Sunglasses for hunting

[SaintPanzer]

In history past it was Serengetti Drivers. Since I now need prescription lenses, the lenses are made by Zeiss and in their Ski Slope brownish tint. The clarity and contrast is beyond belief.

YES on the Serengeti Driver's lens. And if you dig hard enough, there is a way to get them with a prescription.

https://www.serengeti-eyewear.com/us/prescription_program.html

And if you don't need a prescription, Sunglass Safari has great prices.

Also have the ballistic glasses issued when I when to Afghanistan. Those came with clear and gray lenses, and Oakley offers an amber shooting lens as well. I figure they make good eye protection when shooting.

 

[camperx]

I have some Ray Bans with brown polarized lenses I keep with my hunting gear. They sit further off my face than most and don't fog or sweat up as easily. My back-up pair are the HD vision "unbreakable" cheap sunglasses. They work pretty good when I don't want to trash or lose the good ones. I work outdoors and wear them daily too, my eyes are very used to having them on. I always have a spare pair in the truck on trips. I've shot a lot of stuff wearing sunglasses too. I almost always have them on predator hunting except in low light and kill a lot of coyotes.

 

[Ruraldoc]

The answer is to get prescription glasses and sun glasses with anti reflective coating.

My everyday glasses have transition lenses with anti reflective coating. They work 99% of the time when outdoors.

My sunglasses are dark gray with anti reflective coating.

Both pair have progressive lenses and they work near and far in every light condition.

The anti reflective coatings really work, they cut down on glare and emit no game spooking reflection.

 

[Russ16]

The answer is to get prescription glasses and sun glasses with anti reflective coating.

My everyday glasses have transition lenses with anti reflective coating. They work 99% of the time when outdoors.

My sunglasses are dark gray with anti reflective coating.

Both pair have progressive lenses and they work near and far in every light condition.

The anti reflective coatings really work, they cut down on glare and emit no game spooking reflection.

That’s great if you need prescription glasses which I don’t. I wonder if my eye dr can order me non prescription sunglasses with that coating.

 

[Ruraldoc]

Your eye doctor can absolutely order you transitions lenses or sun glasses without a prescription but with anti reflective coating.

Call around, I’m sure they will do it for you.

You can call an optical shop that makes the glasses as well since you don’t need a prescription lens.

 

[coreydb]

Go to fostergrant.com and look at their polarized curved/wrap-around glasses, tint is up to you. Also, a cap with a visor provides additional shade for your eyes.

 

[wiyofa]

A mistake I made when first starting to shoot trap/skeet was having prescription shooting glasses made with amber lenses and no bifocal. Impossible to see what I was doing with score sheet or work on my gun or dog if needed. Also, I didn't find the amber lenses at all helpful finding flying clay targets or birds. Great for road trips though, even on bright days (except the prescription wasn't quite right). I actually prefer to hunt with no tinting, if at all possible. But on very bright days, especially in snow, prescription sunglasses are necessary. Back when I was a young man a "soft pink" tint was available for those working in offices under flourescent lights. Great for hunting. Knocked the glare off snow without really changing the colors. Haven't seen that tint in years. Too hippie-ish I guess. I tried self-tinting photo-gray lenses back then. Hated them! Walk into a store or classroom from outside and can't see where I'm going. Oncoming truck won't dim his lights at night and as soon as he's past everything's almost dark in my headlights. Ugh!

I have never tried graduated bifocals but other shooters tell me to stick with lined type that distinctly segregates vision close and far, especially important if frames are current stylish skinny things. Many high-end eyewear options make lined bifocals look sleek and modern while offering excellent clarity. Graduated bifocals apparently work well for computer screens and playing piano, but for hunting I want the bifocal out of the way as much as possible. Lined bifocals may look classic, and honestly, with the white hair and beard, it suits me just fine.

* I note with amusement the more recent fashion trend, especially among the gals, towards big black framed glasses. When I was in the US Army back in the early 70's these were military issue and we were required to wear them, at least through basic and AIT (advanced individual training). We called them "birth control glasses." The idea of basic training is to see how far DIs can humiliate recruits before they break. Making me wear those ugly poor-fitting things just about accomplished that objective.

For non‑reflective sunglasses that won’t spook game, many hunters use Oakley Encoder or Oakley Batwolf for their polarized lenses and wide coverage with minimal visible shine. Leupold Packout Polarized Performance Sunglasses offer clear optics with very low surface glare, while Hornz Brown Forest Camo Polarized and HTS Huntersky Q37 Polarized provide camo or tactical styles with low-reflective, non-mirrored lenses. All of these are polarized and designed to reduce glare without mirror-like reflectivity, making them suitable for hunting in bright conditions.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

For non‑reflective sunglasses that won’t spook game, many hunters use Oakley Encoder or Oakley Batwolf for their polarized lenses and wide coverage with minimal visible shine. Leupold Packout Polarized Performance Sunglasses offer clear optics with very low surface glare, while Hornz Brown Forest Camo Polarized and HTS Huntersky Q37 Polarized provide camo or tactical styles with low-reflective, non-mirrored lenses. All of these are polarized and designed to reduce glare without mirror-like reflectivity, making them suitable for hunting in bright conditions.

Thanks. I'll check it out. Unfortunately I wear prescription lenses and options for specialized prescription sunglasses are limited ... and when available they are very expensive. I have a habit of losing my plain Jane prescription sunglasses ... or they get stolen from my vehicle (meth heads apparently don't know pawnshops won't buy sunglasses with bifocal lenses ). Not sure I want to tie up a lot of money in something I'll probably lose. Also, at my age I need to change the prescription regularly. Unfortunately, contact lenses are not for me. Too much damage due to retina detachments. So regular sunglasses won't work.

 

[Schüler Jumbo]

The wonderful discontinued Zeiss Shooting Glasses and Maui Jim. Frame Face-Fit is critical for me along with of course lens quality.

 

[wesheltonj]

When I am wearing sunglasses it's usually Vuarnet Skilynx. If I am wear my prescription glasses, I use Silhouette clip ons.

 

[mdwest]

in the early 90's a unit a belonged to in the military issued all of us Gargoyles with clear (patrolling), yellow (shooting/range), and dark smoke (sun protection) interchangeable lenses... despite being made famous by Arnold in the "Terminator" series, and all of us running around looking like wanna be cyborgs, they were actually really comfortable, and very effective.. unfortuneately Gargoyles went out of business in 2022..

since the late 90's I've pretty much gone through a variety of Oakley sunglasses and have used them extensively for everything from keeping branches from poking me in the eyes when wandering around at night (clear lenses) to shotgun sports and range time, to just normal/typical sunglass use (driving, out on the boat, etc).. theyre reasonably affordable, tough enough to stand up to my abuse (Im not easy on sunglasses), and there are enough varieties of designs that pretty much everyone can find something they like, is comfortable, etc..

even my prescription glasses are Oakleys these days...

Ive gone through Costas, Maui Jim, and a number of other makers over the years and tried a number of different things out.. but always seem to return to Oakley...

 

[wvfred]

I still wear my 40 year old Ray-bans with glass lenses.

 

[Ray B]

Several years ago (1964) I was in Yellowstone NP and a park ranger was giving a talk about safety. One thing I recall regarding sunglasses was: Predatory animals have heightened visual sense and generally have large eyes. This can be seen as a threat to other animals. If a person wears sunglasses, it gives the impression to non-humans that the person has large eyes and therefore is a threat. The threated animal will be in fight or flight mode. If flight, not a threat- fight may turn out bad for the person.

 

[Flbt]

I still wear my 40 year old Ray-bans with glass lenses.

I still use my Nikon aviator from 92 used them a lot on the job
And Remington shooting glasses the dark and yellow lenses ones.
I actually like the yellow ones better.

 

[pc3]

Costa Sunglasses work great for me…

Costa Reefton Pro's for me.

 

[Elmbow]

I’m very fair skinned and light eyed. Bright sun is a real challenge for me and wears my eyes out.

I’ve always struggled with finding sunglasses that aren’t reflective so they spook game. I agree just suffer the bright sun because I’m worried about the reflection. I once had a super cheap pair made for turkey hunting where the lenses were camo but of course they broke.

So what sunglasses are you using that tent super reflective. Brand and model reconditions appreciated.

I’m 76, have always been sensitive to bright sun, have had cataract surgery, and of course am presbyopic. I was a high dollar sunglass wonk for decades but in today’s market they are money down the toilet IMO.
I have been buying the Tifosis on Amazon for a few years now. Sub $100 gets you lightweight, good grinds, good coatings, photochromatic and bifocal for old eyes shooting/hunting glasses. I think the photochromatic feature is an absolute must for hunting.
Anyways, here’s a link:
I've shared a Brand Store on Amazon with you. https://www.amazon.com/stores/Tifos...W7G4YM7XNRK&store_ref=bl_ast_dp_brandLogo_sto

 

[HookMeUpII]

I also am fair skinned, blue eyes, and have had LASIK which makes it even worse. My review as an avid fisherman/hunter.

Costa - Garbage brand with garbage service. Costa was my go-to for years. Ever since getting into fishing, I've worn Costa. Not a single pair lasts more than a year, year and a half. My last pair fell apart (literally) in a year. The rubber came delaminated from the nose piece and arms. Costa has zero interest in making it right, despite working through one of their field reps. I've written them off as Chinese junk. I'm sorry if this opinion comes off as harsh but I've owned no less than 6 pairs of their glasses. And they've not treated me well.

Maui Jim - Much better made but ran into the same issues with Costa. Rubber delaminating from the nose guards. However, Maui said I could send them for repair at no cost.

Oakley - Time and time again, I come back to Oakley and wonder why I ever left. They make great quality glasses. I had an awesome pair of camo ones with brown tinted lens and I lost them walking in the woods. Heartbreaking. Only pair of glasses I've ever lost. Now I have two pairs and they have not let me down.

 

[JG26Irish_2]

I use a pair of bronze lens bifocal wrap around fishing sunglasses for my hunting. They are not very reflective but also, I have seen no evidence that they make the game any more or less spooky to my presence. Being an old fart, they help me to see things up close and far out. I use them for shooting, hunting, motorcycle riding and other outdoor activities. Even fly fishing. They are not fancy or pricy but have got the job done well. Another option is Shady Rays in KY. They have many models and all come with a lifetime replacement warranty if you lose them, break them or they fail in any way.

 

[Philip Glass]

I bought some WileyX just to take on a hunt and found them to be excellent.