Has anyone found a protective eyeglass case that is lightweight? All the ones I find locally are like bricks, at least in the terms we use around here.

I've seen some cores from long rolls of plotter paper that were:

1.5" ID
waterproof (made of plastic)
and a very-light, sort of corrugated construction.

A 6-inch length of that, duct-taped on one end with a bit of velcro strap on the other would be tough and light.

Make your own. Use bubble wrap/reflectix and maybe some milk jug plastic or soda can aluminum for stiffness and impact. Hold everything together with clear packing tape.

I just went and looked in my stock. I must have used the corrugated one for some project. I did find some fairly light 2" plastic tubing, 6" of which weighs 30g. Plus duct tape and velcro (+10 or 12 g?). PM me if you want me to send you length of it.

I wrap my prescription sunglasses in tissue ,put in snack ziplock, and into hipbelt pocket on pack. About 0.15 oz.

Why do you need a case?

Edited by livingontheroad on 03/23/2012 19:27:16 MDT.

"Why do you need a case?"

I can wear my contacts for days, including sleeping in them, without issues. However recently (at home) I did have a problem and needed to switch to glasses for a couple days. I began to think it might be wise to start bringing along my glasses on my backpack trips just for emergencies.

It's a low probability, yet high risk thing to not be able to see well in the woods. My uncorrected vision is like 20/200, and my trips are usually solo with off-trail segments so it would be a bad situation.

Edited by El_Canyon on 03/23/2012 19:46:42 MDT.

I use an old toothpaste box shortened to length. Works pretty well, very lightweight. I carry my glasses along as a backup and have needed to use them on one occasion.

You certainly should have glasses for backup if you wear contacts. Possibly you should consider just wearing the glasses.

In college I had to go around a week once with 1 contact in after I ripped one by screwing the cap on the case with the contact on the lip of the case (I took them out after drinking) Man, what a headache. Although I had almost learned to ignore the blurry eye by the end of the week when my new pair came in.

I wore extended wear contacts for 17 yrs. I left them in for over a year at a time. Didnt have any problems. But today I just wear glasses because its more convenient. And, due to my aging eyes, I can take them off to read, or look under them to read. If I wore contacts I would start having trouble reading.

Also I dont wake up with my eyes stuck together.

Edited by livingontheroad on 03/23/2012 20:17:46 MDT.

Another approach, (since this is only for backup) is to have a totally beater pair with you and not baby them.

Or, years ago, I got my prescription ground into plastic lenses and those put in nylon Vaurnet frames. Very tough. Essentially unbreakable.

The plastic container for Crystal Light, or its generic equivilent, 2 qt. servings makes a good .9 oz container for my sunglasses, and the cost is right.

geoff

What about a clear plastic mailing tube like the ones in the picture below.



Just google "clear plastic mailing tubes" to see what is available. Office Depot may have something available locally.

Party On,

Newton

I think a cheap pair for backpacking is the ticket.
For $12 shipped you can get a pair from:
http://www.zennioptical.com/

Zenni's cool, and the case is very light and protective, though I haven't weighed it I am certain it's the lightest I've had. And it's free w/glasses purchase!!!!

My local dollar store has some hard plastic cases that are lightweight. I checked there on the recommendation of someone on this site when this topic came up before. I don't remember the weight but it's definitely lighter than anything else I could find in stores.

Why not just take an extra pair of contacts? That's what I've been doing, but I haven't had a need to use them yet. Knock on wood...

Of course it's quite a bit more expensive!

>"Why not just take an extra pair of contacts"

Very light. Very, very compact. Some redundancy.

But if you have conjunctivitis, you'll really want to just skip all contacts.

That said, if I was a contact wearer, I might well just take an extra pair with no glasses.

I'll still send the OP a section of that 30g plastic tube, but I think I found a better option. Maybe a touch bigger, but much lighter.

Just got a lead-acid car battery in the mail on Friday (own a Prius, live in Alaska, you do what you have to). There was a some substanial closed-cell foam around the battery. Really stiff. In about 75 seconds, I cut it to size and whacked out a cavity to fit my glasses with a razor knife. Then I cut a piece of a much higher-density, stiffer foam as a "cover" that might be secured with a rubber band for daily use or duct tape if it was only for back up.

Total, with foam cover, 12.2 grams.

Without cover, (foam block with deep cavity for glasses): 7.1 grams.

I will send you the tube, but I've also stuffed some of that foam inside of it - enough for a glasses case.

hey if they are light enough for Van Peski！

www.hides.com

The OP inspired me to finally make a case for my clip-on sunglasses. Made from a piece of milk jug. Sewn for durability, but could have easily been taped.