I just moved to a new country for a year, taking only what I could pack into a few suitcases. When it came to sunglasses, the first ones I reached for were these Bomba sunglasses from Costa del Mar. They’re the best all-around pair I’ve ever worn, simple as that.

I checked out a whole range of Costa del Mar sunglasses on the trade floor of the Outdoor Retailers Show back in January, but this model made me sit up and notice because of the extra shielding on the side. While the Julbo Bivouac sunglasses I reviewed a few weeks ago do a good job of keeping harmful rays from getting in from the sides, these take a step further by letting you still see out of the side in your peripheral vision.

All well and good, but that feature alone is just a sideshow if they don’t fit well and have high-performance lenses. Fortunately, the Bomba is the complete package, with amazingly comfortable lenses and frame design. These sunglasses stay in place better than most, thanks to the built-in grip pads in strategic places. Plus my eyes feel very rested with them on: more than once I’ve forgotten I had them on.

The company touts their lenses as “beyond polarized,” because they see that as just the starting point for quality glasses, so naturally the brand is a big hit with fishing enthusiasts and others who spend lots of time on a boat. Costa del Mar offers three levels of lenses in glass and polycarbonate, with the 580s being the top of the line.

So the type of lens can have a big impact on the price—the Bomba can run from around $140 to $240. Then there are seven lens colors to choose from, each with its own characteristics. The blue mirror ones pictured to the left, for example, are meant for open water. The company rep I met with a couple months ago matched the lenses on my model to my blue eyes, correctly judging the gray ones to offer the best mix of protection and clarity. The colors came alive riding across the Blue Ridge Mountains on my way home and these shades have opened up impressive vistas every time I’ve worn them since.

This is just one model out of more than 50 from Costa del Mar (Coast of the Sea, appropriately), so you won’t be hurting for choices, no matter what kind of frame you like best. Surfers, beach bums, yacht crews, and sport fisherman may gravitate to this brand naturally, but it’s a good choice for travelers as well. All models come with a hard shell case to protect them from the rigors of travel when the sun’s not shining.

Get the Costa Del Mar Bomba Sunglasses at Backcountry.com, where there is a great selection of other models.

See all the choices at CostadelMar.com

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