If you are looking for belay glasses that can stand up to the harshest crag conditions at a price that really can’t be beat, then the Metolius Upshot Belay Glasses are exactly what you are looking for. Featuring sunglasses-like frames with a sturdy construction and optic quality prisms that do a decent job, the Upshot Belay Glasses are designed to reduce the strain on your neck when belaying.
We had a chance to use the Metolius Upshot Belay Glasses over the past six weeks and we were pleasantly surprised with what they had to offer. If we had to list out the pros of the Metolius Upshot Belay Glasses we would say the following: sturdy, well-constructed, light and durable, and definitly worth the price.
Durability
Out of all the belay glasses on the market, the Metolius Upshot are hands down the sturdiest belay glasses we have tested. Designed for rugged abuse, these glasses actually feel like you should be bringing them to the crag! The frames feel like a quality plastic that can handle almost anything. We tossed these glasses in our bag, we placed them in the dirt, we threw them around, and they always held up to the challenge.
Fit
If we had to describe the fit of the Metolius Upshot Belay glasses, we would say that they fit just like a pair of Oakley sunglasses. Tight to the face and sturdy with no up and down movement. At no time during our six week testing period did we feel like these glasses were going to fall off our face. The upside of the sunglasses-like design of the Upshot is that you can wear them in your hair while lowering or doing other things at the crag and they feel like they are not going to be damaged.
It should also be noted that these glasses did a very good job of fitting over corrective eyewear without damaging the lenses or compromising for fit on the bridge of the nose. For glasses wearers, these may be one of the more comfortable models to wear over corrective eyewear on the market.
Prisms
If we had to pick one negative thing about the Metolius Upshot Belay Glasses, it would be that the prism quality felt slightly less than some of the other, more expensive, glasses on the market. Made from optical quality glass, the prisms on the Metolius Upshot did a great job keeping track of our climber at the crag with only a noticeable loss of detail on longer routes. In our field test, we found that while using the glasses at a larger distance, it was somewhat harder to see the details of the rock face. That being said, we did noticed that the prisms in the Upshot felt lighter than other glasses and seemed to create a great balance between the prisms and the frame.
Carry Case and Strap
The carry case of the Metolius Upshot Belay Glasses is a sturdy choice that includes a tab for connecting the case to a carabiner. Unlike some new cases on the market, the Upshot case does not offer any special design features that could potentially reduce dropping these glasses on the ground or during multi-pitch climbing. However, the cloth-like case included beats the hell out of those original plastic cases that won’t close! The strap for the Upshot Belay Glasses felt strong and versatile with a sturdy enough design to withstand all the pressures of belaying.
Overall
Overall, the Metolius Upshot Belay Glasses are a quality product for a reasonable price. The selling point of these glasses is that the feel just like a good pair of sunglasses and they can take a beating at the crag. While the prism quality was slightly less at greater distances than some of the other models on the market, we found that the reduced weight of the prism was worth the trade off. As a regular glasses wearer, we also found that the Upshot fit nicely over our corrective eyewear and Metolius has done a great job to make sure that the prisms of these glasses do not touch the lenses of our regular glasses. At a price point that cannot be beat, the Metolius Upshot is a welcomed addition to our regular climbing gear and worth a look from every climber who has felt neck strain while belaying at the crag.
Retail Price: $68.00 CAD
The Metolius Upshot Belay Glasses can be purchased through VPO online or through Climb On Equipment in Squamish, BC.
