Do Caps Keep Rain Off Your Glasses?
 

Wearing prescription lenses on the bike now and rain means either taking them off or riding with wet lenses. Both are risky and I'd like to see, or to see better.

I've never cycled with a cap under my helmet but only headsweats and halos. Will the brim of a cap keep some or any rain off my glasses?

I don't wear baseball caps either so have no experience with such headwear.


-Tim-

In my experience caps are not terribly effective at keeping rain off lenses. You may have better luck with it than me though.

Years ago I had one of those inspirations we all get and live to regret.

Frustrated with trying to see anything in the rain, I used Rain-X on my prescription glasses (don't try that at home with coated lenses). Having learned my lesson, I resigned myself to doing the best I could, and rode trying to see through droplets.

That lasted until the night I rode straight into a slate gray van that I though was just a shadow, so I've resolved to take my glasses off in the rain because undistorted blurry vision is better than the other options.

A peak/brim on my helmets have always been helpful to keep rain off my glasses. I suppose it depends on speed, and how far downward you can tilt your head.

I have advised before that licking the lenses with your wettened tongue might help reduce the formation of droplets, although there will be some distortion after the initial licking. The best is to use your finger (either gloved or not) as a wiper. Ensure you haven't got it contaminated with mud, brake dust or energy drink/bar residues.

I have ridden with glasses all the time. But there have been occasions when I thought contact lenses might be useful. But I have yet to have consistently bad issues with glasses.

I mean, if you're going slowly enough that the rain is still coming straight down, a hat/brim will help. But even up into the double-digits for speed and the water is gonna get there. If the lenses of your glasses are polycarbonate (as most are), you can try a plastic polish called Novus. The Stage 1 "polish" does quite a good job of stopping water from building up on the lenses, kinda like Rain-X, but it's designed for plastics. Ride in the rain long enough, nothing is gonna keep the water off. Just try to manage it. In a pinch, good old carnauba wax will work as well.

Alright.

You guys saved me a $20 experiment.

Thanks all.

Baseball cap works fine for me.

as far as i know, nope they dont do anything to keep out rain

When you are moving forward, even if the rain is coming straight down, you are riding into the droplets after they pass the brim of the hat. Large raindrops have a terminal velocity of about 20 mph. Say you are riding 20 mph and there is no other wind factor. Further assume the brim of the cap is 4 inches above the bottom of your glasses. You would need the brim to be 4 inches long for no rain to get on your glasses...roughly. The slower you ride the shorter the brim could be. The faster you ride or more wind from the front, the longer the brim would need to be. In short, you are not likely to keep your glasses perfectly dry. And slightly wet is as bad as soaked for vision.

Depending on the type of rain and riding, yes, a cap brim is helpful to keep eyeglasses clearer and for longer. My preference is for running caps becausethey are lighteeight, thin, low crowned, use non-soaking and quick drying synthetics, and have longer brims.

I did give up using caps years ago in favor of another device, but since $20 was too rich to "experiment" with a cap, I won't waste the OP's time.

i wear one in the rain and it's not a simple fix, yes it helps but at speed you get spray from the wheels. wether yours your others in the group. it's almost impossible to stop but i use one anyway of the little help it gives

contacts bro..

The cycling cap is definitely better than nothing but it definitely does not keep all the rain off your face. It's the only time I wear one.

Wearing a hat will reduce water on glasses.

Words cannot express how meaningful this is to me.

Thanks.


-Tim-

I always wear a cap for sweat, and they can help a little if you adjust them down low in the rain, but that obviously obstructs vision in its own way so... yeah.

I ride with both a cap and cycling prescription glasses year round in all weather. A cap keeps the droplets off of the inside of the glasses and that alone helps a lot A wipe with the soft part of the back of a glove now and then clears the outside.

My baseball cap has under 4" brim and it works to prevent rain drops from making the glasses full of water.
It makes enough difference that I consciously decide to wear it when there's heavy rain.
The faster one goes, the less it helps, but up to 30 km/h it's quite good.
It's easy to test it yourself.

While focus of this thread is whether caps keep rain from hitting glasses, isn't another benefit behind a cap to help keep rain (that hits your head and helmet, from running down your forehead and into your eyes? ideally wouldn't much of this water be rolling off the brim?

https://i.imgflip.com/1puvyy.jpg

:)

IME, caps may help in a light rain but when the rain gets heavier, the glasses just have to come off. I think cycling caps are kind of retro cool but I rarely wear one for a couple of reasons. They are hot compared to a headsweats beanie. Also, looking out from under the brim requires that I hold my head up at an uncomfortable angle. What I like is that they fold flat and easily fit in a jersey pocket. I always carry one if I plan to stop for lunch in the middle of a ride. Nashbar often has retro team caps cheap.

i can't wear contacts or have correctional surgery. unfortunately it's glasses or i just can't see. the cap helps a little in rain and a lot in sunlight. so i always have a cap with me for whatever reason. i 2nd the $3.00 hat from nashbar

Take it to A&S.

Oakley makes a product like Rain-x, but it is safe for coated/poly-carbonate lenses.

Oakley NanoClear Hydrophobic Lens Cleaner Kit

It works well for daytime riding, but I still wouldn't try it at night in the rain.

I wear a casquette all the time (yes, under my helmet... don't start) and I can say absolutely it keeps the rain off. I wear contacts, but when it's raining or cloudy, I switch the lenses in my Oakleys to the clear ones... so I know the struggle. (Side note, IMO you should always have something over your eyes. Bug in the eye at cruising speed ain't no joke.) Flip the brim down, and it rests right above your glasses and you should be golden.

There's nothing a casquette can't do.