Native Eyewear DropZone Goggles Review

Native Eyewear Goggles combine high quality polarized lenses and sturdy, lightweight frames made of eco-friendly materials. Here’s my review of the DropZone Goggles after 3 months of testing.

Disclosure: Native Eyewear generously provided me with a free pair of DropZone Goggles to test and review, but all words and opinions are my own.

Native Eyewear DropZone Goggles

Table of Contents

Lenses

The first thing I noticed when I put on my Native Eyewear DropZone Goggles was how well I could see. Goodbye blind spots; hello amazing peripheral vision! My DropZones’ spherical lenses offer a really wide field of view that makes me feel safer on the slopes. The other big plus was increased depth perception made possible by polarized lenses. What I observed is that they reduce highlights (glare), increase contrast, and boost colour.

For most ski days, I’ve been using the SnowTuned Blue lens that allows 35% visible light transmission (ideal for mixed sunny and cloudy days) and does a good job of cutting glare. On really overcast days, however, I switch to the included light yellow SnowTuned Low Light Lens (67% visible light transmission). Changing the lenses is super easy; just push the goggle lock button up, push the lens out, pop the new lens in, and push the goggle lock button down to hold it in place. I love that the goggles come with a low light lens so I don’t need to bring multiple pairs of goggles for changing conditions.

All SnowTuned lenses have anti-fog, scratch-resistant, water/grease repellent coatings. I baby my eyewear so can’t speak to the scratch resistance, but am very happy with the anti-fog and snow shedding properties of the goggles. This winter was colder than usual with more days below -20 Celsius than usual, and whether it was clear, windy, overcast, or heavy snow, and I was able to see well. Only at extreme temperatures (at or below -20C) would I get a few seconds of fogging up while going from indoors to outdoors.

SnowTuned Blue lens (upper) and Low Light lens (lower)

Different lens/frame color combinations are possible including green, sierra (beigey/gold), and black. If you don’t want to change lenses, different models come with adaptive lenses that that adjust to conditions varying from 10-35% VLT.

Frame

The goggles’ frame is made from biodegradable, durable, and sustainable castor bean resin that retains its shape and flexibility even in extreme temperatures! Cool beans! Native Eyewear says, “With a higher strength-to-weight ratio than synthetic material, our frames are made of the lightest, strongest, and most earth-friendly materials available in the world.”

The DropZones are 154 grams (5.4 ounces) which is pretty good considering how large the lenses are. Native Eyewear’s lightest goggles, Upslope, are only 119 grams.

Native Eyewear DropZone Goggles with Blue Lens

Fit

I like that the DropZone Goggles are compatible with my Smith Valence Helmet and have a siliconized adjustable strap so the goggles stay in place no matter how windy it gets. The triple layer face foam is soft, comfortable, and hypoallergenic, but the fluting (venting in the foam) sometimes leaves weird lines on my face. It’s not a deal breaker, but a reminder to not do up the strap too tight.

The DropZone Goggles are a Medium fit which works perfectly for me. Although they are not listed as over-the-glasses (OTG) goggles, I was able to fit them over my glasses when I ran out of contact lenses.

It’s recommended that you try the goggles on before you buy; ideally with your helmet to ensure compatibility. Find a local Native Eyewear Dealer here. Check out the Goggle size chart at the bottom of this page: Native Eyewear – Goggles Technology.

Native Eyewear DropZone Goggles

Verdict

Native Eyewear’s DropZone goggles are my new favorite goggles! I love their optics (contrast, superior depth perception, and excellent peripheral vision), use of sustainable materials, and included extras (hard case, microfiber bag, and low light lens). They fit and look great too!

DropZone Goggles with Low Light Lens, microfiber bag and hard case

Care

Keep your goggles in the included microfiber pouch or fort case when not in use. Do not wipe the inside of your goggles when wet as the antifog coating is on the inside of the lenses.

About Native Eyewear

Native Eyewear was founded in 1998 and is committed to creating high quality sunglasses and goggles with sustainable, bio-based resins. Products are “built for the backcountry,” designed in Colorado, and hand assembled at their workshop in Daytona Beach, Florida.

Learn more about Native Eyewear at nativeeyewear.com.

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