Sunglasses - In Depth - TravelPUNK Backpacker College Student Budget Travel Message Boards!

scotters · 03-06-2006, 08:41 PM

So I just bought myself a $125 pair of Smith sunglasses for my EuroTrip. My rationalization is that I want to see Europe with as little distortion as possible. Sometime a bad pair of sunglasses from wally world make me feel as if I'm watching the world through a TV.

So what's your opinion on sunglasses? $10 vs $100? What do you wear and why?

**agriadam** · 03-06-2006, 08:44 PM

10$ cause I lose expensive ones in a week and keep a cheap pair for a year

**space virgin** · 03-06-2006, 10:05 PM

I absolutely LOVE sunglasses

but I try not to be too stupid about buying them. Generally I prefer middle-of-the-road ones but quality is very important to me. I had a $400 pair of Guccis given to me from the lost & found at a restaurant a good friend worked at.

Still have them 7 years later... for some reason I tend to lose the cheapies, which is probably a good thing!!

mr-turisty · 03-06-2006, 11:06 PM

i always lose glasses so would never pay much for them.

**omisan** · 03-06-2006, 11:54 PM

Good eyewear is pretty key. Besides looking cool

the protection sunglasses provide goes a long way in maintaining your vision through the years. And as someone who wears contacts, I like the fact that they keep elements like dust, wind and other irritants out!

For that reason, I'm not opposed to spending hundreds on a set of shades, and there are lots of them out there that provide protection/clarity that are worth the bucks. Unfortunately, some of those are hideous (see: Maui Jim) and some of the really nice looking ones offer crap for protection (see: Dolce & Gabbana). Unfortunately, like others before me, I'm a champ at losing these expensive mofos.

It's totally fine (IMO) to go cheap - just make sure the pair has the features you want, besides looking good on your face. Obviously you want UV protection. Another thing to look for is polycarbonate lenses. PC is strong and durable, meaning the lens won't shatter and blind you when you, say, hit a tree branch while cycling. If available, go for polarized lenses, which offer greater clarity and glare reduction.

Currently I have stacks of cheap sunglasses of decent quality, and I think I like them better than my fancy schmancy ones. Probably because I don't have to think about them!

**d_fresh** · 03-07-2006, 02:42 AM

I've never spent more than 20 bucks on a pair of sunglasses. I break them or lose them too often.

**tumblezweedz** · 03-07-2006, 06:13 AM

^ Me too, I'm hopeless. I must have bought 10 pairs of glasses in the last year, and I can only find one of them. One day we're going to open a moving box and find 1000 pairs in there.

**bluepea** · 03-07-2006, 06:37 AM

I'm with the losers/breakers here. As much as I'd love to spring for a pair of Chanel sunglasses (yes, the name, not the quality), I'd just lose them in a week or break them. I've had so many fun pair of sunglasses over the years and only know where one pair is - in my car, broken. Can't bare to throw them away yet. My favorite is picking up a pair of $5 knock offs at the French Market in New Orleans.

**tumblezweedz** · 03-07-2006, 08:37 AM

Just who are you calling a loser?

**voyd** · 03-07-2006, 09:08 AM

I love my cheap wraparounds! They are both sturdy and pimp. I have no idea why sunglasses should cost anywhere near $100?

**noke_travel** · 03-07-2006, 09:31 AM

although i've gone through many,many many cheap gas station sunglasses, it wasn't until i invested in a good pair that i acutally started to take care of them. i am a huge fan of any kind of tortoise shells like bolles, ray-bans or maui jims because they are polarized and great for sailing. personally, i think it's all a matter of preference. so, to each his/her own.

**LiveFreeorDie** · 03-07-2006, 09:37 AM

I generally buy a middle of the road pair ($100 to $150) and keep them for a year or two until I get sick of them and need a change. I almost never lose them. My current pair is a pair of rimless Ray-bans that I have had for over a year now. They work great. For me, I get headaches if I drive without decent sunglasses and so decent sunglasses are a must for me.

foofiter · 03-07-2006, 09:46 AM

I swear by my Oakleys. I keep mine for years and they provide real protection for my eyes. I have taken them on all of my trips thus far and they are a lifesaver for my extra-sensative eyes. Doc also says I have to use polarized sunglasses for protection which means I have to spend a lot of money. I have owned 3 pairs of Oakleys from age 14 to present (23).

Foo

**Brookers13** · 03-07-2006, 10:32 AM

my current sunglasses cost $9 at walmart. my most expensive pair were $15 from kohls

....i like stylish sunglasses and since my taste is ever changing i wont spend much on them...however this walmart pair i have i seem to really really like...they might stick a round a while

it may be important to not that i dont buy expensive anything....especially clothes...my ipod is the only remotely expensive thing i own

**bluepea** · 03-07-2006, 11:50 AM

Quote:

Just who are you calling a loser?

I meant it as in one who loses things!

**tumblezweedz** · 03-07-2006, 01:54 PM

^ yeah, I know, but I wasn't going to let you get away with that!

**aliz** · 03-07-2006, 02:09 PM

i buy cheap sunnies not only because i lose them all the time but because i am poor... i am still in search of a pair that are just like my favourite sunnies i had about 5 years ago... they were so good and i stepped on them getting out of bed one morning.. guess i shouldn't have left them on the floor...

**LostFarmboy** · 03-07-2006, 04:29 PM

I have NEVER found a pair of sunnies that suit me, from the $10 pair to the $300 pair, so i don't wear them anymore and have given up in my search for a pair that actually suit me. The only pair that i've owned that kinda suited me i lost over a waterfall a couple of weeks ago....it took me years to find a pair like that

...stupid sunnies

xanthuos · 03-07-2006, 04:46 PM

I'm with the lose/break crowd as well...
My newest pair of sunglasses that I'm wearing now cost me $11 at Aeropostale...if they last me a month or more, I'll be mildly surprised. More often than not, I've worn dollar store sunglasses that I liked simply because if I lost or broke them, I was out nearly nothing.
I'm more likely to spend $200 on a pair of jeans and $100 on a shirt than either of those amounts on a pair of sunglasses.

**MissChick** · 03-08-2006, 05:02 AM

I bought my fav pair of sun glasses from a dollar store unfortunatly they got broken!! So I now have a pair that cost me like 10$ I wouldn't spend too much on them theres so much I could spend 300$ on other than a soon to be broke pair of sunglasses..