Smith's Caravans might not be the only sunglasses with interchangeable lenses on the market, but for freshwater fishermen, they're tough to beat. I tested the Tortoise frames, which come with two sets of lenses: bronze mirror and pink Ignitor, both of the ChromaPop variety.
The brown-hued lenses cover you throughout the day, on most days, save for stark bluebird ones when you might want something more akin to an offshore (reflective blue) lens. The pink lenses are for ultra-low light and are what you might want to start the morning and end the evening with, which I did several times this past week while fly fishing my way around Jackson Hole, Wyoming.
The six-curve lenses are sturdy plastic, fairly scratch-resistant, and probably more importantly, easy to interchange. But what might be my favorite thing overall about these fisher-centric shades is the low(ish)-profile frames, which allow you to comfortably set foot in town for a brew or two afterward without receiving curious glares. Sure, it depends on which town you're in, but for me, returning to Manhattan, it's the difference between having to pack two pairs or hear a load of it from my (supposed) friends and family.
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Like most (if not all) of Smith's optics, the Caravan MAGs are equipped with Smith's patented ChromaPop technology, which, in lay talk, works to separate confusion between the way light passes information to our brains. If that confuses you as it does me, read here. To keep things simple: Fishing, and specifically sight fishing, requires a keen ability to separate shades, specifically between the colors blue, green, and red.
As for the lenses, which are incredibly easy to change, the slightly mirrored bronze lens (above, right) will cover you through the brighter parts of the day, with their only limitations showing while open or "bluewater" fishing where a deep cobalt blue is the best lens. The rose-tinted ones (above, left) will improve visibility around dawn and dusk, and on the darker, gloomier days the sky has to offer us. And they're shaped using six curves, so while they're not the full wraparounds many anglers are used to, they seem to have that effect, letting in very little stray light where a more flat, boxier lens would prove problematic.
Other features of noteworthiness are the hydrophobic lens coating, which keeps water from drying and leaving behind calcium deposit stains on the lenses, as well as the grippy rubber nose pads, which aren't all that exciting but easy to appreciate when a lot of other sporty shades might slide down your schnoz at the first sign of perspiration.
Changing the lenses is just a matter of pushing on the temple tabs, which unlock the frames. You'll have to pull the frames apart a bit because what keeps them in place, apart from the hinge, is a built-in magnet. While a bit frustrating, it keeps everything from falling apart, especially while you're swapping lenses. This deft design came in handy everywhere, and I had no trouble switching lenses, even on the stream when I couldn't bear turn my back to rising trout for fear that I'd lose track of them.
And both lenses worked just as well as any of those I've tried from Smith. The best thing about that is that they come with the same degree of curvature as the brand's wraparounds without the oversized frames, and as a result, only a little stray light managed to sneak around the frames and into my eyes. They're not as scratch-resistant as glass, but that's the trade-off with a lightweight pair of plastic lenses. Keep the case handy, and you won't have any problems.
Going into town afterward wasn't half as bad as it usually is when I'm stuck wearing my fishing glasses around the general public. No, I don't think I was headed for the cover of GQ. But if we're being honest, was I ever?
These lenses won't do it all, but there's not a pair on earth that will, and two out of three possible light situations (by my own count) ain't bad. Pick up a pair of offshore shades like any of the blue-lensed wraparounds by Costa del Mar, my favorite for bluewater, and you're good to go on the sunglasses front for a fraction of the price most of us end up spending. At the very least, make sure you're wearing good polarized lenses on the water; we may have prosthetic these and those available in this day and age, but we haven't found a way to replace oculi — not just yet, anyhow.
Pros: Two sets of lenses for the prices of one (good fishing lenses aren't cheap), lightweight, covers most lighting you'd need in freshwater, not horribly unstylish like most fishing sunglasses
Cons: Wish there were an option for more lenses; some stray light gets in around the edges of the frames for me, but that's subjective based on one's facial features
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