Goggle Review: Dragon Rogue

Intended Purpose: The Dragon Rogue’s offer optical clarity for the mountain with pure comfort to make your mountain experience easily visible, comfortable and long lasting.

Location: I started riding these at Winter Park in early February and kept riding them all season long mostly at Steamboat.

Conditions: I’ve ridden with them on sunny bluebird days to overcast, to snowy conditions on the mountain.

Color: I received the Rogue’s in the mythical panther frame model which are mostly black with a starry nights theme around most of the strap.  At the very back of the strap are the dark panthers including some really sharp teeth.  I like the overall starry night theme of the goggles with the dark colors and white mythical lights.

Lens: I received two lenses to try out with the rogue’s, the pink ion lens for overcast days and the second lens is harder to identify which one it is.  It’s a mirrored ionized lens so it helps block out the sun and gives a mirrored image when looking at the sun.  Since CO gets a a lot of sunny days I’ve been rocking the latter lens the most on the mountain.  Between the two lens, I have good coverage for the mountain conditions and am able to swtich them out easily (the top piece of the goggle pops off for easy access to changing lens).

Fit: The Rogue’s are on the better side for fit or I wouldn’t wear them as much as I do.  The only time I notice some air getting through is when I’m going really fast and hauling down a run and I can feel air getting in and my eyes watering a little bit.  Because I have barely a low bridge on my nose, it’s harder to find goggles that fit.  So with the Rogue’s I just pull them down a bit on my nose so they are snugger and this helps when I’m wearing a helmet.  If it’s loose fitting at all, it will let air in.

Helmet Compatibility: I’ve worn these goggles with two helmets for the season, the Bern Baker hard hat and Sandbox Classic Brain Bucket.  Between the two goggles, the rogue’s feel more comfortable with the bern because the gaper gap is eliminated by the bern knit liner.  However I’m comfortable wearing the rogue’s with both goggles on both helmets.  The rogue strap is longer and helps fit helmets without it being too tight.  It’s easy to adjust to the helmet and the strap doesn’t interfere with any goggle helmet clip to connect them together.

Visibility: The peripheral on the Rogue is decent, I can see side to side but they aren’t your wide viewing goggle however they do have good visibility on the varying snow conditions and view ahead of you down the mountain.  I’ve taken them in trees, powder, bumps and assortment of riding this year and feel comfortable wearing them all day.  The visibility helps depending which lens I’ve chosen for the day and I’ve found myself in days where I’ve picked the wrong lens for the conditions but I’m still able to ride.

Features: The Rogue’s feature an optically correct lens, adjustable hinges, triple layer face foam, micro fleece lining, 100% UV protection, super anti-fog lens, polyurethane frame and are helmet compatible. The triple layer face foam makes the rogue’s a really comfortable goggle and despite making sure it’s tight around my face I’ve never seen a goggle line because of it.  The super anti-fog lens I can vouch for, I took them out on the last day at Loveland which meant hiking the ridge and the goggle didn’t fog up as I was wearing it during the hike (or when I put it on top of my helmet afterweards).  Usually that much breathing, sweating and heat coming from your head will do something to get the goggle fogged but the Rogue’s stayed clear all day.

Durability: I’ve been wearing these the majority during the end of the season since February, they have traveled with me and taken a lot of spills on the mountain (mostly in the park but some powder spills).  I had only one day where I crashed (see 3rd photo below), they filled with snow and it was impossible to see so it meant grabbing another pair of goggles.  The lens have stayed in good shape and just one minor scratch since I’ve been riding them.

Thoughts: Since receiving the Rogue’s in early February, I can see why these are such a popular goggle.  They might not have the overly visual peripheral for the mountain but they offer a comfortable fit, with the basics you need for enjoying the slopes and the visibility gives you enough to ride safely down the mountain.  I’ve spent the majority of this season riding these goggles, I get compliments on the strap design and the panther (although I thought it was an owl for the longest time).   On the snowy days they can keep up and block out the snow/rain and on the sunny days they help elminate any sun through the lens.  They work with both of my helmets and I just need to make sure I wear them tight around my face to make sure they work with my face fit better and eliminate air coming in.  The best part was they haven’t fogged up since I’ve gotten them and I trust them on the mountain, in every condition.

Review Disclosure: This product was given to me from Dragon.