LiP Sunglasses Surge Aero

If the baggy jeans and Nirvana t-shirts I see the local youth wearing are anything to go by, the 90s resurgence is well in effect – quite heart-warming as a middle-aged man to have the decade of his prime finally celebrated as culturally significant. As someone who’s also spent perhaps a little too much time on the water over the years, developing a squint like a startled hedgehog, sporting some wrap-around shades on the water when it’s bright is always a sensible idea.

The Surge has been the mid-price-range offering from LiP in recent years, and this year they’ve developed the new Surge Aero alongside it, which is a slimmed down model that sits a little closer to your face. Familiar TPU pads integrated into the frame sit along the bridge of the nose and above the ears giving the glasses that solid perch on the nose and grip at the rear. Couple this with the removable drawstring at the back, and the optional clip on silicone necklace, and you can rest assured that your investment won’t be going anywhere easily. The package is as you’d expect from a high-end sunglasses manufacturer, with a well-fitting protective case and microfiber sock for cleaning and further lens protection. The ecLiPse series Photochromic Red and Brown lenses we tested are good for low to mid light, and worked well in our northern European conditions which often yield blinding low silvery light particularly through the winter months. There’s a plethora of other lens options available to suit your environment.

Our test involved some foil assist riding into some strong offshore wind, where normally our eyes would be watering due to the cumulative 35mph of updraft on the face of the wave. Not only did it cure our leaky eyes, but the strong polarizing helped us with depth perception and pitch control, particularly in lower light conditions, which we weren’t really expecting. When you do take an inevitable tumble, the venting at the top and bottom and hydrophobic properties of the lenses bead the water off almost instantly, so your vision isn’t obscured by water. Even when duck diving or getting rumbled in the white water, we’d pop up, the lenses would clear, and you’d carry on as usual.

Although the frames are definitely a little lighter and more slimline, they’re still extremely robust, reinforced where they need to be and carry a three-year warranty as a testament to their confidence.

Those who prefer a closer fitment and slightly lighter model will love the Surge Aero from LiP, and as ever it’s a very detailed and well-engineered product, packed with subtle practical features as well as being quite unique to higher speed, higher stakes watersports. Treat your corneas to some well-deserved protection.