Sea to Summit Travel Eye Shades
When I was in my late teens, my friends and I would go camping as much as possible. Our favorite spot was The Pinery Provincial Park in Ontario, Canada. The Pinery is a beautiful campground with 10 km of sand dune beaches running along Lake Huron. A diverse ecosystem featuring rare Oak Savanna’s, and a sunset that is ranked amongst National Geographic’s top 10 in the world.
It was less than two hours from home, but coming from Detroit, The Pinery felt like a totally different world.
In those days I was indifferent to comfort. An empty wallet will do that to you, but I was industrious. All I would pack for these trips was a two person tent I received on my 12th birthday from my uncle Joe (I still have that tent), a duffle bag with a few changes of clothes (I still have that duffle), and a sleeping bag that easily could have been an old WWII remnant (I have no idea where it came from or what happened to that sleeping bag). I never understood why people would pack things like pillows or towels or any of the creature comforts that seemed to only make sense in houses. A duffle full of clothes makes for a perfect pillow, and the sun is far more comforting than a towel.
I’ve always had a difficult time falling asleep, especially away from home. I love camping but getting a good night’s rest is not usually on the menu. Back in the days at The Pinery, I discovered that a hoodie is the perfect sleep-aid when properly worn. If you toss on your hoodie without putting your arms through the sleeves, you can use the sleeves to tie a knot around your ears and eyes. Knock out the snoring from your friends who fell asleep right away and knock out the light from the rising sun. It wasn’t perfect, but it works in a pinch with a hell of a push!
As I started making more money along the way, I started to dabble in the finer things that camp life has to offer. Oooh a sleep pad, that is nice. An inflatable pillow? Okay! Sleeping bag liner? That’s comforting! Ear plugs block out noises much better than the sleeve of a sweatshirt, but I wouldn’t be caught dead in sleep shades.
Wait, are these quilted? Yep. Do these things actually keep out the light? Yep. Do they have an adjustable band to fit my head properly? Yes they do.
Did I say I wouldn’t be caught dead in sleep shades? I meant to say with the vibrant colors that Sea to Summit Sleep Shades come in, the drip will be popping whether asleep or awake! Also, they are machine washable.
The teenage Carrot from The Pinery days may not recognize the flair emblazoned Carrot of today, but the amenities gathered along the way have made a difference in my ability to fall asleep and stay asleep throughout the night. Not that I am all of the sudden sleeping well, but I am sleeping better, and that is good enough for me.
The Sea to Summit Sleep Shades were a vital addition to the camping kit, and now I wouldn’t leave home without them.
Bittersweet Revelation: I think Sea to Summit is discontinuing the eye shades, that is the bitter. The sweet is that they are marked down to $10 on the website while supplies last.
Recommendation: All levels
Specs: DIMENSIONS: 7.6 x 3.1 in | 19.25 x 7.75 cm WEIGHT: 0.8 oz | 23 g
MSRP: $19.95 $9.97
Web-Site: Sea to Summit
thedihedral.com 