REVIEWED: Panda Optics Funnel snow goggles
These frameless goggles for skiers and snowboarders, complete with swap-out polarized and low-light lenses, give a an ultra-wide field of view
Ski goggles can so often be counter-productive. Yes, they keep snow out of your eyes during storms, and if you have the right kind of polarized lenses they can add useful contrast to the slope, but too often they reduce the field of view and make skiing feel very claustrophobic. That’s kinda the opposite of what skiing is supposed to be all about. Cue the Panda Optics Funnel ski frameless, goggles, which are give a wide angle view and come with a choice of swappable lenses.
Wide-angle view
The Panda Optics Funnel lacks an outer rim, so the field of view is much, much larger than on most ski goggles. In fact, while wearing them, it doesn’t really feel like you’ve got goggle on at all. That’s partly because at 147g with a lens attached, they’re really light, too.
Snow-free
TravGear loved the feel of putting the Funnel on and off, and not changing the field of view one bit. If nothing else it means far less turning of the head to see where other snowboarders and skiers are on busy parts of the piste. That frameless design also means that during a snowstorm almost no snow settles on the Funnel. Plus, in almost a week in the mountains, the Funnel never fogged-up.
Low light lens
This package comes with two types of lenses that are quick to swap-out from polarized to low light. We used the polarized lens for the majority of the week (which give UV400 protection), which added loads of contrast to the slope and totally got rid of any glare. But the Funnel also comes with a low light HD lens with a yellow tint to enhance objects and terrain in poor light conditions. Add an elasticated strap and a ‘wide-rig’ design that’s easily adjustable to fit over a helmet, and the Panda Optics Funnel snow goggles really impress on the piste.