See Nature in the Best Light Possible

Nature is something that is best experienced up close and personal, with as unobstructed a view as possible. Hiking up a mountain on a sunny day to see the wilderness in all its glory is one of life’s greatest pleasures. But the sun is not always our friend, especially when the trail changes. Moving between forested trails and open fields or hills can cause uncomfortable changes in light, making it difficult to not only immerse yourself in your surroundings, but also difficult to see the trail itself.

---

In the past, the only solution to this was to be constantly taking sunglasses on and off, or use slow photochromic lenses to help mitigate light changes. But now thanks to advances in material science, this is no longer an issue. Electrochromic auto-darkening eyewear, similar to photochromics but powered, can switch between light and dark states in seconds, making sure your eyes are always comfortable.

While not totally necessary, a set of auto-darkening sunglasses can really change your hiking experience, allowing you to see the world around you in perfect detail, without having to worry about changing light conditions. 

But even among these new technologies, not all are created equal. There are competing approaches to electrochromic technology, with differing strengths and weaknesses creating different patterns of use.

---

• Metal-oxide electrochromics are the oldest (>50 years) technology currently available. Currently only present in planes and building windows due to their high power draw, these electrochromics are slow, inefficient and not durable.  Decades have been spent trying to improve the technology, but to no avail.
• LCD electrochromics use liquid crystals to change color, similar to an LCD television. They boast almost instant switching times, but offer relatively poor visibility, poor contrast and substandard reliability, as the lens can only switch so many times before it gives out.
• Conducting polymer based electrochromics are the newest technologies available, using various electricity-sensitive color-changing chemicals to achieve the color switch effect. They are also capable of creating any state of darkness in between the lightest and darkest setting. This set of technologies varies greatly, but currently offers the best overall performance. 

---

The first pair of auto-darkening sunglasses using a new conducting polymer technology are FADES Sunglasses from AshChromics. Boasting a patented dual-polymer design and special voltage algorithm, FADES blow older technologies like LCDs and photochromics out of the water. A 2-second switching time, intermediate states of darkness, and all-week battery life make FADES stand out amongst the crowd.

FADES Sunglasses are available for pre-order now, and are shipping out on 4/13/20. Please visit (ashchromics.com) for more information. Keystone Trails Assoc. members can save by entering the promo code KEYSTONE at checkout.