Favorite outdoor activities sunglasses?

If you want polarized, then Maui Jim definitely. The best polarized lenses are Maui Jim, Serengeti, and Costa Del Mar, with Maui Jim being the best of the three. You'll notice that all three of those companies are independent, too, which isn't really a coincidence. There are two Italian brands that have bought up almost all the sunglass brands on the market, and cheapened the quality of them in every case. Ray-bans used to be better made and have Bausch and Lomb lenses before Luxottica bought them, and Oakley has cheapened their construction a little since they were bought up as well. Sure, they still make some decent shades, and I have a few sunglasses from Luxottica owned brands. But compared to my Maui Jims and Serengetis, there's a big difference.
 
I like my Natives so much I bought four pair before they were discontinued.
Still wearing pairs #1 (plain) and #2 (with retainer/neck cord).
 
Buffalohump said:
If you are not working on water or snow then you really don't need polarised glasses, so why pay extra for them?
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Polarizing is also good for glare off vehicles, off wet road surfaces, off windows… pretty much anywhere you get glare from a surface. The main value I get from my sunglasses is glare reduction, not brightness reduction; in fact, my usual pair is fairly light, which means I don't need to keep taking them off.

If you ride, live anywhere with rain or snow, or drive on highways with other vehicles on sunny days, you will benefit from polarized lenses. Pretty much the only people who won't are people wandering around in the desert.
 
holygoat said:
Polarizing is also good for glare off vehicles, off wet road surfaces, off windows… pretty much anywhere you get glare from a surface. The main value I get from my sunglasses is glare reduction, not brightness reduction; in fact, my usual pair is fairly light, which means I don't need to keep taking them off.

If you ride, live anywhere with rain or snow, or drive on highways with other vehicles on sunny days, you will benefit from polarized lenses. Pretty much the only people who won't are people wandering around in the desert.
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Nah, plenty of glare in the desert as well ;)

Polarizing is pretty useful in general, it's just the fighter pilots that don't use them because they interfere with their digital displays.
 
Fair enough. I have both types (my CDMs are polarised) but have not found a major difference when wearing them. I confess I am sometimes suspicious of new technology because it almost always ends up costing us more!

I think the fit and the face coverage they provide is probably the most critical thing. If you're wearing them all day, finding a pair that fits well is definitely going to be a major factor.

holygoat said:
Polarizing is also good for glare off vehicles, off wet road surfaces, off windows… pretty much anywhere you get glare from a surface. The main value I get from my sunglasses is glare reduction, not brightness reduction; in fact, my usual pair is fairly light, which means I don't need to keep taking them off.

If you ride, live anywhere with rain or snow, or drive on highways with other vehicles on sunny days, you will benefit from polarized lenses. Pretty much the only people who won't are people wandering around in the desert.
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Costa Del Mar Fisch. They're the cheapest Costas I've owned, but their plastic is clearer than my 8 year old glass lensed versions.
 
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