Wildhorn Roca - Review 2023

Lense Quality and Field of View

The foremost quality of any decent pair of goggles is the ability to see through them. Fortunately, Wildnhorn’s Roca goggles perform adequately in this regard, at least when the weather was nice.

The Roca has a spherical lens, delivering less distortion and a wider field of view than the cylindrical style typically used by budget goggles. I never had the peripheral distortion that I’ve experienced in single-axis lenses and never had my field of view restricted by the sides of the frame.

That said, the one place where I did have issues with the Roca’s lens and frame obstructing my vision was near the bottom. I don’t typically spend too much time looking at my feet while I ski, so it’s not a huge problem, but pronounced enough to comment.

Taking resort laps on bluebird days, I felt like I got everything I needed from the Roca. I handled minor changes in ambient lighting, sliding into tree stands and back out onto the groomed slope with no surprises or frustration.

However, when clouds and fog were present, they started to fall behind the higher-quality builds. This variable performance is a significant consideration if you’re headed out on days where the weather is questionable and your range of vision is restricted by blankets of fog or fuzzy falling snow.

On flat light days, I felt much more comfortable switching to a different pair of goggles, even those with a similar VLT range as the lenses I used with the Roca. The disparity comes down to its build quality. Wildhorn’s lenses are just tinted–without the contrast filters we see from premium alternatives.

Stealth Black 8% VLT Lenses

I had the chance to check out the high-light Stealth Black lenses. Unsurprisingly, I had the best luck with these on clear days. But with a dark tint, their applicability in any variable weather conditions was limited.

Wildhorn has a total of 10 lenses available for the Roca goggles ranging from the aforementioned Black 8% lenses to an 82% Clear lens for night skiing. At $30 a pop, it makes sense to grab a few along with your goggles to get the most out of your set.

Lens Change System

Magnetic lens change systems were once the hallmark of any high-quality goggle. Nowadays, the technology has been around long enough that budget brands can start to emulate the once cutting-edge goggle tech accurately.

Wildhorn’s take on the mag lens works nearly as well as any other model we’ve tried, shy of the Anon M4 Toric. It’s another one of the better-realized features of the goggles, and it’s impressive how closely they perform to some of our favorites.

The only issue with the lens change system is the clip on the side that fastens the lens to fame. The quality of plastic used in the frame again reflects the low price point of these goggles; it feels brittle compared to similar components in other goggles, particularly in cold weather.

Though I’ve yet to run into this issue, I’ve heard that these clips can be a common point of failure and snap off unexpectedly, leaving you with only the magnets to hold your lens in place.

Ventilation and Fog Mitigation

When it comes to keeping fog buildup down and air moving through the goggle, the Roca is a bit of an anomaly. While the antifog properties of the lenses fall well short of the competition, they attempt to deal with this issue by allowing vast amounts of air to circulate through the goggles while underway.

This approach is practical at lower speeds and with dry air, but again, unless you’re purely a fair-weather skier, you’re likely to run into issues with them before long. For my part, during a misty day, I ended up with condensation buildup, a big step up from fog, accumulating on the inside of the lens.

I can deal with fog and the occasional drop of water. The more significant issue is the amount of air that passes through the frame and into your eyes creates a wind tunnel effect that effectively negates any benefits that wearing the goggles might provide.

Fit

I found the Roca goggles to be true to fit and didn’t have any real issues getting them to stay on my face over the ski day. Based on some of my searching around, I may be in the minority in this regard.

The Roca has a pretty intuitive and comfortable feel if you’re like me and have a broad face and big head. However, people with smaller heads lodged some complaints about the size of the frame.

Large, oversized goggles are famous for their aesthetic. But the difference between the Roca and the top-tier alternatives, similar to the clip issue mentioned in the lens change system above, comes down to quality.

Higher-grade plastic frames have more flex and, therefore, can accommodate a broader range of faces. The good news is Wildhorn also makes the Roca in a smaller, junior fit that should largely work out for those who would have standards with the standard size.

From a comfort standpoint, I didn’t have any issues with the Roca. Even with the stiffer frame, I could wear them all day, only needing breaks when fog buildup became intolerable.

As a final note, the Roca fit well with all of the helmets I wore it on. I’d credit the oversized frame for how well it fills out the brim of most helmets.

Who They’re For

They’re a super affordable pair of goggles that seemingly checks all of the boxes when it comes to features that you’d see in a premium pair. But with some time and under duress, they start to show their value. Issues like easily scratched lenses, fogging, light wind flow, and brittle goggle straps leave them best reserved for single-trip use.

The Roca goggles are best for fair-weather skiers who want something affordable and fashionable to take with them on infrequent trips to the mountains. The biggest complaint I have with them is the wind-tunnel impact. Other than that, there’s nothing wrong with them, but their quality very much scales with the price.

These are some of the best goggles at this price point. Alongside their helmet, we think there are a couple of better budget options out there compared to Wildhorn’s too-good-to-be-true deals. That said, their Dover jacket and Bowman pants are still a good option for outerwear, and for a cheap single-use solution, many skiers will find them adequate.

The Competition

If you’re in search of an affordable pair of goggles that hold their value a little bit better than the Roca, there are a couple of specific models we would have you look toward.

Glade Optics is another small manufacturer that makes several models of excellent goggles well worth your attention. We had the chance to check out their Challenger and thought it delivered everything you would want out of a budget model for a marginal price hike to the Roca.

Smith’s Squad goggle is another appreciable alternative brought to you by one of the biggest names in the outdoor eyewear industry.

Finally, the Roca isn’t the only goggle that Wildhorn makes. The fixed-lens Cristo is about as low a price point as a pair of goggles could ever be, though the limited feature merits heavy consideration. On the other side, their Pipeline goggles resemble the Roca but bring a little more visual integrity to the equation.