Channeling Darth Vader While Fishing

So I’m in Las Vegas at the annual ICAST industry tackle show checking out the latest wares (of which you’ll see plenty over the next few weeks) and I bumped into Tom Tredup of RayGear looking rather Darth Vader-like. That’s because he was wearing one of his new X-Shield masks, complete with vent holes for breathing and a dark, smoky finish. So what’s the deal? Well, Tom believes that the X-Shield is the future of facial sun protection on the water. He’s hoping you might consider replacing your sunglasses with some of his headgear.

Though there are several smaller variations of the X-Shield, the full face mask offers the most protection. Naturally, this product is also designed to protect your face while running at high speed in your bass boat, but make no mistake…the X-Shield is intended to be worn all day in lieu of shades. Tredup also paid close attention to the specs. The full mask weighs just about five ounces, and he labored over materials to make sure the mask absolutely will not fog. You can get yourself an X-Shield for $60.

Of course, the ultimate question is, could you see yourself at the boat ramp on a crowded Saturday rocking an X-Shield mask? I’m a big fan of not getting skin cancer, but I don’t think I’m ready to lose my tube of Bull Frog sunblock and my glasses just yet.