In New Mexico, where ϳԹisheadquartered, there’s only one piece of must-have, do-or-die everyday carry gear: A decent pair of sunglasses. It might sound dramatic,but if you’ve ever visited the Land of Enchantment, you know that the sun here at the high desert elevations is so bright and intense you feel like youreyes are melting without something protecting them. Riding a bike or driving for more than 15 minutes without shades feels impossible.
I’ve been fortunate to test my fair share of nice, priceyglasses forϳԹ. But to be honest, latelyI’ve beenmost excited about the ($35). These are not the shadesI’ll use on long mountain bike rides through the nearby Sangre de Cristo mountains—I’ll opt for a more bike-specific pair then. But they will live on my face the rest of the time: they look great, have high-quality lenses, and are so affordable thatI won’t worry about them getting a little bit dinged up.
The most important part, of course, are those lenses, which not only keep out harmful rays but are polarized to enhance color and cut glare. Huckberry calls the frames a “lightweight” version of theclassic Wayfarer design and they fit me perfectly.I have a giant, awkward nose and rocked these without pause. You don’t get rubber grippers on the nose or temples, so the glasses might slide around during sweaty activities, but the frame hugsmy head snugly enoughthat I never worried about them actually falling off during a bike commute or quick lunch run.
As for the frame, it’s made from plain-old plastic, instead of a stronger material like Grilamid. That means the Weekenders might break if you sit on them. But we’re not talking a gas-station-sunnies level of weak, and the Weekenders havetaken a beating in my backpack without really flinching.
It’s rare to find one pair of sunglasses I want to wear for 80 percent of the things I do outside—and even rarer to find oneat this price.