I鈥檓 often tempted to buy the cheapest sunglasses at the corner store and make them work for听the situation at hand. But much like different snow conditions require different skis, different sports call for different shades. I spent more than a month putting each pair听on this list through the paces. I wore them on ski trips to Colorado,听bike rides through Pisgah National Forest,听runs around听the city,听and river floats听down the . These glasses听perform听well in their sport of choice, and a few are so good (and good-looking) that I find myself wearing them even when I鈥檓 just running errands around town.
Best for Running: Roka Halsey ($95)听
Roka helped redefine sport-specific shades by releasing fashion-forward frames that are听light enough for marathoners. The听 is my favorite of its听offerings because, while designed for running, the timeless style of these glasses means you can wear them听to the office, happy hour, or a wedding. That versatility has made the Halsey听my daily pair over听the past year. It also performs well on听runs, thanks to the frames鈥 weight (26 grams)听and nose and temple pads that keep the glasses听stuck to your face when you鈥檙e sweating and moving fast.听
Best for Skiing: Julbo Camino听($75)
Julbo says it听built these glacier-style sunglasses for multi-day hikes, but I like for bluebird ski days.听The side panels cut down glare, but the glasses also have a slight wraparound shape, which means you don鈥檛 lose much peripheral vision to those shields, a bonus when you鈥檙e charging downhill.听But my favorite feature is the integrated retainer cord, which you can tighten to give yourself a goggle-snug fit. The polycarbonate lenses are polarized, which helps with the reflection off the snow, but they鈥檙e dark, so you鈥檒l only want to wear these on the brightest听days.听
Best for Hiking: Sunski Treeline ($90)听听
If you haven鈥檛 noticed, glacier-style sunglasses are in right now, and I鈥檇 argue that is the most stylish of the lot. The glasses were originally built for trekking through high-alpine and snowy environments in full sun, equipped with shields to block glare from听snow. On the Treeline, side panels work in tandem with polarized lenses, but you do lose some peripheral vision. It鈥檚 not a big deal if you鈥檙e moving slow, so I like these for hiking on bright days. You can remove the shields entirely if you don鈥檛 dig the tunnel-vision听effect.听
Best for Biking: Bliz Fusion ($95)听
The听 has an aggro听style borrowed directly from the ski-goggle world. I like the complete听coverage of these wraparound shades for mountain biking鈥攅specially when tree limbs are trying to poke my eyeballs out. Vents near the eyebrows听cut down on fogging (I鈥檝e ridden with these for a month and haven鈥檛 had to air them out once), while impact-resistant polycarbonate lenses and super flexible Grilamid frames make them almost indestructible. The temples even have a rubber wire core听that you can bend and adjust for an even tighter fit. Pick your frame color and lens tint; my lenses听are dark, but I was impressed with how well they performed under tree cover on rides鈥擨 never felt like I was biking听at dusk.听
Best for Paddling: Rheos Coopers ($50)
You can spend a lot more money on glasses designed for water-based activities, but thanks to , you don鈥檛 have to. Their large, square frames provide听generous coverage in a classic shape that won鈥檛 go out of style next year. The polarized lenses have听antifog and anti-oil treatments (to resist fingerprints and fish guts), and tight arms provide a no-slip fit. Best of all, these glasses float, a result of the superlight polycarbonate frame and nylon lenses, so if you eat it while paddleboarding, you won鈥檛 have to dive to find your shades.听
Best for Everyday Use: Goodr Super Fly ($35)听
has made a name for itself听by providing glasses with high style and decent performance at gas-station prices. The Super Fly听is the pinnacle of the brand鈥檚听lineup, with polarized lenses, no-slip nose pads, and bendable earpieces that provide a super snug fit鈥攁ll wrapped into a package that鈥檚 really light (just 20 grams). The lenses won鈥檛 last forever (they do scratch easily), but I鈥檝e worn these to run, bike, ski, and drink for the last month and haven鈥檛 been disappointed. There are plenty of colors and tints to choose from, but I like the black and green Dirk鈥檚 Inflation Station model听for its 1970s movie-producer vibe.听