I recently went backpacking in the Sneffels Wilderness Area in southwest Colorado. What better place to field test the Croakies ARC Endless sunglasses retainers than in a high-risk situation: in the backcountry with wood splinters flying towards my face?
It was the wettest weekend I’ve seen after 3 years living in the region. Colorado sun is reliable enough that you can expect at least a couple rays every morning. Not so this weekend.
This meant extra-slippery conditions for my field test; perfect for seeing how well these Croakies kept my glasses on my face.
The backcountry: where inaccessible beauty waits, indifferent to your appreciation. It felt like a cross between the Scottish Highlands and the Alps of Europe.
Our group was happy to see the clouds break midday as we set up camp. With tents staked and standing taught, I took the break in clouds to extract dry wood from the center of a felled tree.
Using the Croakies ARC Endless system as eye pro while finding dry wood cores.
Even though it was mostly cloudy, my sunglasses were necessary for safety.
Cutting into loose logs with a hatchet warrants eye protection, and I needed my eye pro to stay on my head. The last thing you want is for your eye pro to slip from your face and to take a sliver of wood to the eye.
Despite less than ideal conditions for backpacking, this was a great environment to see how the ARC Endless system holds up in action.
Splinterfest 2016. Cover charge: 4 mile hike.
The verdict: they do exactly what they’re supposed to do.
I was drawn to the ARC Endless system because it’s adjustable. Adjustability means they actively hold your sunglasses t0 your head or they can be relaxed for around-the-neck hanging.
The sliding mechanism couldn’t be easier, and I truly felt secure trusting the system to keep my glasses in between my hatchet, the tree, and my face.
The system is lightweight to the point that you don’t know it’s there.
Believe it or not, there was some dry wood in there.
My favorite part? They keep the glasses close to my head. Standing up and bending down repeatedly, there were a couple times my glasses could have fallen off my face. But they slide a centimeter instead. Well done, Croakies crew.
At $14.99, the ARC Endless is a good technical addition to your sunglasses. Check it out here.
