Backpacker Magazine – Fall/Winter Gear Guide 2010

Gear Review: Switch Cortina FullStop

The struggle between user and lens is over with these magnetic interchangeable lenses.

by: Kelly Bastone

Tags:
• Gear
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• Sunglasses
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Here’s a smart improvement to complicated lens switching: The FullStop uses magnets embedded in the frame and lenses to join them together. Just yank firmly on the lens to remove it (the replacement fits in with a satisfying click as the magnets lock). Once in place, they stay fixed: Mountain biking, skiing, even fumbling them onto a rock doesn’t shake them loose. Three lenses are included—gray, amber, and rose tint, with polarization on either the gray or the amber (depending on the package you choose)—so you’re covered in a variety of conditions from bright canyons to dim forests. Reading lenses (an optional accessory, $40) include a small magnification zone at the bottom. Our far-sighted tester could glance down at his GPS while the rest of the lens provided regular sun protection for looking into the distance—an unheard-of convenience he loved when navigating the canyons of Capitol Reef National Park. Bummers: The frames allowed a little too much light seep for on-snow mountaineering. And the price. $249; 4.5 oz.; switchvision.com




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