Our top pick? The Belay Glasses for Rock Climbing by BG Climbing
Needless to say, our bodies certainly weren't designed to be looking upwards for prolonged periods of time. When you look up at your partner while belaying or climbing, your neck extensors are *constantly* overworking, leading not only to short-term aches and pains, but also more detrimentally: a condition known as belayer's neck. More specifically, that's where those neck extensor muscles get strong and stiff while the neck flexors become weak, thus leading to an imbalance that leads to the compression of joints in your neck - not good!
However, there is a rather ingenious solution to this problem. Aptly named "belaying glasses" - which are eyeglasses with prismatic lenses - essentially enable you to see above you while looking straight forward (i.e. so you can focus on the climber without needing to crane your neck). We believe that not only does this improve comfort for the belayer, but it also results in added safety for the climber. An absolute must-have for all belayers and climbers alike.
Today, we'll be guiding you through our 6 top picks of the best climbing glasses available in 2022. Enjoy!
This post contains affiliate links; as an Amazon Associate we earn commission from qualifying purchases.
#1 — Belay Glasses for Rock Climbing by BG Climbing
Our rating: ★★★★★
Price: $$$$
The best belay glasses.
What makes it special? Striking the perfect balance between price, quality, comfortability, practicality, and popularity (phew, that was a mouthful), is BG Climbing's Belay Glasses for Rock Climbing. It boasts a light plastic frame which has been designed to be suitable in combination with regular spectacles and sunglasses. The design also enables "two fields of vision", which essentially means that you can simultaneously focus on your surroundings, as well as the climber.
As briefly mentioned, the sentiment of public reviews regarding these glasses are overwhelmingly positive. Most reviews commend its sturdiness and comfortability in particular, and also keenly point out just how practically priced it is relative to some of its competitors.
#2 — Plasfun First Climbing Belay Glasses by YY Vertical
Our rating: ★★★★★
Price: $$$$
The best belay goggles for beginners and hobbyists.
What makes it special? The first of several appearances in this list by the belay glasses specialists YY Vertical - who boast a hegemony of sorts in the belay glasses space - is their Plasfun First Climbing Belay Glasses, which provides the essential aspects of belay glasses at an affordable price without compromising quality, comfort or visibility. Just as with BG Climbing's pair, it is suitable for use over spectacles and sunglasses, and also claims good visibility of the climber without impeding peripheral vision.
Its humble simplicity yet superb effectiveness has made it a fan-favorite, especially for beginners and those that are new to belaying. We're wholeheartedly echoing that sentiment, and granting it our firm recommendation!
#3 — Belay Glasses Plasfun Evo by YY Vertical
Our rating: ★★★★★
Price: $$$$
The best value climbing glasses for viewing comfort.
What makes it special? Featuring a slightly more *sporty* look than its sisters in the Y&Y range are the Plasfun Evo Belay Glasses by - yet again - YY Vertical. It features everything from the Plasfun First Climbing Belay Glasses (the beginner version which we previously reviewed), except with enlarged BK7 prisms for improved viewing comfort (at the expense of an extra few grams of weight).
We would recommend these climbing glasses to those that are slightly more experienced with belaying, that are looking for a professional, stylish set of climbing glasses at a more reasonable price point than that of the "Original" Y&Y pair.
#4 — The Original Y&Y Classic Belay Glasses by YY Vertical
Our rating: ★★★★★
Price: $$$$
The best overall belay specs.
What makes it special? The pair that started it all for Y&Y are an obvious go-to for those with a bit more experience with belaying. It's important to spend plenty of time getting used to your new belaying specs and developing extra situational awareness, as if you're inexperienced you can have brief losses of line-of-sight on your climber which can be dangerous.
This particular pair boasts all the expected components of a quality set of belay glasses, will also boasting a sturdier stainless metal frame, a nose bridge & frame that are adaptable to the individual face and head shape. The only downside to this particular pair is its price, but in our opinion this is more than made up for by its design and material quality, which ensures that it will be usable, comfortable, and reliable for years to come.
#5 — Clip UP Belay Glasses for Rock Climbing by YY Vertical
Our rating: ★★★★★
Price: $$$$
The best belay glasses for spectacle wearers.
What makes it special? Designed to be clipped on most eyeglasses and sunglasses, these belay glasses offer the best solution for spectacle wearers. It includes a simple flip up mechanism which enables you to switch between the On and Off positions depending on the belaying stages (e.g. before and after the climber has passed the first anchor). Additionally, the wide-angle trapezoid BK7 prisms guarantee a clear and broad field of vision on the climber as well as the surroundings.
The only downside to it is its premium price point, but we believe it is oh so worth the splurge for those that regularly wear glasses or sunglasses.
#6 — Light Weight Climbing Pro Belaying Glasses Goggles by EPIC PEAK
Our rating: ★★★★★
Price: $$$$
The best budget rock climbing glasses for belaying.
What makes it special? If you're looking to find the cheapest pair of belaying glasses without compromising lens quality, look no further. EPIC PEAK's lightweight pro belaying glasses offer precisely that.
We would just like to note that the overall build quality is not quite up to par relative to its competitors, though, with a few reviewers commenting particularly on its flimsiness (which is to be expected at this price point). We would still recommend this pair to beginners that aren't quite sure about investing in the more premium options yet, as well as those that don't belay very often.
Stay up to date with our posts
As part of the SEAMLESS initiative, we're combining our expertise of AI, with the limitless pool of knowledge of our expert writers to provide the ultimate product comparison service.
With over 10+ years of experience in product comparison, you can rest assured that our curation is accurate, fact-checked and most importantly: we will only ever recommend products that truly work.