Costa Mainsail & Aleta Sunglasses | 90-Day Review

Here in Alaska, a good pair of sunglasses is a must. Between ridiculous amounts of sun in the summer and painful snow glare in the winter a good set of sunglasses can be the difference between a great day of fun and adventure and a migraine headache. At the beginning of the summer, we were fortunate enough to receive two pairs of Costa Del Mar sunglasses for testing. The Mainsail and the Aleta. And boy have we been impressed.

Costa Del Mar was kind enough to send us two sets of glasses for this test and evaluation period. I received their popular Mainsail style. And the company included a pair of the new Aleta model sunglasses for my wife to T&E as well. So today you get a 2 for 1 review. This was unexpected and I want to say thank you upfront to Costa for getting the chance to work with them.

I will say for years I was a die-hard Oakley guy. I wore and abused the popular Crankshaft and Gascan models forever. Then, about 3 years ago, I switched to mostly using Rayban Nomad’s for my daily activities like driving and hiking. I’m fortunate that I still have these other models to compare against the Costa Mainsail glasses that I’ve been using the last few months. And I can say the old Oakleys now rest on a shelf in my toolbox and replaced largely by the Mainsails, But WHY you ask?

Costa Mainsail Overview

The very first thing I noticed about the Mainsail and the Aleta’s are how incredibly lightweight they were compared to my normal daily wear Rayban Nomads which weigh in at 1.7 ounces. The Costa Mainsail tipped the scale at nearly 30% lighter (1.3 ounces). The lack of weight wasn’t the only thing that made up pay attention to these glasses. Let’s break into the features before we get into the dimensions and technical specs.

Grip and Small Details from Costa

Costa advertises their glasses for use in and around water. Areas where moisture can affect use. They are designed for the active lifestyle on the trail, the beach, the lake or river. And from what we have seen first-hand, Costa knows their product and how to make it shine.

As a three-time broken nose recipient coupled with sweating, my previous glasses slide around a bit on the bridge of my nose. The Mainsails and the Aleta we have tested both feature what the company calls Hyrdolite grip material on the nose and arms. This is a very soft and grippy material that is designed to minimize movement of the glasses. I have had zero movement when using these hiking, biking, shooting, doing yard work and even building a woodshed. When you add the same texture to the ends of the arms you have glasses that absolutely will not move.

There are a few things I want to mention about the grippyness of the glasses. First, they will leave a mark on the bridge of your nose if you wear them a while. They are snug and it shows. Secondly, both areas will stick to your hair if you have long hair and put the glasses on top of your head for a few moments. That was brought up in my wife’s comments. Not so much a factor for me personally. So longer hair users take note.

One way to combat that potential is to use set of glasses lanyards to let them hang around your neck. Costa has designed a convenient eyelet on the back of the glasses arm for such an occasion.

Costa Mainsail Options (Male Glasses)

Frame Colors

• Tiger Shark
• Matte Black
• Gray Crystal

Lens Types

• Green Mirror Polarized Glass (Variable Light, Sight Fishing, In-Shore Fishing)
• Blue Polarized Polycarbonate (Very Bright Sun, Off Shore Fishing)

Build Quality and Lens Options

The build quality so far on the Costa Mainsails has been as good as any Oakley or Rayban I’ve previously used. The Costa Aleta’s that my wife has been wearing is far more durable than her Goodr running glasses that were her daily wear. The polycarbonate frames are designed to withstand UV rays without degradation or loss of strength.

Costa offers many of their glasses with different lens configurations for the individual user’s water types, this really allows fishermen and women to uses glasses specifically for their environment. The Mainsails & Aleta’s are available with the following frame colors and lens combinations with light and water conditions listed next to them.

Costa Aleta Options (Female Glasses)

Frame Colors

• Taupe Crystal (Semi Translucent Tan)
• Wahoo (Tiger Stripe Colors)
• Black

Lens Types

• Polarized Polycarbonate (All Frames)
• Blue Polarized Glass (Wahoo Frames Only)
• Polarized Polycarbonate (All Frames)
• Red Polarized Polycarbonate (Black Only)

Testing & Impressions

In the 4 months we’ve worn these sunglasses, we’ve hiked the Chugach National Forest, kayaked various lakes, rivers, and streams, both deep sea & river fished. And even went king crabbing for Red King Crab in them. We have built woodsheds, cleared property, and used them as daily driving glasses 86 miles round trip daily to work, not including road trips. What is our overall verdict after all these tests and uses from two users? In a word, Outstanding

The team at Costa Del Mar has built two pairs of glasses that we reviewed which provided us with great glasses that blend comfort, durability and excellent light gathering and dampening qualities. They did this without breaking the wallet of potential buyers AND have the capacity to offer these in your choice of prescription if you need that service.

Final Thoughts:

These glasses can be found ranging from $141.00 – $262.00 depending on retailers and options such and lens type and the need for prescription services. Costa puts the same level of detail and technology into all 82 varieties of sunglasses they manufacture as of the date of this review.

If you are tired of the same old debate and fitting issues with Oakley or Rayban sunglasses. And are seeking something built for a life on or near the water. Or just need a pair of glasses that can withstand the daily grind, we recommend you consider Costa Del Mar Sunglasses.

We want to thank Costa for allowing us to partner with them on this review, If you are interested in looking into any of their 82 varieties of sunglasses be sure to check their site out. www.costadelmar.com