Costa Lido
Sunglasses are as important in the thin air of the high country as they are on the sun drenched beaches. That is why I was really excited when I was sent a pair of Costa Del Mar Lido sunglasses to test out and review on my hikes. Costa is known for making great glasses for the water so I wanted to give them a shot in the mountains. Here is my review of the Costa Lido Sunglasses from the trail.
As a disclaimer I would like to mention that I was sent these glasses for the purposes of doing a review. All opinions on this page are my own and based on my own experiences with these glasses. This review is for general informational purposes. Your experience may be different.
Stats and Specs of the Costa Lido
Before I get into my thoughts on the Costa Lido I wanted to show the specs direct from Costa. Here is what Costa has to say about the Lido. “With a focus on style and performance inspired by the vibes of the Pacific shores, this frame is ready for anything the water sends your way.”
Here are the stats and features directly from the website.
Price*
$284.00 USD
Frame Size*
XL
| 1. Frame Width: 137 mm |
| 2. Bridge Width: 16 mm |
| 3. Lens Width: 56.8 mm |
| 4. Lens Height: 45.3 mm |
| 5. Temple Arm Length: 132 mm |
Fit*
Regular
Nose Bridge
Universal
Colors*
Frames: Steel Gray Metallic, Matte Black, Wetlands
Lenses: Poloraized Glass and Polarized Polycarbonate are available. Colors are dependent on the Frame color but include-Green, Gray, Blue, Sunrise Silver
Lens Features*
Costa 580® lenses
Costa 580® lenses were designed by in-house light spectrum experts to enhance colors because standard sunglass lenses fell short.
The lens’ multipatented technology
manages light by:
- Absorbing Harmful High-Energy Blue Light (HEV)
- Enhancing Reds, Greens, and Blues
- Filtering Out Harsh Yellow
Gender*
Unisex
*All information from Costadelmar.com
What I Liked
There was a whole lot to like about the Costa Lido Sunglasses. They are a durable pair of sunglasses with flexible frames, have some pretty amazing glass and they are pretty stylish. Here is a bit more detail on what I like about the Costa Lido Sunglasses.
Durability
I am not gentle on any of the gear that I take out on the trail and that includes sunglasses. Usually, they are stuffed in my pack until I need them. Then they alternate between being on top of my head in the shade and quickly jammed on my face when I hit a sunny spot. Then there is the dropping. Rocks, ground, snow, I drop them in every environment. So far, the Lido have passed every test.
Along with the physical abuse that I put the glasses through, I also take them from a nice warm car and onto really cold trails quite often. What impresses me is that the Lido hasn’t fogged up when I change environments. They will get a little fog when I wear a full face mask for winter hiking but it clears quickly and doesn’t leave any marks of foggy residuals.
The glasses also do really well with sweat and water. I think this is from being designed for boating and fishing. When I sweat or put the glasses on my sweaty hat, the glasses seem to repel the water with no streaks or water sticking to the lens. I will admit, it doesn’t rain a lot in Colorado and I don’t spend a ton of time in the water so I didn’t do a big water test but was really happy with the way the Lido worked in my functional test.
Lens Clarity
The Lido comes with two options of lens, polarized glass or a polarized polycarbonate. The glasses that I was sent were glass so that is what I will talk about here. I really think the lens quality is what sets the Costa brand and, more specifically, the Lido apart.
First off, the lenses are polarized which helps clear the glare off the water. This is important for boating and fishing but is also really nice when coming upon a mountain lake or creek. More importantly for me is the way the lens filters out yellow light and enhances the reds and greens. In the woods this makes such a huge difference in the enjoyability of a hike. The trees stand out more and the grass seems brighter. It really makes each step feel brighter while still blocking all the harmful rays from the sun.
This will sound odd, but the Lido actually makes me feel like I am seeing in 3D. Yes, I know we all actually do see in 3D but the Lido and the color filtering makes it feel like there is more separation between the trees and the background. Like the tree’s and rocks stand out more and easier to notice as individual objects. The ultimate seeing the tree and not the forest. I don’t know if there is any science to back that up but I know it is how I feel when I wear these shades out on the trail.
Frame Fit
My favorite feature of the Costa Lido is the flexible frames that extend out past 90 degrees which make for a very comfortable fit for those of us who have wider heads. The extendable frames also make it easy to transfer the glasses from the face to the top of my hat and back to my face as I move in and out off trees and shade and back into the bright Colorado sun.
The nose bridge is also really comfortable and holds the glasses to my face without feeling a pinch or pressure or leaving any marks on my face. With a lot of ups and downs and ducking under branches on the trail, it is important to have glasses that fit well and stay on and I never have to worry about my Lido falling or shifting.
Style
I love the light weight and sleek style of the Lido. With the frames keeping them in the perfect spot on my face they never look out of line. I am a function over style type of person but even I think I look cool while wearing these glasses. I also like the mirrored glass. It gives me a nice reflection of the woods in all of my selfies!
What I Didn’t Like
While there is a lot to like about the Costa Lido sunglasses, they will take away my blogger card if I don’t find something that I didn’t like. It was a little tough to find things that could be improved on the Lido but I do have to mention a bit of light leaking.
The Lido’s were sent to me and are not a typical style that I purchase. I have a large oval head and the Lido lens is a little bit small for me. That causes a little bit of light leaking through the sides of the lens. Again, these are a style that was sent to me to review and I usually opt for a wider, wrap around style, due to my head shape and size. That being said, there is a bit of a light leak.
Video Review of the Costa Untangled Pescador
For those of you who prefer a more visual approach to the review I have put together this quick video review. If you enjoy the review or any of my videos make sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel. It is free to subscribe and will give you updates to new content.
Wrap up of the Costa Lido
I really enjoy my Costa Lido sunglasses! While they are designed more for boating, fishing and being on the water, I have found that they are great in the high mountain hiking in Colorado. The polarized lenses help knock out the reflection off of alpine lakes and snow and ice packs. The shades are also light weight and very flexible making them really comfortable on the trails.
I wish the lenses were a touch bigger to cover a little more of my bigger head and prevent some of the light leaking in the side of the frames. Otherwise, these Costa Lido are a high quality pair of glasses that would go well with any outdoor adventure.
More Reviews from the Fatman
If you like this review, you can see other products I have reviewed on my Product Review Page. If you have any items you would like me to review or any comments feel free to email me at fatmanlittletrails@gmail.com or you can follow me on any of the below social media platforms. Happy Hiking!