Smith Castaway ($239 and up)

When it comes to optics, glass lenses have always beat out synthetic ones. Smith’s new Castaway levels the playing field. These shades are available in both synthetic and glass construction, but even the former produce a visual acuity so eye-popping that we actually thought we were looking through glass the first time we took them out. Luckily, while plastic lenses are easier to scratch, they’re far less prone to shattering, so you get a truly top-notch view even during rough sports like trail running, biking, and climbing. Just remember to swaddle your shades in microfiber pouches to protect those great optics. Smith’s proprietary polarized coating filters out two narrow bands of wavelengths between primary colors, further boosting definition. The lenses curve around to the sides, where wide temple pieces take over to protect from lateral wind and light. Smith markets this frame for fishing, where detail can be the difference between catching a fish or not, but it’s a winner for just about anything—even casual running. Hefty glossy frames, spring hinges, and a detachable leash make them look like a classy redo of the sports-wrap shades your dad wore back in the nineties. They’re not cheap, but the high-quality build and cross-generational vibe will last.

Zeal Lolo ($149)

Best for Boosting Your Mood

The most infectiously cheerful sunnies in this bunch, the Lolo boasts see-through tangerine frames so bright you can practically taste citrus just by looking at it. But these sporty fashion shades offer more than just aesthetics. Zeal’s polarized brown-tinted synthetic lenses make details, depth, and contrast pop, so you’ll get a clear view whether you’re checking out a surf break or a summit vista. Meanwhile, rubber grips at the nose and ears keep everything in place for rec-level play. With its sassy, overstated Wayfarer-style frames, the Lolo looks like what it’s made for, which is pure and simple fun.

Rudy Project Spinshield ($170)

Best for Triathlons

Aesthetically, this go-fast beauty hearkens back to road-bike shields from the eighties, which were basically just goggle lenses with temple arms attached on the sides like popsicle sticks—simple and functional, without sci-fi aesthetics. Thankfully, Rudy Project married that purity to a crisp, modern single-blade synthetic lens in color-neutral gray, which is great for road racing. Fiery red flash mirroring reduces glare. But the real headline here is those spectacular looks: maximal where it counts (in coverage) and gracefully minimal everywhere else. The price isn’t bad for such quality and class.

POC Avail ($180)

Best for Sport and Style

Many stylish street-sport crossover shades only come sized for those with small heads. We’re grateful that the Avail is big enough for the rest of us to get in on the fun, too. Made for weekends filled with multiple activities, the Avail boasts large round synthetic lenses that are stylish yet provide copious coverage and a host of features perfectly suited to all manner of sports and workouts. This includes feathery plastic frames, rubber-tipped arms, and adjustable nose pieces that grip when you sweat. Lightly tinted lenses with anti-glare mirroring take good care of your eyes in all but the brightest conditions.

Spy+ Dirty Mo Tech ($130)

Best for Trails

Until sports wraps with neon mirroring make a comeback as acceptable streetwear (if ever), these blue-eyed monsters are just the thing for hitting dirt and rock that might hit back. High-definition synthetic lenses boost depth perception and enhance contrast, so you can quickly read your line and react to obstacles even as you dart in and out of shade. That optical quality is matched by equally solid coverage, protection, and security, thanks to large lenses that curve slightly around the sides of your face. Wide temples block lateral sun and grippy rubber-clad frames hang on no matter what.

Oakley Deadbolt ($297)

Best for Drawing Attention

Oakley goes art-gallery hipster in this street-smart fashion piece. The lightweight titanium frame is built like a bench-made watch, with precisely constructed individual segments that screw together. A downward kink in the temples will catch the eyes of passersby even from a distance. The relatively small frames are scant on coverage, making these best for the city. But optics are still tip-top, with deep-gray, mirrored, polarized synthetic lenses that kill glare and reveal amazing detail in noonday sun. These frames flatter all genders but look best on small to average-size heads.

Ombraz Dolomite ($140)

Best for River Days

Instead of the usual hinged temple pieces, Ombraz’s shades have an adjustable cord that runs from one side of the frame to the other, around the back of your head. Cinch it down to keep the Dolomite in place on even the rowdiest rapids; in the shade, loosen the cord and let the sunglasses hang around your neck for quick deployment. The mechanism takes two hands to operate, so these won’t be your go-to for driving. But for river days or mellow hikes, they’re the ticket. We also love the detailed glare-free view through the polarized synthetic lenses. Style points for the frame’s sculpted side shielding.

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I fell in love with my first pair of ($260) while climbing and skiing MountĚýShasta as part of an anti-fog test I performed in the spring of 2015. The videographer I worked with on that production, , and I pitted the two goggles in that category against each other. While the competitor goggles performed just fine, Tate and I both preferred the Julbos so much that we bickered at 12,850 feet over who would get to wear them on the descent. Many anti-fog technologies were developed in the six years since then, but my heart still belongs to these goggles, mostly thanks to their uncomplicated design.

Intricacy is the Achilles heel of most of the high-end accessories we bring into the mountains: miniature battery packs that run out of juice mid-adventure, buttons that are impossible to manage with gloves during frigid days, or magnetic lenses that we fumble into the snow as we try to swap them out. The beauty of the anti-fogging technologyĚýJulbo utilizes in the Aerospace gogglesĚýis its simplicity. Use your forefingers and thumbs to grab the grippy catches on each corner of the lens and give a gentle pull. Hinges pop the glass a centimeter off the frame and let air in, eliminating pesky fog. The little plastic hinges that swivel out to create airflow are well built—they’ve never broken on me or gotten stuck during thousands of deployments on the resort or in the backcountry.

Wearing them while moving uphill is a huge bonus and something I have not been able to do with any other goggles. I love having a kit that minimizes the transition from skinning to downhill skiing. These goggles—in conjunction with a lightweight helmet, huge zippers on my ski pants, and air-permeable insulation layers—allowĚýme to just rip off my skins, throw them in my pack, adjust my boots and bindings, and descend as fast as possible.

The Aerospace goggles aren’t just fantastic for backcountry skiing—they would still be worth every penny if I never left the resort. They look sharp without being flashy, and their optics are fantasticĚýon top of not having to worry about fogging them up on an aerobic powder day.

Those traits make the Aerospace goggles particularly useful now while my local mountain, MountĚýAshland in Oregon, is strictly enforcing a mask rule in lift lines. Masks worn properly over the nose with goggles on are a guaranteed steamy nightmare. While listening to folks waiting for a lift complain about how much their goggles were fogging on a recent powder day, I was happy that my mask hid my smile while I popped open the lenses and let my favorite goggles breathe.

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Sunglasses haven’t changed much since they caught on in the late 1920s, when an entrepreneur started in New Jersey. Styles have evolved, frame materials and lenses have gotten better, but the nuts and bolts of their constructionĚýtoday are essentially the same as those first onesĚýsold on the Jersey Shore. That’s what makes the shades from all the more intriguing. Instead of traditional sidearms, the companyĚýuses a thin nylon strap to hold them on your face, like a permanent version of that you can tighten.

OmbrazĚýhasĚýa few models, all of which feature the same technology andĚýare billed as nearly indestructible and primeĚýfor adventures like paddling, biking, and climbing. We were excited about the design when the brand launched two years ago, and for the past few months I’ve beenĚýtesting a new model, the Ěý($140). I’ve runĚýand biked a few hundred miles wearingĚýthem, climbed withĚýthem, and happy-houredĚýwithĚýthem, andĚýI basically lived withĚýthem glued to my faceĚýfor a week during a bikepacking trip through the desert when there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. After constant testing in the field and around town, I love the Leggero. I also hateĚýit. Let me explain.

What I Like

I dig the big, squarish frames; theyĚýmake me look like a morally bankrupt film producer from the seventies, which I like.ĚýAnd there’s a lot to love about these sunglasses beyondĚýaesthetics. Ditching the sidearms is more than just a shtick—it’s pretty damn smart. Most sunglasses rely on tight sidearms to keep them snug against your face, but they can cause annoying pressure points behind your ears, which can turn into headaches if you wear them for too long. The nylon strap with two sliding toggles on these keeps them secure without any noticeable pointsĚýof contact, so the LeggeroĚýremainsĚýsurprisingly comfortable, even after a long day of use. And I like hanging themĚýfrom my neck, locked and loaded forĚýwhen the sun breaks through.

The lack of sidearms also cutsĚýweight (the Leggero is 20 grams, onĚýpar with high-end running glasses), while eliminating those tiny screws that are a hassleĚýto get back inĚýwhen they inevitablyĚýfall out. And, yes, eschewing sidearms for a strap makes them hard to crush. I threwĚýthem on the ground and stepped on them while wearing hiking boots, and they alwaysĚýemergedĚýunscathed. I put them in my back pocket and sat on them repeatedly, and they came out good as new (which says something, as I weigh 190 pounds). Granted, the lenses—polarized glass from Germany—will collect scratches, but the frames themselves are pretty pliable.

Sounds like a love affair, right? Not so fast.

What I Dislike

Putting these glasses on and taking them off is a pain in the ass.

The process is not technically difficult—it’s just loosening or tightening the nylon strap, but those actions requireĚýtwo hands, and aĚýlot of the things I do in sunglassesĚýalso require two hands. That meansĚýI have to take both hands off the handlebarsĚýor off the rope when I’mĚýbelaying (don’t do this). If I’m wearing a helmet, there’s an added layer of complexity,Ěýbecause the Leggero’sĚýstrapĚýgets caughtĚýin the helmet’s strap. And if I’m drinking a beer and it gets sunny all of a sudden, I have to put down my brew. Unacceptable.

I have a fewĚýminor gripes, too. I’d prefer grippier nose pads—the LeggeroĚýrequiresĚýmore tension to preventĚýslippageĚýwhen I’m working up a sweat.ĚýAnd there’s a slightĚýlearning curve to the tightening process: it took me a few days toĚýeventually findĚýthe sweet spot with the strap tension.

The Upshot

So, yeah, I hate these sunglasses a little bit, but does thatĚýoutweigh my love for them? Hell no. The highest compliment I can give to a pair of shadesĚýis that they disappear on my face. And that happens all the time with the Leggero. I put them on, I do the things I’m doing, and I totally forget I’m wearing them. Bravo. SoĚýeven though I’m hyperaware of the Leggero during anyĚýtransitions (when they become cumbersome and require two opposable thumbs),ĚýI’m still planning on wearing them on bluebird days when I’m skiing this winter.ĚýI’m also looking forward to strapping them on at the beach this spring and summer. I will absolutely paddleboard, and maybe even surf, with these glasses. And I’m positive I won’t lose them, because they’re glued to my head.

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Atomic Four Q HD ($250)

The first thing we do when testing goggles is check the optics in full sun. It’s not necessarily clarity we’re evaluating, since most high-end double-lens goggles are sharp these days. We’re looking for refractions—the mirroring effect that occurs when light passes through the outer lens, bounces off the inner lens, and then gets mirrored a second time back to your eye, resulting in strain and fatigue. Three years ago, Atomic introduced a fused double lens—the two layers bonded together instead of separated by air. The result: the sharpest optics we’d ever experienced, with zero refractions. We gave Atomic the 2019 Gear of the Year Award for introducing this technology to the U.S. Now we’re awarding the brand again for the Four Q HD, which offers the same laserlike optical clarity in a new oversize cylindrical lens that delivers more peripheral vision by better wrapping the face. When storm clouds gather, you can quickly release the bright-light lens and swap it for a storm-specific one (included) via an ingenious system that involves simultaneously squeezing two subtle buttons on each temple. It’s the most intuitive and anatomically natural method we’ve seen. Both lenses are also kitted out with state-of-the-art light filtering to boost contrast when the skies go graybird. With goggles, optics trump everything—and the Four Q HD trumps all.

Bollé Nevada Neo ($280)

Best for Bright Western Sun

Elevation messes with double-lens goggles. We’ve seen some break apart, and far more get distorted. BollĂ© addresses this by sandwiching a layer of foam between laser-cut slots along the edges of its lenses, which relieves pressure. The Nevada Neo’s photochromic filter also gets to 70 percent of its darkest level within 20 seconds of exposure to full sun. It’s just dim enough to avoid glare while still making bumps visible at high speeds. An included low-light storm lens is perfect for daily use up north in January.Ěý

Spy+ Marauder ($180)

Best for All-Mountain Snowboarding

It’s styled for a young demographic, but the new Marauder is as featured as any nice goggles. The slightly oversize cylindrical lenses (one for bright conditions, one for storm days, both mirrored) compete with the Atomic for massive field of view, and the magnetic change system seals well, thanks to sliding locks on each side. The frame is also incredibly stiff, so no gaps. Extensive venting up top dumps so much air that we couldn’t get the lens to fog. And tuned light filtering, now common among top-end brands, increases the contrast in flat light. Small cutaways in the inside temples work with eyeglasses.Ěý

Smith Squad Mag ($220)

Best for Storms

Smith’s Mag system, which uses six magnets to pull the lens into the frame and two intuitive levers to lock it in place, was the first such method that really worked. Now, Smith is applying it to a cylindrical lens that offers more peripheral vision. We changed the Squad Mag from a dark lens to a bright storm one on the chair in a driving snow without taking it off. The included ­low-light lens is specifically tuned to jack contrast in blizzard conditions, and the ­ultra-wicking ­three-layer foam was made for falling snow.Ěý

POC Cornea Solar Switch ($450)

Best for Tree Skiing

Photochromic goggle lenses have been around forever, but they usually work passively and slowly. Some brands have turned to manual buttons that trigger an instantaneous electric tint shift, but they’re hard to operate safely on the move. POC has a better idea. The new Cornea Solar Switch features a layer of tint-changing liquid crystals in the lens. A small solar panel at the top activates an instant automatic electrical change: the lens shifts to a dark gray in full sun and to a lighter gray in the trees. On one run, we triggered this transition about ten times, swooping from sun to shade, marveling at the improved visual acuity.

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Dragon Alliance Excursion X LL ($239)

Dragon’s stylish convertible frames are smart if not ingenious. Besides the ­snap-on side shields, Dragon provides two sets of swappable earpieces: a standard street set (shown) and a pair of springy wire grabbers like the ones on traditional glacier glasses. But these are not the mountaineering shades they appear to be—and that’s a good thing. Death Zone–worthy lenses are way too dark for everyday activities, especially driving. The lenses on the Excursion X LL, on the other hand, are fine on the road and for sunny-day knocking around town but still dark enough for fun in seriously bright alpine and sidecountry. Dragon’s designers tuned the gray tint to enhance certain wavelengths, which preserves the color and contrast that so-so gray shades tend to fade and flatten. Acuity and detail are as good as synthetic lenses get. Meanwhile, security comes from sticky rubber at the nose and ears, with a leash to make you and your shades inseparable. ­Minus the side shields, and with the conventional earpieces deployed, the Excursion X LL looks like a big-city frame. Nobody will know that it pulls double duty in your backcountry kit.

100% Legere Round ($130)

Best for Style

With its relatively small round shape, 100%’s new unisex featherweight goes light on coverage but wins for style and quality. It uses a single ­­mirrored-gold synthetic lens with an etched border that looks like a frame. The result is graceful and minimal, with a ­tea-colored tint that offers crisp, clear optics.

Peppers Sea Dweller ($60)

Best for ­Watersports

Every water person has mourned at least one pair of sunken shades. We love the Sea Dweller because it floats—and offers solid ­functionality at an affordable price. The deep amber tint on the polarized synthetic lenses is a departure from the gray on most aquatic sunnies, but it’s ideal for near shore excursions where land is part of the picture. Detachable side shields add coverage.

Suncloud Adelaide ($55)

Best for Sporty Style

This value-priced women’s number is surprisingly apt at performing with flair, whether you’re jogging, boardwalk cruising, or drinking après negronis. Credit the oversize frames and polarized synthetic lenses, which give ample coverage (and the vibe of a crazy aunt from Vero Beach, which we love). Optics are good for the money, with a gray tint that works well in moderate sun.

Costa del Mar Switchfoot ($269)

Best for Road Trips

These superb driving glasses feature slick matte black frames. In the sun, the polarized synthetic lenses offer incredible depth, detail, and glare reduction. You won’t look so bad, either, in these big shades that harken back to 1970s Hollywood hunk style.

Bollé Chrono­shield ($240)

Best for Endurance Pursuits

Next-generation optics give a major update to Bollé’s latest, a reprise of a classic design from the eighties. Photochromic lenses take you from dawn to high noon and all the way to golden hour, with a delicious brownish tint that enhances depth and contrast. The big single-piece lens blocks out wind, while thin cutouts at the bottom and top allow gentle airflow that prevents fogging. This one’s made for nordic hot laps, tours, and fast winter rides.

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I recently cut weight from my pack and improved my ability to spot animals—bothĚýto a single carbon-fiber stick. That’s because Ěý($100) can, in some circumstances, replace a heavy tripod while offering a stabilized platform for your binocularsĚýthat’s also much faster to set up.

From birds toĚýungulates toĚýpredators, most animals evolved to blend into their habitats. That means the easiest way to spot them is to look for movement, not colors, shapes, or patterns. ButĚýpick up a pair of binoculars and one of the first things you’llĚýnotice is that your hands move, too. Often a lot. And that movement prevents you fromĚýeffectively spotting other movements. SoĚýto better employ magnified optics, you need to stabilize them.

Adding stabilization has traditionally involved mounting a pair of binoculars to a tripod. The lightest one in my arsenal— with the brand’s —weighs 2.7 poundsĚýand costs $900. As you’d expect for that price, it provides exceptional stabilization. ButĚýit also adds literal pounds of weight to my packĚýand takes about a minute to unstrap, unfold, and fully assemble.

In contrast, the Kestrel Monopod weighs a mere six ounces, and you can whip it out, attach your binoculars, and be glassing critters less than five seconds later. TheĚýadvantages offered by its minimal weightĚýand speed are compound:Ěýnot only does it enable me to travel farther into the backcountry, but it also means I can carry image stabilization along more often, with less preparation, using a smaller pack. I can then deploy stabilized optics in a more fluid fashion that involves far fewer steps, making it less likely I’llĚýdisturb the animals I’m looking at. ItsĚýstabilizationĚýalso helps me get more out of my binoculars. With such a clear view so easily had, I find myself needing my spotting scopes (which provide considerably more magnification)Ěýless and less, meaning I can shed even more weight.

The Monopod is more than just a 44-inch-tall stick. An internal shock cord allows it to fold in half like a tent poleĚýand also supports a polymer fin that pivots around the monopodĚýand slides up and down its upper half. To connect your binoculars,Ěýinstall a metal quick disconnect (QD) pin to the standard quarter-inch socket found in the front of the frame pivot on most optics. ThatĚýpin then clips in and out of a socket on the fin, facilitating a fast, secure connection. Because the fin and the binoculars clipped to it stretch the shock cord as they hang, this arrangement supports the weight of the opticsĚýwhile still allowing total freedom of movement. Stabilization is provided not just from the rigidity of the carbon support poleĚýbut also by its ability to dampen vibrations induced by your grip.ĚýThe Monopod is designed to be used while seated.

Despite those advantages, Kestrel’s Monopod cannot provide stability equivalent to a quality tripod—without a tripod’s ability to stand freely on three contact points onĚýthe ground, it never could. What the MonopodĚýdoes provideĚýis an unexpected amount of stabilization from a device that’s vastly easier to carryĚýand can be employed instantaneously. And that’s added up to a device I now carry far more often, enabling me to better observe wildlife more frequently.

Kestrel Glassing Systems is the brainchild of mechanical engineerĚýJon Lucas, who came up with the idea while packing for a backcountry elk hunt a few years ago. Evaluating his system, and trying to remove as much stuff from it as possible to save weight (the same approach ultralight backpackers take), he tells me that he found himself holding his heavy tripod andĚýwishing he could leave it behind, butĚýconcludingĚýthat there just wasn’t a good way to do so.

Lucas has conducted durability testing that hasĚýproven the Monopod’sĚýabilityĚýto accept a pair of binocularsĚýthousands of times. His computer simulations suggest it can do the same tens of thousands of times more. The Monopod is assembled in Idaho, from American-sourced parts. Despite the light weightĚýand reasonable price, nothing on it feels lacking.

Armed with a , will I be able to totally abandon a tripod this fall? No, because I’ll also want to view animalsĚýwhile standingĚýorĚýlock in a view on a freestanding tripodĚýand step away so a friend can see it, too.ĚýBut anytime I’m throwing on a backpack, justifying the additional weight will be a lot harder.

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According to the , more bicycle fatalities occur between 6 P.M. and 9 P.M. than at any other time—nearly 40 percent. You can probably guess why.Ěý

While no amount of safety gear can protect you from a distracted or drunk driver, being visible on the road at night canĚýhelp you avoid being struck by attentive drivers. One of the most effectiveĚýways to ensureĚýthis?ĚýBike lights. They’re not just for night riding, either: though not legally required, daytime running lights can also help to catch a motorist’s eyeĚýin broad daylightĚý(more on that later).Ěý

Bicycle lights are brokenĚýinto two categories: lights to see and lights to be seen. “Be-seen lights are just bright enough so nearby motorists or pedestrians can see you,” says Andrew Ibanez, a sales representative at the bike-lights company . “To-see lights are much brighter, illuminating the road or trail ahead.” There’s obviously some crossover between the two.

Solid Versus Flashing Lights

Most lights have severalĚýsettings, ranging from solid to flashing to pulsing,Ěýoften at various speeds. A solid white light is hands down a cyclist’s best option for seeing the road ahead at night. It’s also excellent for making you visible to other road users, while not distracting othersĚýand delivering constant information about your location. “Continuous lighting sources are less jarring than blinking lights,” says Ryan Young, youth-programs coordinator at the .Ěý

On the other hand, research shows that solid light isn’t as good at capturing our attention, making it a less optimal setting for a taillight or a be-seen headlight. According to Heather Nenov, an ophthalmologist from , light entering the eye at a consistent brightness activates photoreceptors at the back of the eye. However, when light enters the eye in flashes, it activates those photoreceptors repeatedly and can activate more of them. “Think car-brake lights,” she says. “It’s the contrast that catches our attention more than if they were just on continuously.”Ěý

A conducted by Pennsylvania’sĚýĚýalso concluded that faster flash rates draw more attention than slower flash rates. But there is a limit: Ěýat the Color Usage Research Lab on how the brain processes flashing lightĚýshowed that our eyes respond best to lights that flash between four and eight hertz (cycles per second).

The Optimal Setup

At Night

You should always run a minimum of two lights on your bike while riding at night—aĚýfront-facingĚýlightĚýto illuminate the road aheadĚýand aĚýrear-facing taillight so driversĚýbehind can see you. Your front light should be white, bright enough for you to see any upcoming obstacles, and set to the solid-beam option. Most good nighttimeĚýfront lights range from 250Ěýto 2,000 lumens (inĚýcomparison, ). “For a light that is designed to see, many riders are comfortable mountain-biking at about 700 lumens, but 1,000 lumens is what I really start recommending as the minimum,” says Alex Applegate, the marketing manager at Bontrager, a maker of cycling apparel and accessories like lights.Ěý“If you are commuting on the open road and using the light to see, I would use the same recommendation. In a city setting with more ambient light, you can get by with less.”

Your rear light should be red andĚýideally pulsing, and it only needs to be bright enough for other cars to see you. Your rear light only needs to be —much less powerful than your front light. Remember: it doesn’t need to help you see, just be seen.

It’s also not just about lumens.Ěý“Lumens areĚýa measure of total light output,” saysĚýApplegate.Ěý“The higher the number, the more total light is emitted.ĚýBut it’sĚýnot as easy as more lumens equals more visibility—optics and focus play a huge part in whereĚýthe light goes and how far you can see itĚýor be seen while using it.ĚýThink about a regular lightbulb: it’s pretty bright up close, but from a distance, not very visible. To be visible from a meaningful distance, especially during the day, the focus and optics of a light are just as important as lumens.”

Not all models offer a pulsingĚýoption, so make sure you do your research before you buy. The , , and all lights include a pulsingĚýoption.ĚýIf your light doesn’t have a pulsing option, a flashing or strobing light is better than a solid beam, especially at night,Ěýaccording to , which sells daytime running lights.Ěý

During the Day

Daytime running lights are not legally required, but Ěýfound that the accident rate for cyclists with constant permanent running lights is 19 percent lower than for cyclists without lights. During sunny hours, getting a driver’s attention requires a more powerful light source or flashing pattern. Daytime running lights, like the Bontrager Flare RT, have a different, more concentrated beam pattern for higher visibility in bright light.ĚýBut if you don’t have a dedicated daytime light, switchĚýboth your front-facing and rear-facing lights to the brightest setting available, and turn them to pulsing or flashing mode. According toĚýthe same research compiled by Trek, “using a flashing tail light [during the day] can make you up to 2.4ĚýtimesĚýmore noticeable than a rider using no lights at all (and up to 1.4ĚýtimesĚýmore noticeable than a rider using a light in steady mode).” Some lights, such as the or theĚý, automatically detect changes in ambient light and adjust intensity and flash rate accordingly.

Light Positioning

No matter what mode your light is in, it’s useless if it isn’t placed where drivers canĚýsee it. While mounting lights on highly visible body parts—like your head (via your helmet)—is all well and good, Cascade Bicycle Club’s Ryan says you should only do this for your headlightĚýif you already have a light also mounted on your handlebars.Ěý“If your only front-facing light is on your helmet, you can always see where you are looking,” he says. “But if you turn your head, the traffic oppositeĚýyour direction of travel will no longer see your light [or potentiallyĚýyou].” If you attach your taillight to your seatpost or seatstays, be sure it’s not being obstructed by a saddlebag or your tire. As with any new piece of gear, get familiar with your lights before taking them out on the road.

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District Vision Junya ($250)

Ignore the woo-woo branding. In the hands of this Lower Manhattan–based company, whose glasses are crafted in Japan, eyewear ascends to art, with gracefully curvy, minimalist designs. But the Junya earns our accolades for more than aesthetics. It offers the sharp optics, full protection, and supreme comfort you need for pounding out miles in town and in the mountains, in sun or shade, without resorting to the flashy astronaut looks of so many race frames. The Black Rose synthetic lenses have a purple tint that works in a startling range of bright­ness, with incredible acuity and depth of vision in low to medium light. The frames seem small compared with showier shields but provide top-notch coverage and shelter even in gale-force winds. Frosty temples look like skinny icicles and have bendable titanium-wire cores for dialing in fit. Rubber-clad ­nosepieces hold their position, and the frames’ feathery weight reduces bounce. Beauty is as beauty does—in this case, it does a lot.

Costa Del Mar Ferg ($279)

Best on the Water

Judging by optics alone, the Ferg is the pick of this summer’s crop. Costa’s 580G polarized lenses are made of glass, which reigns supreme for sharpness, pop, and scratch resistance. The obvious issue—that glass can shatter on impact—doesn’t rate when all you’re hit with is wind and spray, so con­­sider these watersport specialists. To that end, Costa rigged the Ferg for serious boat­ing, with sly side shielding to keep out crosswinds and bright sun. Flexible rubber earpieces add firm but friendly grip.

Zeal Rampart ($149)

Best Behind the Wheel

Put these slick sport-street crossover frames through their paces on the trail, and do it again on the drive to happy hour. Your friends will ­never guess you’re rocking trail shades. The refined rectangular shape and high-gloss frames play down these sunnies’ technical strengths, like polarized wraparound lenses that provide wonderful detail, depth, and glare relief even when you’re facing straight into the sun. Rubber patches at the ears and nose secure your investment.

Shwood Canby Stone ($295)

Steeziest

A fascia of light-toned slate over a laminate of walnut reinforced with aluminum makes the Canby Stone’s frames positively breathtaking. The technical chops—crisp, clear, ­gray-tinted polarized lenses, plus smooth-­action stainless-steel hinges—live up to the design vibe and build quality. Shwood’s frames are relatively lightweight for their class (we even took them on a three-mile jog, which they handled fine) but the niche is fashion. These are for outdoorsy connoisseurs who have style and don’t mind buying up.

Electric JJF 12 ($240)

Most Versatile

Glacier glasses are critical for safeguarding eyes from alpine glare, but wearing them around town is a recipe for dweebishness. The JJF 12’s snap-in, snap-out side shields solve that problem. The ­color-neutral, polar­ized synthetic lenses are as high contrast as gray gets, and they stand up to hellish brightness and UV exposure. With the shields ready to deploy, you can go straight from the hippest Seattle coffee shop to the summit of Mount Rainier without changing frames.

Oakley Trailing Point ($196)

Best for Training Days

Oakley’s new women’s frames fuse fashion with pro-level sport design. The rounded-off cat-eye lenses are bare along the bottom edge, which looks sleek and playful and makes technical sense for the same reason it does on race shades: lower weight and less obstruction to your field of view. The Trailing Point is a performance model in every way except looks. Coverage is wide, weight minimal, and security top-notch. The polarized synthetic lenses deliver spectacular optics.

Wiley-X Compass ($150)

Most Bombproof

To rate this macho number’s impact ­capa­bility, the American National Standards Institute dropped pointed weights onto it and fired projectiles at it. The lenses would not crack or pop out. Hidden behind the aggressive wraparound frames, a soft detachable gasket rests against your face to seal out wind and dust. This goggle-like protection is great for any sport that involves savage sun, howling wind, or things flying in your face. Crisp polarized lenses round out the package. Your eyes will be the best-armored (albeit the least fashionable) part of your body.

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The are pissed. Instead of filling their birdbath promptly this morning, my husband and I made pancakes. I sip tea and watch them rampage through the mulch, raking bits of bark into the air with their tiny golden dinosaur feet. If I don’t act soon, they will move to the flowerpots and dig up any seedlings they find, in protest of our sloth. A pair of big fat look on, hopping around the trunks of the pine trees, their white-framed eyes comically indignant above their puffed-out orangeĚýbreasts. I put on my garden clogs, grab the watering can, and head to the spigot. The air is full of music.ĚýBefore returningĚýinside, I spot a perched at the top of a juniper, a ball of pearl-gray floof in a pointed hat, trilling a couple rounds of mating call before launching into flight. It’s a darn peaceful feeling, being engaged with the comings and goings of my neighborhood’s feathered denizens. Not once do I pick up my phone to check the news.

Birding—the pastime of observing and listening to birds—is something I found gradually and casually. A high school environmental-scienceĚýteacherĚýmade me memorize 20 or so Pacific Northwest species, laying the foundation for basic identifications like Ěýand how to tell a hawk from a vulture in flight. (Vultures have more splayed-out wing tips and look like a tippy V in the sky instead of a smooth-gliding kite.) When I moved to the East Coast, I delighted in spotting iconic cardinals, flashy orioles, and flirty mockingbirds. Eventually I married a former Eagle Scout with an impressive collection of field guides and a nice set of binoculars. We settled in Santa Fe,Ěýbought a house, and set about getting to know our new backyard friends.

I’ve beenĚýmore hooked than ever since I startedĚýworking from homeĚýthis spring. Lying in bed each morning listening to the shifting mating-season choruses definitely beats stumbling off to the gymĚý(not that it’s an option right now anyway). Watching the irate ballet of towhees and robins instead of compulsively scrolling on my phone makes me feel an actual sense of calm and connectedness to the moment amid the swirling chaos and unknown.

But perhaps the best thing about birding is that it’s an easy-access hobby, no crazy-expensive or cumbersome equipment required. Here are my six favorite tools for learning who’s who in your neighborhood.

‘Peterson Field Guide to Birds of North America’Ěý($20)

Larger than a pocket-size field guide but smaller than a coffee-table tome, is the book that’s earned a permanent place on my windowsill next to the binoculars. The color plates are sharp and detailed, with black arrows highlighting key species’ characteristics,Ěýlike wing bars and crown feathers. On-page range maps provide clarity if you’re not sure whether you’ve got a CarolinaĚýor Bewick’s wren. True beginners: check out the introduction, which walks you through the practical basics of how to identify birds and use the book.

Song Sleuth App (Free)

Much of the time, it’s easier to hear birds than it is to see them, which is frustrating. is a brilliant tool for figuring out who’s trilling their head off at 7 A.M.Ěýoutside your window. Set your state, select Record and ID,Ěýpoint your phone’s microphone at the source, and hit Record as soon as you hear the first few notes of the song. (The app smartly bumps the start of the recording back a few seconds from when you hit the button, so you don’t need lightning-fast reflexes to capture a perfect song.) When you’ve got your sample, the app’s algorithm compares the audio to a library of recordings ofĚýmore than 200 North American bird species. You’ll then get to peruse the top-three closest matches, each with a set of song and call recordings, species information, and a beautiful illustration by renowned ornithologist .ĚýPro tip: don’t start listening to recordings withinĚýearshot of the birds—they’ll think someone is crowding their turf and leave.

Nocs Provisions Standard Issue 8×25 Waterproof Binoculars ($115)

It’s easy to spend upwardĚýof $500 on field binoculars, but for the beginner or intermittent enthusiast, makes a solid pair at an affordable price. The 8xĚýmagnification (meaning you can see birds eight times closer than with the naked eye) lets you spot details—like eye-ring feathers and beak shapes—that can make or break a correct ID. The optics aren’t as crisp and tunable as my higher-end ’s ($350), but the Nocs weigh half as much (11.85 ounces), makingĚýthem the pair I reach for when I’m scoping out a new face at the birdbath.

Droll Yankees Onyx Clever Clean and Fill Mixed Seed Bird Feeder ($50)

It’s nice to give back to your new friendosĚýand create a spot where you can view them chowing down. Droll Yankees is renowned for the quality of its USA-madeĚýfeeders, which come with a lifetime warranty against squirrel damage. features a twist-off base that makes for easy cleaning—important, since you should do this . For food, ask your local bird shop or garden center for regional and seasonal recommendations, or try this crowd-pleasing blend from .

Merlin Bird ID App (Free)

Last weekĚýI spent hours flipping through books,Ěýtrying to identify a fat gray bird with a very generic sparrow face and an orange undertail. After less than five minutes on Cornell Labs’ ,ĚýI pegged it as a canyon towhee. Once you download the info for your geographic area, the app uses four basic questions—date of sighting, bird size, bird color(s), and bird location—to give you a list of likely species, with clear, lush photos to make your ID, plus general info, geographical maps, and a library of songs and calls. Not quite sure what size the bird is? Or whether it’s orange or yellow? No big deal: simply change your answers and try again. If you’re in a browsing mood, the Explore Birds feature lets you scroll who’s likely to be in your area today based on migration patterns.

Aspects HummZinger Excel Hummingbird Built-In Ant Moat Feeder ($27)

Hummingbirds are hilarious and an important . This workhorse feeder treats them right, with a dish configuration that resists mold better than bottle designs, and the moat up top prevents ants from invading. (You will have to refill the moat every couple days in summer, but it’s worth it.) At the start of the season, the nine-inch red lid never fails to quickly attract hummingbirds to my yard within a day or two.ĚýTo make about 16 ounces of hummingbird food: bring twoĚýcups of water to a simmer, and whisk in a half-cup of pure white cane sugarĚý(never raw, turbinado, or organic sugar, whichĚýcontain iron-rich molasses that’s .) Let this cool to about room temperature, fill the feeder, add some water to the ant moat, and get ready for the action. When it’s time to refill, run it through the dishwasher on the top rack.

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Spy Dirty Mo 2 ($170)

For years we derided black frames as timid, fun-deficient defaults. Why go colorless when bright options abound? Spy explains why with the special-edition Dirty Mo 2 and its soft-matte frames that suck up light like an eyewear-shaped black hole. These sunnies forced us to abandon other notions, too. We used to look down on grayish lens tints for being blah and not truly sport- or speed-worthy, because they flatten the view and reduce contrast. Well, blah has been killed by techy optics like Spy’s polarized, color-neutral synthetic lenses, which are high-def, deep, and color enhancing nearly to the point of synesthesia. It’s also time to back off snottiness about these curvy-lens sport wraps being embarrassing relics of the nineties, fine for outdoor sports and recreation but not for the street. Spy squares off the retro design while retaining functional wrap-back lenses for wide, unobstructed vision and protection from sun and wind. This is a true multisport wonder, great for most casual and hardcore athletic pursuits, that also shows style savvy. The look is too much for normal business and dress-up, but so is most maximum-strength fun.

Dragon Alliance Monarch XL ($159)

Best for Big Guys

We tip our hat to Dragon, which appeals to the wide faced and melon headed with the Monarch XL. These shades, with their glossy black frames, are clean, handsome, and high quality, especially the optically sharp synthetic polarized lenses in dense gray, which slay glare and tame brightness. We DQ this one for serious outdoor activities, though—the frames are too slippery, and the flat lenses let in wind and light at the sides.

Bollé Ada ($79)

Best for Laid-Back Weekends

Casual women’s frames in the same flat gray as a Navy warship? Bolle rocks it with flashy blue mirroring, which does a good job of mitigating glare. Gray-tinted synthetic lenses make your world easy on the eyes, even when the sun is shining bright. That tone makes for simple on and off, with almost no color-shift weirdness. Large lenses afford coverage, but do it quietly. Everything about the Ada is chill.

Raen Friar ($185)

Best for the Urban Jungle

These fashion glasses aren’t cheap, but this level of sumptuous detail and design could easily cost twice as much. Wire cores in the temple pieces—bendable for the perfect fit—are things of beauty shining through bluish hand-cut acetate. Ditto the Frank Lloyd Wright–looking ornamental metal at the hinges. The warm brown tint (not the usual citified gray) of the polarized synthetic lenses pumps up visuals. Driving in hellish suburban glare, we had a sleepy passenger try on the Friar. She sat up and yelled, “Wow!”

Oakley Clifden ($193)

Best for Mountains and Snow

Glacier-glass-style side shields are having a moment, and the Clifden is worthy of the alpine. Oakley improves on the past: these shades are much lighter than the Arctic kind, and the synthetic lenses curve generously, for better peripheral coverage and wider vision. The side shields come off for a less calculated look, while the view through the mirrored silver and tinted wine-red lenses is wondrous, even without a trace of snow on the ground.

Tifosi Aethon ($80)

Best for Riding and Running

Any nicely featured, single-lens racing shield for $80 is notable, but this one has a synthetic lens that automatically changes tint with available light. It lets in about 28 percent of full-strength sunlight, and 75 percent—­almost clear—when the levels are low. The design’s sex appeal falls short of performance shields costing three or four times as much. But the Aethon punches way above its price point, with crisp optics, huge coverage, security, comfort, and low weight.

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