Skip to main content

The Manual may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.

Dragon RVX Mag OTG review: The best snowboarding goggles we’ve tested

These snowboarding goggles work well in changing conditions

Image used with permission by copyright holder

A lot of the focus on snowboarding goggles (or skiing goggles, no judgment here, two-plankers) centers on style. People seem keen to find big, lens-only styles that create a particular look on the mountain. We get it — you want to look cool — but functionality still matters most. The Dragon RVX Mag OTG delivers on both, likely better than the goggles you already own, and ranks among our favorite snowboarding gear for 2023.

The RVX Mag OTG comes in various colors and band styles with an almost pure-lens front fascia. Face-forward, all anyone will see besides the lens is a small nose bridge. The construction of these goggles is familiar: foam padding where the frames sit on your face, an adjustable elastic-y band, and vents all the way around the frame. Dragon didn’t re-iMagine how goggles are made, but it did tinker with how they perform.

Dragon RVX Mag OTG goggles come with a bonus lens, allowing you to swap the big ‘ol lens out to suit your needs. Dragon doesn’t tell you that the “bonus” lens is better for low-light scenarios. This is our one true gripe with Dragon here: the company does a poor job of giving users insight into what conditions the lenses are best for. Your primary lens will be mirrored, while the bonus lens has a lot more pass-through to allow more light into your view. I’d like to see Dragon inform users about its lens technology, so they actively swap lenses as needed rather than let one lens sit on the shelf because it doesn’t look as “cool” as the other.

I gave the Dragon RVX Mag OTG a full day on a tumultuous day in the Pacific Northwest. I went to my home mountain, Timberline Lodge, on a day that was dim and dumping snow. Anyone who rides in the PNW knows light conditions can change quickly, making the Dragon RVX Mag OTG perfect for this geography. I parked close to a lift (and the lodge), allowing me to swap lenses easily between runs when conditions required that I have more light in my field of view.

Swapping lenses on the Dragon RVX Mag OTG is simple – once you get the hang of it. A small lever on the underside of the frame unlocks the goggles, and you pull the lens away from your face to release it from its Magnetic home. Simply center the other lens on the frame, and the Magnets take hold. Lock the lever back into place and get riding.

It’s crucial to note that swapping lenses without wearing the Dragon RVX Mag OTG is likely a no-go. The Magnets are strong enough to make it cumbersome for in-hand lens swapping rather than swapping lenses while the frame is on your face, and the durable lever is something I found was easier to manipulate while wearing the goggles.

On the mountain, the Dragon RVX Mag OTG goggles are sensational. No fogging (Dragon claims the RVX Mag OTG goggles have the “toughest anti-fog on the market”) in any weather condition, which is impressive. They stayed on my helmet, even when I took a tumble, thanks to the silicon backing on the strap. And they look great – yes, full-lens looks are important to me, too.

Dragon RVX Mag OTG goggles are also competitively priced for premium goggles at $270. They only have one size – medium – which seems suitable for various head sizes and face shapes.

Should you buy the Dragon RVX Mag OTG? Yes. Give the lens swap a dry run at home before hitting the mountain, and remember which conditions the lenses are best suited for so you can swap at the right time, as needed. But even if you don’t swap as often as I might, the Dragon RVX MAG OTG are sensational goggles that will be strapped to my face often this winter.

Editors' Recommendations

Nate Swanner
Nate is General Manager for all not-Digital-Trends properties at DTMG, including The Manual, Digital Trends en Espanol…
Rhythm Rentals review: If you’re hitting the powder in Japan, you should leave your snowboard at home
With a huge range of premium skis and snowboards, you'll get the ride of your life with Rhythm
Rhythm Rentals in Japan

Having traveled to six different countries spanning three continents now for snowboarding trips, I feel qualified to make this statement. The most stressful part of any skiing trip is getting to the resort. You have the flights booked, great. But then you have to try to decipher the airline's website to see whether your ski or snowboard bag is OK to go on or whether it needs to be booked. Then you haul it through the airport to your shuttle, then from your shuttle to the front door. And don't get me started on post-trip travel — ever tried to drag a ski bag through a major city? Don't.

This is what I was facing heading into my recent month-long trip to Hakuba, one of Japan's powder capitals. But Rhythm Rentals came to my rescue, and it can do the same for you. It was a nerve-wracking experience, loading up for a month of snowboarding while my pride and joy was sitting at home — what if the board I get isn't as good? Spoiler alert, I needn't have worried; its gear rocks. Here's what I found when I hit up Rhythm Rentals for a month of snowboarding and why you should leave your skis or board at home when you head to Japan.
Why choose Rhythm Rentals?
Rhythm Japan has been servicing the Japanese ski rental industry since 2005, when its first store opened in Nisseko. Since then, it has expanded across various ski regions, including our destination, Hakuba. Back at the start of 2022, Rhythm became part of Evo. That's right, your favorite ski and snowboard store in the U.S. hooked up with this rental outfit in Japan in a collaboration that took them both up a notch. This is a rental store with an ethos based around endless stoke, a love for winter, and a genuine interest in actioning feedback — seriously, the Hakuba rental store opened because of customer demand.

Read more
Anon M4 Perceive Pro Pack review: is this snowboard goggles overkill?
Do you need the Burton Anon M4 Perceive Pro Pack?
burton anon m4 perceive pro pack review hero

Modern skiing and snowboarding goggles often come with lenses made to be exchanged. The idea is that when conditions change, your goggle can adapt with a simple swapping-out of the lens, which is the only thing that needs to change when conditions do.

Most goggles come with an extra lens — and most skiers and snowboarders never bother to swap their lenses. Instead, they squint or struggle to see. It's not safe or smart, but they do it anyway.

Read more
DaKine High Roller snowboard bag review: Traveling like a pro (snowboarder)
The DaKine High Roller snowboard bag meets all of your traveling needs
dakine high roller snowboard bag review hero

A good ski and/or snowboard bag should meet some critical criteria. Your gear should be protected, it should be pretty easy to tow behind you when walking through an airport, and it should carry all the things you need for your snowboarding or skiing adventure. The DaKine High Roller is one of the best available at meeting all of these needs.

No snowboard gear bag is going to be “comfortable” or “easy” to manage whilst walking through the airport. The model I tested is the 175cm version, one of the longest DaKine offers. It’s too much linear room for just snowboards and bindings, but that’s okay. My boards are usually right around the 160cm mark, and once I had edge protection on my boards, there was still a bit of wiggle room on the top and bottom.

Read more