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Inexpensive sunglasses

Q. Dear Gear Guy, When I’m out camping I need to keep my eyes safe. I want to buy some sunglasses. But where can I find a pair for under $50?
—Dylan Bright Eyes, Cass, Michigan

A. Hey Dylan, I totally hear where you’re coming from—it’s important to protect your eyes, but there are tons of very expensive sunglasses out there. And where are the affordable ones? Lucky for you there are actually plenty of inexpensive options under the $50 mark. For example, check out these cool polarized shades with lightweight nylon frames and shatter-proof lenses: Pepper’s Empire Maker ($35; peppersusa.com). Pepper’s has many other styles in the $35 range. Also check out other affordable brands like Ryders (ryderseyewear.com), Optic Nerve (nerveusa.com) and Sun Cloud (suncloudoptics.com), which is a lower-end brand manufactured by high-end Smith Optics. REI also carries a sunglass brand called Chili’s which hover in the $20 to $25 range (rei.com).


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10 Comments on Inexpensive sunglasses

  1. you can get quality sunglasses for $35 at dicks

  2. If you have a wider head (like i do) and don’t like the way most sunglasses fit go for Peppers brand model Blackjacks (R.E.I, $40) they are polarized and cut glare really well. I just used mine on a trip to the island Catalina off the coast of California and they worked great!

  3. I like to go to Home Depot or Lowes and get the ones that are also safety glasses. They look cool, work good as sun glasses, and I can use them as safety glasses too. They usually have several options at pretty good prices. Because they are safety glasses they also tend to hold up a bit better than just cheap sunglasses.

  4. Knife Xpert 157 (aka Chad 101) // September 23, 2011 at 8:14 pm // Reply

    Good tips.

  5. just make sure the sunglasses are UV A & B 100% blocking. Ploarized glasses are great if you have really bright sunshine (like Florida or Texas) or if you spend a lot of time on the water.

  6. DustinJustinBob // September 14, 2011 at 12:18 pm // Reply

    You can get good sunglasses at walmart for ten dollars

  7. Cole scout 210 // September 14, 2011 at 6:54 am // Reply

    You can get some under 15$ at target.

  8. I have a 5$ WAL-MART pair and the work great!

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