I usually use the latex straps until those start to deteriorate, usually in 3-4 weeks of 4-5x/week. I also use the included nose string and tube.
Tricks that work like magic:
-For the nosepiece, use a strip of butyl tube from a punctured tube. I cut it to be about as wide as the head straps, and about 2" long, with a tapered point so I can string it into the nosepiece holes. I put the tube over it to protect my nose. I leave only a tiny bit of it after cutting so I can adjust if needed. Butyl is really durable and can last for months, plus you can make tiny adjustments as needed day-to-day. This is a great solution because as a sometime triathlete and bike commuter, I’ve got lots of pinched tubes laying about. It’s also easy to prepare, and won’t slip as easily as a poorly-tied string. I DON’T use a piece of the head strap because it will deteriorate quickly.
-At the pool, find a broken pair of Vanquisher or anything else with thin straps, and use the head strap. The nosepiece on those are always breaking, and some kid with a broken pair will always ditch those. Or, use a bungee, but be sure it’s a pretty stretchy bungee, and not the Sporti brand from swimoutlet.com, which are too rigid.
My current setups (now I’m talking like a triathlete describing bikes and equipment, but in my case, the total is <$25): indoor training/meets is a pair of blue-mirror Original Swedish goggles (no gasket) with a butyl/tube nosepiece and a Dolphino silicone strap I found on a discarded pair of goggles. Outdoor and lake training is a pair of Tyr Eclipse (Swedish copy with thin gasket), string nose/tube, and bungee I found on a discarded pair.
I gave away the dark brown pair I wore outdoors last year at Spring masters nationals in San Antonio, two OW races, and during the USMS 10k and 5k pool swims. I used a single thin strap from a discarded pair of expensive Speedo goggles. I’ve also NEVER gotten an elbow or knee to the eye nor had these break or fall off or leak in an OW race, pool race, triathlon, or training.
I know I sound like I’m proselytizing, but I really do believe in this style. For naysayers, I’ll point out the following: I wear those in complete comfort in long pool and OW races, as well as training. Many top OW swimmers wear these in races and training, and those events and training sessions are MUCH longer and more frequent than anything any triathlete does. In terms of fit, I’d say that I’ve had teammates of every facial shape and from every genetic heritage, men and women, wear these. I’ve even convinced two masters swimmers, ladies who are 60 and 72, and a pair of triathlete brothers in their early 50s to wear these. These WILL work for almost everyone if you give those a chance.
It’s like this: the best distance runners in the world, people from the Kenyan highlands, often start running fully minimalist, either barefoot or with cheap shoes or hand-me-downs. Same thing with these goggles: completely minimalist and cheap, and the choice of some of the best in the world who race in the exact same conditions (only longer and more varied) as triathletes. Only one difference: these can be bought and worn NEW for minimalist prices.
O**ne final note, to tie together the fit, comfort, performance, price, and customization/interchangeability is that so many expensive goggles that in fact SUCK and suck the money from your wallet are pretty fragile and have no way of being fixed if broken at the nose or straps, because those have custom parts that aren’t interchangeable. For $30-80, you’ve bought goggles that will break or lose “anti fog,” and are therefore completely useless. **Meanwhile, a strap or nosepiece breaks on these $4-12 Swedish goggles, and you can ditch the pair, buy another for cheap, or make some quick fixes.
Great point, I see many novice swimmers carrying their goggles to the pool’s edge in their official “goggle case” so that they won’t take any chances with getting them hurt. Holy Sheet Batman, Swedish goggles are pretty much indestructible with no special case required, and they last virtually forever as long as you change out the eyepiece and strap when they wear out. I still use the old school string, and only had to replace it last year, after 7 yrs and about 10.5 million yards. The bungee cord straps have lasted around 5-6 million yards, and sometimes i just replace b/c they’re too dirty. I spend a whopping $5 every 3 yrs or so for a new bungee strap. 
