We've tried and tested a variety of sunglasses and found that these are the best for hiking, trail running and any other outdoor sport you can throw their way. Here's what our gear experts had to say.
Even in cloudy conditions, your eyes are exposed to potentially damaging UV rays on a frequent basis, so wearing a decent pair of sunglasses when trail running or hiking in mountainous terrains is vitally important.
Crunching down on the numbers brings this point home. For every 1,000 metres climbed, the exposure to the sun’s damaging radiation increases by 10%. Even worse, if you’re out running or walking in wintery conditions, then expect snowy (white) surfaces to reflect around 80 – 90% of solar radiation back to your eyes.
Cirrus clouds (those high altitude ones) and fog also do very little in blocking the sun’s rays, with 50% of sunlight still able to pass through. If you find yourself up in the top portion of the fog, the light can sometimes even intensify the UV rays due to diffraction.
Outdoorsman Ryan found the Radar EVs offered great clarity in a range of light conditions. Photo: Jordan Tiernan
This is where sunglasses come in. Featuring a lens that’s able to block out the harmful rays beating down from the skies above, sunglasses provide some much-needed protection when travelling around in mountainous terrain.
Not only that, reactive sunglasses sporting automatically adapting lenses do a stellar job in enhancing your vision when the clouds come in and the contrast drops – particularly useful in those ever changing autumn/winter conditions.
The Best Sunglasses for Hiking and Trail Running
Tested and reviewed by our OM gear testers – here’s our selection of the best hiking and trail running sunglasses to look out for this year. If you’re looking for more running gear, we’ve compiled a similar guide to the best trail running shoes. Alternatively, here’s a round-up of the best walking shoes if hiking is more your thing.
Oakley Radar EV Path – Best Sunglasses Overall
CimAlp Vision One Sport – Best Sunglasses for Trail Running
Vallon Heron Mountain – Best Sunglasses for Hiking
Oakley Leffingwell
Julbo Montebianco 2
Smith Reverb
SunGod Vulcans
Julbo Aerospeed
Decathlon Kalenji
Oakley Radar EV Path Sunglasses
Best Sunglasses Overall
The Oaklet Radar EV sunglasses being tested in the Lake District. Photo: Jordan Tiernan
Price: £185 Weight: 29g Category: 3
Featuring Oakley’s renowned Prizm lens, the Oakley Radar EV are a pair of versatile sunglasses that’ll see you right no matter your activity. They’re made from Oakley’s lightweight O’Matter frame material, which is a nylon material that claims to be 25% lighter and two times stronger than normal materials.
Our gear tester Ryan said, “I’ve used the Radar Path EV’s for hill walking, running, bike riding and climbing and they’ve performed well in all situations. When I’ve been working hard and built up a sweat they’ve stayed perfectly in place. The design of the arms also integrates well with my cycling and climbing helmets.”
“The level of comfort that’s provided by the wrap-around design surpasses any of the shades I’ve worn in the past. To add to that they only weigh 29g – light enough for me to forget that I’m wearing them after half an hour of activity.”
While they don’t feature reactive lens technology, the Oakley Radar EV have a trick up their sleeve in their own Prizm lens technology. Prizm tech is said to elevate contrast and colour so that you can see more clearly and in greater detail – something you’re going to appreciate if you find yourself on a cloudy summit.
OM editor Will testing the CimAlp Vision One Sport sunglasses.
Price: from £70 Weight: 26g Category: 3
CimAlp primarily recommended using these sunglasses for trail running and mountain biking, though we can see them working well for long distance hiking in summer too.
Since these are frameless glasses, the materials used only consist of the branches (the bits that sit on your ears), the nose bridge, and the lens itself. The latter is made from an ‘unbreakable’ 48mm polycarbonate screen with options including a mirror screen, a revo red screen or a revo blue screen. All of these screens are category 3, meaning they’ll protect you from the sun’s glare, and are 100% anti-UV (level 400). There’s an optical insert option available too.
The coolest feature about the Vision Ones, however, is probably the fact that they’re entirely customisable. Including the shape, the frame, the lens, the ends, and the nose bridge – there’s supposedly 9000 possible combinations to choose from.
Our gear tester Grant said, “They were really light and sat comfortably on my face for several hours and left no marks when I’d finally taken them off…I’d be happy to have these on me for summer wanders in Snowdonia.”
Featuring a vintage mountaineering look, the Hero Mountain Sunglasses from Swiss-brand Vallon are pretty damn cool. Equipped with category 3 lenses and 100% UV protection (UV400), they’re built with everyday hiking in mind. (The Vallon Hero Glaciers would be a better option if you need something a little more technical with a category 4 rating.)
The protective side shields are a great touch and are made from 100% leather. The centrepiece is also made from leather and can be removed depending on weather conditions. The frame itself is made from a tough TR90 polyamide and is super bendy and adjustable. You can literally mould the temple ends to your face shape.
With a look that’s inspired by vintage surfboards and surfing culture, the Oakley Leffingwell Sunglasses went down well with our gear tester James Forrest.
Price: £185 Weight: TBC Category: 3
The headline here is the BiO-matter plant-based frame material. It’s made from a resin derived from castor beans, which have long been cultivated in countries such as India (with over three-quarters of the global yield), China and Mozambique, as well as Ethiopia. Castor bean plants grow well in such warm climates and are not a food crop, making them a good renewable resource.
The Oakley Leffingwell sunglasses feature lightweight but robust frames with quality lenses. Oakley Plutonite offers full UVA/UVB 400 protection. Its impact and scratch resistance are similar to those of standard polycarbonate, but the clarity is far superior, rivalling that of the clearest optical glass available.
Our tester said, “It’s great to see a major player like Oakley turning to more sustainable solutions for their products. After all, this is an international mega-brand with global distribution – they sell millions of pairs of sunglasses every year, and that’s why BiO-matter will make a big positive difference to the planet.”
Becky Angell using the sunglasses during our Test Team event in the Lake District. Photo: Neil Irwin
Price: £85 Weight: 28g Category: 2 to 4
To go alongside a new and updated design, the Montebianco 2 sunglasses feature Julbo’s tried and tested Reactiv lens technology. This is the glass that, depending on the light conditions, adapts the visible light transmission (that’s the amount of light it exposes to your eyes). In this instance, the Reactiv lens technology can adapt from category 2 – 4, depending on the light conditions. This equates to a visible light transmission (VLT) of 9% – 20%.
Elsewhere you’ll find curved temples with an ergonomic profile that provides a comfortable yet secure fit, as well as a flexible, shock absorbing nose grip that works to keep the sunglasses well and truly seated on your face.
Gear tester James Forrest said, “Putting these sunglasses on during the Outdoor 100 testing weekend in Grasmere was a bit of a ‘wow’ moment for me… The effect was impressive and, to be honest, I’d never worn sunglasses like them before. The wraparound style was comfy and contemporary, and the all-round look hit the spot.”
For those with small to medium face shapes, yet still looking to keep a wide field of view, the Smith Reverb sunglasses are going to be for you. Featuring a single ChromaPop lens that curves around the face, the Smith Reverb comes in at a lightweight 27g.
The Outdoors Magic team loved the secure fit of the Reverbs – even when running at pace or crossing technical scrambles. The adjustable non slip nose and temple pads were also impressive, helping to keep the sunglasses firmly planted on the face. While the Reverbs don’t carry a reactive lens, lens swapping is made easy through Smith’s ‘PivLock’ system.
Buy The Smith Reverb Sunglasses: £55 at Amazon.co.uk
SunGod Vulcans Sunglasses
Gear tester Jordan was a big fan of the SunGod Vulcan sunglasses.
Price: £160 Weight: 34g Category: 3
SunGod are a seven-year-old company have been going from strength to strength in recent years with their fully customisable designs bringing something a little different to the sunglasses market.
These, the Vulcans are the brand’s newest running and cycling specific sunglasses, but we see no reason why these also can’t be used while hiking, skiing or just walking about town, as long as you’re a fan of the large wraparound design.
The Vulcans feature SunGod’s Iris photochromic lens that’s able to adjust to fast-changing light conditions. They also have four different sized nose pads that can be swapped in to dial in the fit.
Endurance athletes will love what these shades bring to their day-long sessions in the outdoors.
Price: £80 Weight: 26g Category: 3
Julbo know a thing or two about making a good pair of sunglasses. Founded in 1888 by Jules Baud, the first Julbo sunglasses were designed as protective eyewear for men who were searching high and low (but mostly high) for crystals in the French Alps.
Rolling the clock forward 132 years, Julbo now make some of the most well thought out sunglasses out there – and these, the Julbo Aerospeed, are a great example of that.
Featuring Julbo’s ‘Reactiv’ adaptable lens technology, these sunglasses get darker or lighter to match changing light conditions while remaining extremely lightweight and well-ventilated.
Our gear tester Jordan said, “I’ve used Julbo’s ‘Reactiv’ technology over the past few years (both in sunglasses and goggles) and have been left impressed with the consistent high standard of vision the adaptable lenses are able to provide – no matter if you’re in the shade, or exposed to strong sunlight when up high in the alpine.”
The Kalenji sunglasses from Decathlon are a great option if you’re on a budget.
Price: £30 Weight: 30g Category: 1 to 3
Those of you not looking to pay upwards of £100 on a pair of sunglasses should check out the Kalenji running sunglasses from the sports retailer Decathlon. Yes, they may not feature the same fancy lens technology and locked in fit of many of the sunglasses featured above, but these sunglasses simply do a great job – especially when you consider they cost as much as a meal for two at your local Indian restaurant.
The Kalenji sunglasses feature a category 1 to 3 photochromic lens that adjusts the amount of light it lets through (from 15% and 55%), based on the light conditions. Although they don’t feature a single lens, the Kalenji sunglasses utilise a wrap around design which provides a wide field of view, resulting in fantastic peripheral vision.
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