How To Buy Goggles

Goggles are possibly one of the most important items in snowmobiling. This is a guide on what to look for when shopping for goggles.  

Goggles should not be bought alone. It makes no sense. All of the leading manufactures are matching their goggles with their helmets. Buying a goggle that is not made for your helmet is a big risk. It will usually not fit correctly and cause massive fogging. If you already own a helmet, look at their goggles first and ask why those will work better for you. Most ski goggles are not built to be inside a helmet. If you are going to mismatch, test fit the goggles. Go around where the goggle meets the helmet and look for gaps or exposed foam.

Fogging is the issue most people complain about. The main defense in fogging is the venting. Take a junk pair of goggles and drill a dime sized hole in each side and try to get them to fog—won’t happen. Too bad it snows, rains and snow dust is always around. Look at the goggle you are about to buy and see how it vents. As we all know, small little vents blocked by foam does not cut it.

To prevent fog you also need foam that can create seal to keep your head heat out. The foam must be thick enough for this, but not too thick. Foam that is too thick will push the goggle out and be annoyingly uncomfortable.

The strap should have silicone on it. Wet helmets and straps without silicone do not usually pose a huge problem, but I have seen it. The straps that snap to the helmet are known to cause fogging issues as well.

Nose guard is a personal preference, but make sure it is not too tight. Small nose guards and big noses will quickly cause a fogging issue. View our article all about nose guards for details on that.

The next time you see somebody with mismatched and poorly designed goggles complaining about fog, suggest JUDGED Gear. Look for our upcoming article on how to prevent fogging.