindly locate and put glasses back on, find paddle if it is still there, and start roll attempt again via paddle or most likely hand roll.

So now I only use croakies if I know it will be a easy day on the water after asking everyone on the trip if they have fifteen inches of duct tape to spare. 

I have tried several versions of defogger from spit, to catcrap, to baby shampoo, to rainex, to stuff for scuba diving with varied degrees of success and udder failure. But the best remedy is plain old river water. Now a days I just use a splash of water to the face to clear any fog or major water droplets. That works 100% of the time. But river water is dirty so they slowly get very spotty. I don't rub them until I'm off the water and can rinse them with clean water, spray them with lense cleaner and cloth or clean cotton shirt if I'm desperate.


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## Schutzie (Feb 5, 2013)

Never tried it, but a buddy swears by RainX to minimize water drops and fogging. If it's good enough for aviation........


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## MtnGuyXC (Jul 20, 2006)

Well I have been thru the ganbit with glasses & contacts..to afraid to do the lasik in my later years here..I prefer contacts over the glasses...but it depends on the air temps & water temps you are dealing with if going with glasses..They can be fine with the right factors...Under a full face it is definitely a problem...Just remember if you use glasses... polycarbonate is much safer but will scratch up fairly quick..& then you get all that light refraction going on which bugs me...glass lenses can be really dangerous if you end up upside down faceplanting into a rock..It's happened to me.. two broken lenses & multiple stitches... fortunately no damage to the eye... the photo grey on glass works much better than with plastic lenses..Bottom line is there are pluses & minuses to whatever way you go & it basiclly just sucks to have to deal with it...People with good vision don't know just how lucky they are..I've always been a little envious..ha. I'd stick with a soft lens contact & just have spares along....unfortunately if you have astigmatism the contacts are a bit more of a hassle than just being near or farsighted...Good Luck.


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## MT4Runner (Apr 6, 2012)

MtnGuyXC said:


> to afraid to do the lasik in my later years here..


If you're a LASIK candidate, go for it.

You probably only read or need reading glasses a few hours a day.
Daily life the rest of your waking hours is better with no glasses.

If not for hiking, skiing, and boating, I probably wouldn't appreciate the Lasik correction the way I do. If given the chance to do it again, I'd take it a million times. I wish I had done it 5 or 6 years sooner when it first came out, even when it cost thousands more.


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## Meng (Oct 25, 2003)

Contacts never worked for me in ww so I always used to wear glasses. Spent the money on Rx Oakley Water Jackets and they were great but still fogged unless I was paddling in sunny, arid conditions. In plaes like BC, ecuador, etc, or even rainy afternoons in CO, they fogged and I was faced with paddling nearsighted or looking through fog.

A snowboard friend of mine is an ophthalmologist and recommended Paragon CRT to me a couple of years ago. CRT is a contact that you wear while sleeping that reshapes your cornea -just like lasik, but non permanently and with none of the risks lasik carries. I have been doing CRT for almost 2 years and it has been great. If you are a candidate, dont want to deal with glasses while recreating and are not down with the risks of corneal surgery, check it out here: Paragon CRT


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## rbferd (Jan 3, 2012)

duct tape with the croakies?
Please explain.
Thanks




johng said:


> Like Jennifer said. I've been cursed to kayak with glasses for 30 yrs. Fogging can be a huge deal. I don't know how many rapids I've run mostly blind because I went deep at the top and glasses fogged on surfacing. If you use anti-fog (Cat Crap, waxed cloths for skiing or whatever) you'll have to use it _every_ time, and sometimes re-apply during the day. And you'll still fog on bad days since nothing works all the time. Ventilation around the lenses is extremely important (same as for skiing ...). If you get close-fitting lenses or wrap-arounds you'll likely have a lot more trouble with fogging. But as someone said, this is also highly dependent on what you're running. Fogging usually isn't an issue on the Arkansas on a beautiful sunny day. It's serious issue on steep, cold creeks on rainy days in spring.
> 
> I use my regular sunglasses kayaking, which are high quality, expensive, coated, polarizing, etc. You're the best judge of how you treat glasses. I'm careful (hey, these things cost more than $500!) and mine even survived a Grand Canyon trip with only a few minor scratches. When it's bad - a wet warm day on a very cold river - kayaking with glasses really sucks, but I'd probably wear glasses most of the time anyway since they offer so much protection from physical abuses, glare, UV, etc.
> 
> ...


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## crispy (May 20, 2004)

*50/50 baby shampoo and rubbing alcohol*

keep in a small squirt bottle and give them a spray when you need it. usually lasts for 4 or 5 dunkings before you have to do again. water sheets off and leaves no spots.

croakies have always worked for me


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## johng (Apr 25, 2005)

rbferd said:


> duct tape with the croakies?
> Please explain.
> Thanks


After putting the Croakies on your glasses, tear off a small piece of duct tape - a strip ~ 3/8" by 3/4" or 1", and tape this to the end of the temple piece so it forms a tab that sticks out towards the back of your head (away from your ear). This keeps the Croakies from slipping off. It you need to, it's possible to roll the tab around the temple piece and pull the Croakies off. With the tab sticking out, the Croakies won't come off. It's a pain to install/ remove the tabs - duct tape leaves goo on some glass, etc., but a lot better than losing glasses. Maybe I'll try waterproof medical tape with Croakies this year - it's similarly stiff but perhaps less inclined to leave adhesive.


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## adgeiser (May 26, 2009)

There are a few threads on here about this topic. (i know. I started a coupkle myself)

I switched last year to contacts and was amazed at how much less stressful it is/was running harder stuff when you could see.

in Colorado our water is cold, our head and faces vent so much heat you will fog. Period. no amount of product will change that.

there is about a 1 1/2 month period where it is not to bad, but other than that it is a fog fest.

trust me. I have contacts only for kayaking.


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## malloypc (Jun 6, 2009)

whitewater_fishin said:


> Thanks to my horrid eye sight, and not being eligible for LASIK, I've decided to ditch contacts go with some frames.





MT4Runner said:


> If you're a LASIK candidate, go for it.


If you're not eligible due to a thin cornea, consider PRK.
I had it performed 9 years ago and my vision is still better than 20/20 with no complications.

Big advantage over LASIK is there is no flap to worry about, in PRK the epithelial cells over the cornea are completely removed.
This results in significantly longer recovery time (and some degree of pain), but once the epithelial layer re-forms, there is no seam to fail. 
I was told it is the only correction procedure the military will allow for personnel with flight status.


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## shappattack (Jul 17, 2008)

malloypc said:


> If you're not eligible due to a thin cornea, consider PRK.
> I had it performed 9 years ago and my vision is still better than 20/20 with no complications.
> 
> Big advantage over LASIK is there is no flap to worry about, in PRK the epithelial cells over the cornea are completely removed.
> ...



F-ck all that, my wife had PRK 5 years ago, and totally f-ed her up. Went to the best place in Seattle, long term dry eye consequences. There have even been big hearings in Congress about the bull shit the lasik and PRK companys pull with not reporting the full consequences of the surgery as it is elective the insurancy companies don't really keep track, nor due the companies that perform the surgery as you sign your life away. Any bad side effects and it is tuff shit for the patient. Roll the dice with surgery on some of your most important organs, or go with the no harm approach. I have a pair of rec specs goggles with integrated strap. They kayak great:

I also have the photochromatic option as well as polarized, which is a newish technology to be able to offer both options on the same lense. I can't wear contacts, so can't comment on that.

Lenses Rx - Liberty Sports Rec Specs Maxx 21 with Polycarbonate Lenses Designer Frame Eyeglasses Online


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