Julbo Trail
French-made Julbo sunglasses have long been fixtures in extreme settings like the sun-pummeled, glaciated slopes of Mont Blanc. More recently, the darling brand of mountaineers has expanded its offerings to sports folk who are less extremely inclined. Case in point is the Trail, a great choice for trail running and hiking—for two strong reasons. First, its amber photochromic lens (dubbed Zebra) changes its stripes, er, visible light transmission from a very light 40.7 percent to a very dark 6.6 percent (although I must say, the lens never seems THAT dark). If you’re out for a long hike or run, you don’t have to think about swapping lenses; you have what you need for almost any situation. Second, Trail comes with the best retaining system I’ve seen—far more secure than any aftermarket retainer you can buy, because a broad adjustable elastic band snaps onto the front of the temples, making these sunglasses as secure as goggles. Another nice touch is Trail’s easily adjustable rubber nosepiece. I call it an “instant optician” feature. Julbo was among the first shades makers to use NXT lenses, a highly impact-resistant alternative to polycarbonate originally developed for helicopter windshields. It’s a fine lens, but in Trail, not put to its best use. For some reason, Trail is designed to fit into its frame only toward the center, leaving the flanks of the lenses free floating. If a flying object were to meet the lens, that flexy outer portion crunches right into your face. The lens wouldn’t shatter, but I want more protection than that for mountain biking or rock climbing—situations where a rock could induce that lens to meet the corners of my eyes. For more benign pursuits, Trail serves very nicely. $160, but Zappos has it for $152, and you always get free shipping at zappos.com 
If the statement you want to make in a sport shade is “My eyes are REALLY worth protecting,” check out the Wiley X PT-3. Brad Pitt won’t be wearing these sunglasses on the Academy runway, but PT-3 makes no fashion pretenses. The wrapped, single-lens shield is cut tall and wide for great eye coverage, and features three snap-in polycarbonate lenses built to the highest military specifications—as in ballistic protection, as in wear it if shell fragments are flying up around you, the sand’s blowing, and you can’t afford to lose an eye. And yes, it’ll serve just fine on your next mountain bike foray, too. The only downside to such a large shield is heat buildup—when you’re moving slowly but working hard, it gets a bit roasty behind PT-3. The three lenses switch out with remarkable ease: a gray with 20% visible light transmission for bright sun; rust (53%); and clear (89%), which add up to 24/7 protection. $90, but Zappos has it for $82.80, and you always get free shipping at zappos.com
I know you think I look incredibly rad in Radar with the Positive Red Iridium lens. You look pretty rad yourself, reflected in my shield’s shimmering red exterior. But if you assume my world is all crimson and mirrors, you’re wrong. Oakley’s iridium coating is all about working in concert with the lens’s infused polarization—which is in the lens, not affixed to it or sandwiched inside layers—to knock back glare. Inside, my world is calm and peaceful. The lens and has a neutral gray base tint, rendering colors true and images crisp, but the prevailing mood is soothing. That’s why this lens is so popular with performance athletes—competitive cyclists, triathletes, volleyball players, and so on. The lens keeps them dialed in to the task at hand regardless of surrounding chaos. With 18% visible light transmission, it’s suited to sunny extremes. It’s also the ultimate protective lens, made of Oakley’s Plutonite, a high-grade polycarbonate that is shatterproof, tapered optically to provide crisp vision despite its radical wrap, and coated with an oleophobic treatment that prevents sweat (and, presumably, margarine) buildup or streaking. With this lens plus the frame’s cushy nosepiece and love-hug temples, Radar is truly the gold standard for performance sports shades. $190. Buy it: Free Shipping at Oakley.com on orders of $50 or more.
Whatever mayhem is occurring around you, everything is calm behind MicroEdge, a wrapped single-lens shield that not only protects you from the vagaries of wind and dust (heck, hurricanes), but also speaks to you in soothing tones, reminding you to stay focused, watch the trail, and all is beautiful. It’s an elegant, minimalist design—frameless, nothing but lens but for the necessities of temples and nosepiece (both rubberized and adjustable) to keep it facebound. I wore it in Bollé’s superb modulator amber tint, a photochromic lens that starts life at fog-friendly 45% visible light transmission and darkens to 14%—greater range than you see on most sport shades, though you do trade away polarization for the privilege. But that range means outstanding versatility and makes me question why I’d ever want to fiddle with interchangeable lenses—MicroEdge does the changing for me. The polycarbonate lens is shatterproof, too. Apart from the glaring (heh) exceptions of sailing or flatwater paddling, there’s no sport I wouldn’t wear MicroEdge for. $135, but discounted considerably online at FramesDirect. Buy ‘em: Bollé MicroEdge Sunglasses
Optic Nerve has, well, a lot of nerve. For bargain prices, they crank out spiffy, functional designs that play well in the ’hood of far pricier shades. A case in point is the Autovaughn. Talk about functional: It’s a snug-fitting wrap with a nonslip nosepiece, temples with subtle but grippy rubber inserts at the tips, and ventilation openings at the corners of the lenses for antifog airflow. That last feature is much appreciated when you’re barely staying afloat on a steep mountain biking gradient; the last thing you want then is a foggy whiteout. All this is delivered in a style that’ll let you hold your head up high on street as well as the trail—no jocky geek factor. The copper lens is a smart choice. It lets in 27% of visible light rays—on the light side, and not what you want for a day traversing the Wapta Icefields in bright sunlight, but fine for shoulder seasons and hikes or runs that dart in and out of the woods. But don’t look to $59 sunglasses for brilliant optical quality. Passable and protective is what you get—and pay for. Eastern Mountain Sports carries the Optic Nerve line:
