Best Survival Sunglasses & Eye Protection
The difference a good pair of sunglasses can make is something you shouldn’t sleep on. Protecting your eyes is important, but being able to trust your sunglasses to give you the best sight in any situation gives a great advantage. High-quality tactical sunglasses can fit the bill for survival use, but there are a few other options as well.
This is where we come in. We’ve researched the best sunglasses for survival, tested them, and now the results are in: the overall best, a budget option, and some versatile goggles. If you need some reliable eyewear, one of our suggestions will have you covered.
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Best Survival Sunglasses
Wiley X Saber
High-Coverage, Ballistic, and Versatile
Tactical ballistic sunglasses with plenty of versatility for both everyday situations and survival.
*Price at time of publishing; check for price changes or sales.
These glasses give you full wraparound Z87+ ballistic protection, and they can fit in just fine outside the range. They protect your eyes whether you’re at an indoor or outdoor range- or just taking a hike.
Specifications
- Lens Protection: Anti-reflective, anti-fog, and scratch-resistant selenite polycarbonate
- Sun Protection: 100% UVA/UVB
- Ballistic Protection: MIL-PRF 32432A, ANSI Z87+
- Frame: Triloid nylon
- Weight: 2.9 ounces
- Accessories: Case with multiple lens storage pockets
- Manufactured: Taiwan
The best part of these sunglasses is the well-designed interchangeable lens system. You can swap in clear, high-visibility, or smoke lenses quickly- and they stow in separate compartments in the clamshell case. I love the ability to use clear lenses at an indoor range and swap them for smoke when I go outside, all while keeping the spares protected in the case.
The lenses can be difficult to swap at first, but they hold well in the frame to compensate. I’d rather spend a little more time swapping secure lenses rather than having a system where the lenses release a little too easily.
With a comfortable fit and solid ballistic quality, it’s easy to see why the Wiley X Saber Sunglasses top the rest.
Budget Survival Sunglasses
Rothco Glacier
Lightweight, High Coverage, and Inexpensive
Fashion goes out the window with these function-first sunglasses that focus solely on protecting your eyes.
*Price at time of publishing; check for price changes or sales.
Rothco makes a lot of gear for the military, and you’ll even find it in the base uniform stores and PX/BXs. These sunglasses will make you look a bit like a bug, aren’t especially durable, and have a laughable elastic lanyard. Still, if you are looking for a full-coverage option to stash in your bug-out bag, you can’t beat the price.
Specifications
- Lens Protection: Scratch/fog-resistant 2mm polycarbonate
- Sun Protection: UV400
- Ballistic Protection: None
- Frame: Plastic
- Weight: 3.2 ounces
- Accessories: Removable leather windshields, lanyard
- Manufactured: China
They use a lanyard to stay on your face, and the leather pads seal comfortably close to your eyes without fogging. I have a larger head, so the leather pads ‘squeeze’ the sides of my head. Unlike other materials, it doesn’t cause any discomfort since the leather bends out of the way to conform to my larger face, rather than exerting any pressure.
If you are looking for inexpensive shades for a true survival situation, the Rothco Glacier Sunglasses are the answer.
Best Protective Goggles
TR Industrial
Versatile, Inexpensive, and Protective
These trusted goggles work well in the lab or on the streets.
*Price at time of publishing; check for price changes or sales.
Fight off CBRN agents, tear gas, pepper spray, smoke, volcanic ash, and more with splash-resistant goggles that’ll help you keep moving in an emergency.
Specifications
- Lens Protection: Impact polycarbonate
- Sun Protection: 99.9% UVA/UVB/UVC
- Ballistic Protection: ANSI Z87+
- Frame: PVC with strap
- Weight: 3.8 ounces
- Manufactured: Taiwan
The goggles aren’t completely sealed, since they have ventilation to prevent fogging- but they are good enough to protect your eyes in most emergencies. For true airborne threats, you may need a gas mask– but I often suggest these goggles along with an N95 mask as a budget substitute that works for the majority of emergency scenarios.
At this price, it’s worth stashing in your kits for emergencies. Despite being malleable, they hold their form pretty well even if they are mashed. They seal well to my large face and resist fogging with high-intensity activity.
With a proven but simple design, the TR Industrial Goggles are great eye protection for your survival kits.
Comparison Table
| Eyewear | Recommendation | Price* | Type | Lens Protection | Weight | Best Feature |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wiley X Saber | Best Overall | $74 | Tactical Sunglasses | ANSI Z87+/MILSPEC | 1.4 oz | Multiple Lenses |
| Rothco Glacier | Best Sunglasses for Budgets | $17 | Sunglasses | 2mm Polycarbonate | 3.2 oz | Inexpensive |
| TR Industrial | Best Protective Goggles | $11 | Goggles | ANSI Z87.1 | 3.8 oz | Wrap-around protection |
| Survival I-Shield | $12 | Sunglasses | Plastic | 0.3 oz | No Longer Available | |
| Bollé Baxter | $38 | Safety Sunglasses | Polarized Safety | 4 oz | Polarized | |
| S&W M&P Harrier | $42 | Tactical Sunglasses | ANSI Z87+ | 6 oz | Multiple Lenses | |
| ESS CDI Ballistic | $80 | Safety Sunglasses | ANSI Z87+/MILSPEC | 4 oz | Interchangeable Lenses | |
| Revision Sawfly Essential | $88 | Tactical Sunglasses | ANSI Z87+/MILSPEC | 1.2 oz | Lightweight | |
| Magpul Radius | $109 | Tactical Sunglasses | ANSI Z87+/MILSPEC | 7 oz | Style | |
| Oakley SI M-Frame 3.0 | $165 | Tactical Sunglasses | ANSI Z87+/MILSPEC | 3.5 oz | Interchangeable Lenses | |
| Gatorz Magnum Z | $265 | Tactical Sunglasses | ANSI Z87+/MILSPEC | 2.9 oz | Cerakote Aluminum Frame |
The Eyewear We Compared
Our research narrowed the field down to a few brands and types of sunglasses, safety glasses, and goggles that we compared: Magpul, Gatorz, Wiley X, Oakley, Bollé, Revision, ESS, and more.
You can see our full list of review criteria below in the What to Look For section, with an explanation for each.
We considered a wide range of sunglasses. Ultimately, we leaned towards ballistic and safety-rated glasses, as their lens toughness and wrap-around protection are not easily replicated with non-tactical solutions.
We’re always looking for new and better gear, so if you have some survival sunglasses that you love, let us know in the comments. We review most of our tested gear annually so we can try to get it in the next roundup and see if it will beat out our top picks.
What to Look For
The best survival sunglasses have a few features to look for:
- Value
- Comfort
- Durability
- Size & Weight
- Versatility
When you get the right blend of these, you can find the perfect sunnies to keep your eyes protected. Below, we break down what each of these features means for the sunglasses that truly set themselves apart.
Value: Cost vs. Benefit
The amount of money you spend on something like eyewear shouldn’t blow out your entire budget. There is a wide range of prices in just our picks, so there is no need to spend beyond your means.
You never want to spend too much money on one resource, even when it comes to eye protection. It’s better to diversify your spending to make sure you are covered for a wide range of scenarios.
Comfort
If your sunglasses aren’t comfortable, you won’t wear them as often. The military has conducted tests on the comfort of protective gear and found that it is extremely important, or else the gear will get modified or not worn at all.
One of the reasons sunglasses help is that they can make it more comfortable to see in bright environments. This isn’t very helpful if your sunglasses are not comfortable against your temples and nose bridge.
Make sure that your sunglasses of choice are very comfortable and try them with various headwear and face coverings to check for pressure issues and fogging, respectively.
Durability
As with any survival gear, you need it to last. This is where tactical sunglasses really excel, with their scratch resistance, high-end frame materials, and ballistic-level protection.
Sure, plenty of sunglasses companies offer warranties to repair/replace- but that may not be an option in a survival situation.
Size & Weight
Lightweight sunglasses are immensely helpful if you haven’t tried them. Being able to wear sunglasses without noticing them on your nose and ears lets you wear them for extremely long periods.
Survival kits are always concerned with size and weight, and this concern still applies to sunglasses, although you wear them on your head. You can still find them stowed in kits when you aren’t using them, and every ounce matters in your kit.
Versatility
Versatile sunglasses are simply the best. When you go from yardwork to the shooting range and then to the ball game, being able to use the same sunglasses for all three is awesome.
Having multiple lenses adds redundancy and versatility as well. Swap them out for specific functions, or replace scratched or worn lenses over time.
The I-Shields were versatile for a separate reason- they have the paracord lanyard that always brings versatility. You could even swap out that paracord for SurvivorCord to level it up even more. You can learn more about that in our paracord review. Unfortunately, they are no longer being made.
What Sunglasses Do the Military & Navy Seals Wear?
Members of the US Military are limited in what type of sunglasses they can wear due to uniform standards. If they are lucky, sometimes units and squads will issue sunglasses, usually sourced through GSA.
The most popular brands include Wiley X, Oakley, AO, DVX, Smith, Rothco, and Gatorz.
Both frames and lenses usually have to be dark colors and meet specific military standards if they are ballistic eyewear for the shooting range.
Outside of the range, you’ll see a wide range of brands around the base, especially when military members are in civilian dress.
While I was working in military procurement and deployment, we would often use end-of-year funds to buy Wiley X and Oakley sunglasses for the unit. We would let the unit members weigh in on which specific models to get- on the GSA website, they were all uniform-approved, making it easy to shop around. These are popular brands because they are also easy to find prescription lenses for.
Before deployments, I would usually issue Wiley X sunglasses for them to take as part of their deployment package. Sometimes we would add goggles depending on their deployment assignment.
Who Needs Survival Sunglasses?
Most people have a pair of sunglasses. They can make being outdoors more comfortable for anyone, and they can offer even more protection at the range or other environments. Survival sunglasses aren’t anything special- they are just the pair of sunglasses you plan on trusting in a survival situation. In most cases, tactical or safety-rated sunglasses are selected as they are some of the most durable options.
We don’t consider sunglasses essential for any person or kit, but there are certain situations and environments where they can really help you out.
We strongly suggest that you consider sunglasses for your:
Additionally, you can consider them for your:
I don’t leave home without my sunglasses and use them for everything from yard work to the shooting range.
How We Review Products: We research thoroughly before selecting the best products to review. We have vast prepping and survival experience and bring in outside experts when needed. Hours on end are spent testing gear in stressful conditions and using specialized testing gear to verify claims. We assign performance criteria and impartially rate each tested item. Learn more about how we test.
Sources & References
All of our experience and the testing we do to determine the best survival sunglasses are useless without listing our research sources and references. We leaned on these for the book knowledge that we paired with our hands-on testing and practical survival experience:
Dain, S. (2003). Sunglasses and sunglass standards. Clinical and Experimental Optometry. Volume 86. Issue 2. Pages 77 – 90. (Source)
Noyes, E., et al. (2021). The effect of face masks and sunglasses on identity and expression recognition with super-recognizers and typical observers. Royal Society Open Science. Volume 8. Issue 3. (Source)
Sliney, D. (2001). Photoprotection of the eye – UV radiation and sunglasses. Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology B: Biology. Volume 64. Issues 2 – 3. Pages 166 – 175. (Source)
Conclusion
Everyone uses sunglasses regularly, so why not have a pair that can withstand whatever the world throws your way? Survival sunglasses fit the bill and keep your eyes protected in a wide range of situations or just during everyday use.
Here are a few other gear reviews and guides our subscribers have found helpful:
- Best Survival Gloves | Reviews & Buying Guide
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See more of our expert-written guides, resources, and reviews in your search results – add TruePrepper as a preferred source.
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