Has anyone tried to wear sunglasses (of any kind) during a torrential downpour?

I am hearing (from a GOOD source) as counter intuitive it may seem when you are in a very, very heavy rain, wearing sunglasses of any type will allow you to see through the rain like it was not even there.

You see oncoming car lights, the water splashing up from the road, but when before you could only see 20' or 30' in front of you or less, your visibility wtih sun glasses is like there is no rain at all.

Spray coming off of cars and especially semi's.......you see right through it like nothing.

Anyone experience this?

BuzzCap7

 

Are you saying that regardless of the color coating (Blue, Brown, Yellow or Grey) on the sunglasses or whether they are polarized or not, that you are able to see right through the rain. Do you also have a windscreen mounted on your motorcycle and if so what effect does that have on your view?

Ride Safe - Ride Smart


"He Who Lives in Joy Does His Creator's Will".
The Baal Shem Tov, Founder of Chasidic Judaism... ca. 1750's

 

Yeah, I been rained on tons of times wearing sunglasses ...and it ain't nothing like what you posted.

Glasses fog up and are full of rain drops....sometimes on both the inside and out of the lens depending on how hard it's raining.

But you keep em on to keep the rain from stinging your eyeballs.

Slow down a bit, look ahead, try and follow the yellow and white lines, while looking for tail light and hope for the best.

At least that's what I've always done.

 

I always thought one had to exceed the buck20 mark before rain stopped obscuring your vision.

 

The only thing I like less than riding at night is riding in the rain. If perchance I have to ride at night or in the rain and it does occasionally happen, I do not look at the yellow or white center lines. I find that it is too easy to be blinded by oncoming traffic if you are concentrating on the yellow or white center lines. On two lane roads, I find it much better (safer) to follow the Fog (White) lines on the right side of the traffic lane. Ultimately it is your choice based on your knowledge of the road (most frequently the rain will puddle on the right shoulder of the road) and as always... YMMV.

Ride Safe - Ride Smart


"He Who Lives In Joy Does His Creator's Will".
The Baal Shem Tov, Founder of Chasidic Judaism... ca. 1750's

If you're doing 120 in the rain, most likely you'll be viewing the action from Heaven.

Ride Safe - Ride Smart


"He Who Lives in Joy Does His Creator's Will".
The Baal Shem Tov, Founder of Chasidic Judaism... ca. 1750's

 

 

You mean that you have never been caught in the rain while wearing sunglasses or that you have never wore sunglasses while riding or that you have never been caught in the rain?

 

Riding in heavy rain sucks no matter what you are wearing. I've tried all types of glasses. The worst thing that can happen is your glasses fog and you can't see crap. This tends to happen mostly with the glasses that have the foam around the edges because there is not enough airflow. I use regular wrap-around sunglasses and coat the lenses with some anti-fog product. There are many products on the market. Or, you can just use some plain spit - it works almost as well. During a heavy rain the water will run off the glasses pretty well and allow you to see ok. It's the light rain/mist situations that suck the most because the water builds up on the glasses and doesn't run off fast enough. In these cases, I just use my finger to clear off the front of the lense. I hate riding in the rain but you have to figure out what works at least until you can pull off and sit it out.

 

yea, that. i got absolutely poured on for hours and hours on my trip back from the dragon last august.. it was easily the most challenging ride i have ever completed. 850 miles in one day while pouring rain for about half of that.

 

I hate riding in heavy rain with water on both sides of the sunglasses. I have no idea what you mean Buzzcap because if the rain is heavy I can't see a thing. It's no fun when you also get water in your eyes. I've ridden with my left hand shielding them.

I just bought a FF helmet for highway riding in rain but in Florida you get caught in rain very frequently so I probably should wear it most days.