As longtime Slowtwitchers know by now, contact points are king when making equipment decisions. We think of these as having specific import to cycling — saddle, aerobar pads, extension length — but in my mind they're key to the entire multisport experience. Everything that contacts my body is more important than anything that doesn't, so, saddles are more important than seat posts, handlebars then stems, helmets more important than cranksets, I'm pickier about socks and bibs than I am about rim brake material and whether the spokes are made by Sapim or DT.

Same with running. Same with swimming. Of course the equipment list is smaller in swimming. Chiefly it's goggles. But it's an important equipment category because the wrong goggles can make your swim experience annoying and lord knows the swim is annoying enough for a lot of you. This is why we hosted the Slowtwitch Goggle Tour this year and at the end of this overview I list these participating shops, because these stores took the affirmative act to stock up on goggles and other swim apparel and paraphernalia which makes these stores, on balance, the likelier places to find and test the goggles you might want.

Barracuda Bliss

Swimming for fitness is a big market. A generation ago Barracuda pushed forward in the swim market asking the implicit question of fitness swimmers, "Are you happy with your goggles?" and the answer was a resounding "no" much of the time because goggles were uncomfortable. In those days you took the old "Swedes" — plastic minimalist goggles — added a die cut neoprene gasket and, voila, the goggles available to us all. Or, you could just swim in Swedes. It was Swedes or Swedes with a neoprene gasket. Take your pick. Barracuda swooped in and made a luxurious goggle and, yes, it costed, but it made swimming bearable for those who could not find a comfortable goggle.

That was the status quo ante, 25 years ago, what's happened since then? Other goggle companies made their goggles more comfortable. But they also increased the price of these more comfortable goggles. One strategic adjustment Barracuda made was to decrease the prices of a lot of its goggles, and the gap between the cost of everybody's good goggle and a Barracuda is pretty small. Also, swim eyewear companies like Aqua Sphere and Barracuda have come toward the norm, that is, Aqua Sphere's ultra popular Kayenne was a "normal" goggle that kept a lot of the visibility characteristics of its larger swim masks, while on the other end of the spectrum Barracuda is getting more and more performance oriented with its goggles.

I've tried a lot of different goggles this year because I felt it was time to seriously tackle this question of swim comfort and what really should be in your swim bag and mine as we go to the pool. One goggle that has really stood out is the Barracuda Bliss. I've tried most of the goggles in Barracuda's current line-up and this company sets a high standard for the Bliss, as this is the goggle designed with comfort specifically in mind — this from a brand whose raison d'être is comfort.

This goggle is unbelievably comfortable. The fit is just fantastic on my face and is the best of the entire Barracuda line. It's a low-profile goggle, that is, it protrudes not very far in front of my face. My eyelashes almost touch the inside of the lens. I get a nice waterproof fit with the strap adjusted pretty loosely, and because of its low profile nature the goggle does not succumb to pressure from the oncoming water as I push off the wall. It's the most comfortable goggle I've tried in a long time.

The surprise to me was the price. It's a $20 goggle. The other goggles I'd likely swim in — like the TYR Tracer or a Blueseventy Nero — sell from between $14 and $23, so, the Bliss is right in there. The only area where this goggle is not superlative is the lens. Nothing wrong with the lens, it's just that the rest of the goggle is so outstanding the lens is, through being average, the weakest part of the ensemble. You'll have to resort to the typical anti-fog strategies like JAWS Quick Spit, Foggies, KleerVu or your homemade baby shampoo dilution. This is just a superb goggle that stands out from most of those in its competitive set.

Zoggs Predator Photochromic

Used to be, goggles all cost what they did and then there was Barracuda out there with different — much steeper — price points. You can still spend pretty big money for a Barracuda goggle. Thing is, other goggle companies are making gourmet goggles as well. One is Zoggs, a company known for the introduction of features eventually becoming ubiquitous in goggle manufacture.

One such innovation is the introduction of a photochromic lens into a swim goggle. This technology allows a lens to darken upon exposure to light. This is a 50 year old process, and if you wear eyeglasses you have probably had the opportunity to choose Transitions lenses, which use this technology. Ski and motorcycle goggles, and sports sunglasses made by Oakley and others might use photochromic lenses. How well does this work in a swim goggle?

Fabulously. The Predator is a good goggle in its own right. It's comfortable, the vision is good, it's got a well-conceived and quick-adjust strap and were its lens not photochromic it would be a fine goggle. But this lens makes the goggle a wonder. Let's consider the Barracuda goggle just mentioned above. It comes in a smoke, clear and blue lens. This is typical. You choose your lens based on whether you're swimming indoors, outdoors on a gloomy day or on a sunny day. I'll get my favorite goggles in at least 2 lens tints. With the Predator Photochromic you need just this one goggle for everything and anything.

It's moderately anti-fog, not really any better than any other anti-fog goggle and you'll need to resort to an anti-fog strategy eventually and probably sooner than that.

The problem with this goggle is the cost, at $63 to $70. That's a lot of money for a goggle. Then again, it replaces 2 or 3 goggles. Further, it offers multiple goggle tints during the workout. I'll frequently swim a set where I'll freestyle 75 yards, backstroke 25, and I typically swim midday. When the sun is hitting me straight on during a backstroke leg the lens adjusts. I have not raced with this goggle, but I've raced many times when a rising sun greeted me square in the face on a leg of the swim.

I find that I am pulling this goggle out of my swim bag a lot. This is just a great product and I hope other goggle makers will put photochromic lenses in their goggles.

List of Slowtwitch Goggle Tour shops

The retail stores below are not the only stores that sell goggles like these above and I've not checked to see whether these particular goggles above are in stock at the stores below. However, these stores were the participants in the Slowtwitch Goggle Tour a couple of months ago, and at that time they had stocked up big in swim inventory, goggles in particular. Accordingly, they are likely places to start. You can buy these goggles above online as well, but goggles are funny. They're like running shoes. They look great in catalog photos but until you wear then you won't know if they fit you well.

Northeast
Boston: Fast Splits
Stamford, CT: Pacific Swim Bike Run
New York: Westchester Road Runner
New York: Metro Swim Shop

Chesapeake and Carolinas
Washington DC: Bonzai
Washington DC: Tri 360
Cary, NC: Inside Out Sports
Hilton Head: Go Tri Sports

Georgia and Florida
Atlanta: All3Sports
Atlanta: Podium Multisport
Orlando: Gear for Multisport
Chicago: Runners High n Tri
Chicago: Urban Tri Gear
Miami: Swim Bike and Run
Tampa: Swim Zone
Tampa: Kona Multisport

Midwest and Great Lakes
Milwaukee: Emery's (Menomonee Falls)
Milwaukee: Emery's (Milwaukee)
Detroit: Fraser Bicycle
Twin Cities: Gear West
St. Louis: Swim Bike Run

Texas
Houston: Bicycle World Houston
Houston: Bicycle World Katy
Dallas: Tri Shop
Dallas: PlayTri
Austin: Austin Tri Cyclist

West and Southwest
Salt Lake City: SBR Sports
Phoenix: Tribe Multisport
Los Angeles: Triathlon Lab
Ventura: Tri Running
San Diego: Nytro Multisport
San Francisco East Bay: Forward Motion

Northwest
Seattle: Northwest Tri and Bike
Seattle: Speedy Reedy
Portland: Athletes Lounge