My Favorite Sunglasses

Roka is known for their high-performance aviators, made for triathletes like Jesse Thomas. My personal favorite are the Oslos, a small round-frame style that weighs a mere 0.67 ounces. Roka's Geko technology uses biomimicry on the nose pads and sunglass arms—the sweatier you get, the more the hydrophilic pads stick to your face. They don't slip on the sweatiest runs and are small enough to slide into my mini hip pack when I'm in the trees. The polarized lenses also have anti-scratch, anti-fog, and anti-reflective coatings.

Best Cheap Sunglasses

Goodr's affordable running sunglasses offer some of the best value around. They come in a bewildering array of colors, shapes, and styles. My favorite are the classic OG frames. They're light and have an appealing matte, no-slip texture that stays secure while sweating. The lenses are polarized and have anti-scratch and anti-salt-water coatings. Sadly, I have found these lenses do tend to scratch more easily and are harder to clean than more expensive pairs.

Best Eco-Friendly Frames

Sunskis offer terrific value for the money. The Topekas are affordable sport frames with grippy rubber nose pads that curve around my face to keep out sun, wind, and peripheral glare. They weigh less than an ounce and have polarized lenses. Most importantly for anyone who is attempting to reduce their plastic waste, Sunski is a member of the business sustainability nonprofit 1% for the Planet, which was founded by Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard. These glasses are made from recycled polycarbonate, and they're also covered by Sunski's Forever warranty.

Best for Water Sports

Floating sunglasses won't help you if you lose yours while whitewater rafting, surfing, or any other activity where the crashing waves will sweep them away. (For that, we suggest a bomb pair of $10 Croakies.) But if you happen to drop yours in a still lake or pond, Bolle's Holman sunglasses will bob straight up to the surface. They're also polarized to reduce glare and treated with a hydrophobic coating. You'll never have to bring your snorkel to your local swimming hole ever again. Our Buy button links to Amazon, but you can also find them at FramesDirect.

Blue Light Blockers

Fellow Gear reviewer Scott Gilbertson tried Gunnar's frames, which are specifically designed to reduce eyestrain while working outside. He reports that they're comfortable to wear and the lenses are both dark enough to block light and light enough to see your laptop screen. They do indeed make it easier to work on a screen in bright sunlight by cutting glare and blocking blue light (which makes everything else on your screen seem crisper). They also have amber lenses for working indoors.

Fixable Frames

For such a necessary, and sometimes expensive, piece of outdoor equipment, sunglasses are very fragile. They get stepped on, shoved into back pockets, and ground into gravel when you face-plant going down a hill. Portland, Oregon-based Revant Optics' premium performance frames are completely modular. Each of the lenses, frames, and rubber parts are American-made and replaceable, making them a pair of sunglasses that will last as long as you need. The S1Ls are its ultralight frames. They're bike-helmet-compatible and allow plenty of ventilation for the toughest outdoor sports.

Cool Lookin'

I've used Smith's ChromaPop lenses in my snowboarding goggles for 10 years now. Their proprietary technology filters out the two wavelengths that cause color confusion, allowing you to more clearly differentiate between red, green, and blue colors. Being able to see colors clearly is a boon in sports like fly-fishing, where you need to, y'know, see fish. But wearing Smith's Caravan Mags in the summer also made the water in my local river look shimmering, bluey-green, and crystal clear. As with Smith's goggles, the sunglasses come with two pairs of swappable lenses. The Caravan Mag are technically men's frames, but they fit securely on my medium head. They also have a lifetime warranty.