Clothing That Thrived and Survived on Our Mag Bay Marlin Dream Trip

For our inaugural trip to Mexico’s Magdalena Bay, Hanna and I made the executive decision to only take carry-on luggage. We had remarkably short layovers in Dallas and Chicago on the way there and back and knew we’d have limited space onboard the Caliente.

That meant we had to pack carefully. We’d be there for nine full days and unlike many of our fishing excursions there’d be no laundry service. We’d likely have to deal with rain and heat and wind, and for at least the 70 or so hours we were on the boat two of the four members of our group didn’t shower (I’ll let you guess which two). We’d also hopefully get to hold fish like wahoo that’d had a gaff put through them and thereby got bloody. Finally, we need to look good for pictures and for travel days as well as a few nice dinners in Cabo.

That meant I leaned heavily on you some proven favorites, like the Simms slides I’ve worn for a decade and the Grundens shoes that I’ve virtually lived in this year. At the same time, I wanted to try out items from our favorite brands, as well as some new ones. After an epic adventure, here are ten carefully-chosen items that passed the test:

Consider these as you shop for gifts this holiday season. They’re not just great for offshore expeditions – whether your loved one fishes for bass, trout, tuna or marlin, they’ll probably have an application.