The unbreakable, unlosable pair of sunglasses every traveler needs

I have lost pretty much every pair of sunglasses I have ever owned. Those I haven’t lost, I’ve maimed. The top shelf of my closet has a graveyard of broken arms and loose screws I keep meaning to figure out how to repair.

So, when Ombraz asked me if I’d like to try a pair of armless sunglasses, I was intrigued. I’ve never really been into those cords you can affix to your glasses so that you can keep them around your neck, but these seemed different—the cord doesn’t hang down when you wear them. 

They sent me the brand-new Cammina style, which feature frames Ombraz claims are unbreakable. I’ll admit I haven’t tried to snap them, but over the course of testing, I’ve found them in the bottom of my backpack more times than I can count and I have yet to discover any significant nicks or scratches on the frames or lenses.

After the first few times I wore them, I couldn’t decide whether I liked them. I’m used to taking off or putting on my sunglasses one-handed while cycling or using my phone, and needing both hands to adjust the cord took some getting used to. But after two months of testing, I’m convinced that armless sunglasses just make sense for adventure travel. 

Ombraz has also committed to repairing products over replacing them, and I can see how that’s much easier with this product than with a standard pair of sunglasses.

The recycled nylon cord is lightweight, so it doesn’t weigh on the tops of my ears, and it’s comfortable underneath a hat or helmet. It’s fully adjustable, and that’s particularly great for someone with a small head like me (I had to size down to the kids’ section when I bought my last bike helmet). And most importantly, where other sunglasses have easily fallen off my head, these have stayed put.

And that’s essential when I’m running, hiking, cycling, kayaking, or swimming—all of which I have done in these sunglasses without fearing a lost investment. The lenses are polarized and scratch-resistant, and I’ve found that they seriously improve color perception on ultra-bright days.

If you’re concerned that the cord will look weird, don’t be. If you have long hair like I do, it’s best to put them on like a necklace, put your hair over the cord, and then adjust it once the frames are in place. The only real downside I’ve experienced thus far is that it’s not easy to remove them while cycling if the light changes, because you’d have to unclip your helmet strap in order to let them hang around your neck. But I’ve found that the benefits outweigh this drawback.

While I’ve only tried the Cammina style, Ombraz has many others to suit different tastes, and they offer different lens options, too. On the sustainability front, Ombraz is a B Corp, meaning the company meets higher stands of social and environmental responsibility (though it’s worth noting that the company only just made the 80-point minimum required for B Corp certification). The recycled nylon cords are made from old fishing nets, their packaging is fully compostable, and the company is certified by Climate Neutral. They plant 20 trees for each product sold, and they’re a partner to 1% for the Planet, an organization whose members contribute at least one percent of their annual revenue to environmental initiatives. 

Ombraz has also committed to repairing products over replacing them, and I can see how that’s much easier with this product than with a standard pair of sunglasses. With no arms, screws, or nose pieces, there are far fewer things to break, and I can imagine replacing the cord is fairly simple should it ever snap or tear. This is refreshing in a world where fast fashion has trained us to want far more than we need, and where even returns of brand-new products often end up in landfills because it’s cheaper to bin them than resell them. 

While the company claims breaks are simply “not gonna happen,” every pair has a lifetime warranty covering repairs for anything that breaks. Lens scratches aren’t covered for free replacement, but the company does have a partnership with Lens & Frames Co. so you can get a new lens if you do cause significant damage. 

But of course, none of this matters if you don’t actually wear them. And in spite of my initial hesitations, I’ve found myself reaching for my Ombraz far more than any other pair of sunglasses I haven’t lost. (Yet.) 

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Ombraz did not review or approve this article, and Adventure.com receives no commission or commercial incentive for the publication of this review.

A note on sustainable consumerism: Adventure.com acknowledges that the most sustainable pair of sunglasses is the pair you already own (and the second-most sustainable pair is secondhand). While we don’t endorse buying things for the sake of it, we do try to highlight more sustainable options in our gear reviews so our readers can make more conscious and informed decisions.

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