Sweet Protection Durden RIG Goggle Review

Goggles are a piece of my MTB kit that I frankly have taken for granted and paid little attention to in the past but seeing (no pun intended) how much time one spends behind the lens of a goggle when riding with a full face its great to know that products like the Sweet Protection Durden RIG Google exist!

RIG Lens Technology

I was first turned on to Sweet Protection’s RIG Lens tech in the ski world. I recall first seeing it at their booth at the SIA show in Denver back in January of 2019 and then trying them out first hand at Snow Basin in February of that year at a retail buyer on hill demo. At the on hill demo I also tried goggles from a lot of the biggest players in the industry but walked away most impressed with the goggles from Sweet featuring their RIG Lens Technology.

RIG stands for Retina Illumination Grading and Sweet claims that “the technology focuses on providing superior contrast enhancing vision, minimum color distortion and reduced eye fatigue.” What impressed me the most was the contrast and clarity it provided in varied light conditions so when given the opportunity to try out the RIG Technology I jumped on it!

My previous pair of goggles had a clear lens, fit nicely inside the opening of my full face helmets and were held in place around the helmet with an elastic strap attached to outriggers on the frame . To be honest I didn’t think anything of them nor didn’t really feel the need to update them as they they protected my eyes from trail debris, bugs and branches encroaching on to the trail. Now enter the Durden Google from Sweet Protection with its large field of vision and RIG TOPAZ lens with a VLT of 12% (big jump from the 100% VLT of my clear lenses)!

Helmet Compatibility

The first thing I noticed was the goggle filled the entire space from side to side of my Bell Super DH MIPS convertible helmet which lends to an amazing field of view that I took for granted for so many years! Sweet was able to achieve this by placing the google strap on the outside of the frame and not using an outrigger style attachment which would make the field of view smaller due to a smaller frame and lens.

It’s worth mentioning when I did a dry fit of the google on my MET Parachute Convertible helmet and it was a bit tighter of a fit and the googles didn’t sit flat on my face but rather were supported by the helmet. With that being said its worth testing out the goggle to helmet compatibility if you can! Now on to the sweet Sweet lens and what a game changer they are! The contrast that these lens provide really makes trail features pop and allow my eyes to be much more relaxed while riding.

No longer am I having to battle the brightness of the sun and the shadows that are casted to read the features of the trail that lay ahead. I found this lens worked well on sunny days and on slightly overcast days and the RIG technology really helps in aiding with the contrast definition. Here in Jackson Hole, WY we have a lot of sunny day so the Topaz lens with 12% VLT does really well but if you live somewhere where there is more overcast the Bixbite lens with 25% VLT maybe better suited for you. On a couple of occasions while riding in the rain with the Durden Goggle in Europe this spring I was able to enjoy laps of riding thanks to the hydrophobic coating on the outside and anti-fog on the inside of the lens.

Sweet Protection Durden RIG Goggle Pros & Cons

Pros:

• RIG Lens Technology provides superior contrast
• Large field of vision with amazing clarity
• Hydrophobic coating and anti-fog properties

Cons:

• May have tighter fit on some helmets
• Compatibility with all helmets may vary

Overall Impression

If you’re in the market to upgrade your MTB goggles I wouldn’t hesitate to give the Durden Goggle from Sweet Protection ($149.95) a try as long as they play nicely with your current full face helmet.

Related Mountain Bike Gear

1. Sweet Protection Knee Pads
2. POC Define Sunglasses
3. Velocio Trail MTB Apparel