The awkward part of a Morocco surf trip is packing for three climates at once: a cool ocean, a hot afternoon and, if you go inland, a cold night.
For the water
Two sets of swimwear, because one is always still wet. A rash vest for sun and board rash. Reef-safe SPF 50 and a zinc stick for your face, which is what actually burns. A wide-brim hat and flip-flops.
Wetsuits, boards and leashes are supplied by any reputable camp. Bringing your own board rarely justifies the airline fee unless you are already surfing well and particular about your equipment.
For inland and the desert
A warm mid-layer and an actual jacket. Dry desert air holds no heat, so a 35 °C afternoon becomes a 10 °C night, and December nights approach freezing. This is the item people most regret leaving at home, and there is nowhere out there to buy one.
Loose long trousers and long sleeves, useful for sun and appropriate in villages. Closed shoes for the gorges and the dune climbs. A scarf, which is genuinely effective against blown sand rather than merely photogenic.
Small things with outsized value
A head torch. Zip-lock bags for phone and camera, because fine sand finds every port. A power bank, since desert camp electricity is finite and often switched off overnight. Motion sickness tablets for the mountain passes. Electrolyte tablets. Ear plugs, for shared rooms and shared tents alike.
Leave at home
A drone — permits are restricted and equipment is regularly held at the border. Hard-shell luggage, which survives minibus roof racks badly. Heavy toiletries. Anything white you are fond of.
Packing by trip length
For a four-night coastal stay, carry-on is genuinely enough. Two sets of swimwear, three t-shirts, one warm layer, one pair of long trousers, flip-flops and one pair of closed shoes. Camps do laundry and everything dries in an afternoon.
For a week with a desert leg, add the warm jacket, a second warm layer, a scarf and a head torch. Nothing else changes — the desert asks for warmth rather than volume.
For two weeks or more, add a second pair of closed shoes, because one pair permanently full of sand becomes unpleasant, and a small laundry bag so wet and dry stop mixing in your luggage.
What the camp already has
Surfboards in a range of volumes, wetsuits in a range of thicknesses, leashes, and usually wax and a repair kit. Towels for the room, though not always beach towels — worth asking. Hairdryers rarely. Adaptors sometimes.
Morocco uses European two-pin sockets at 220V, so most of Europe needs nothing and UK, US and Australian travellers need an adaptor. Bring two if you charge a phone and a camera overnight.
The sun, which is the real hazard
The most common thing that ruins a surf trip is not a wipeout, it is burnt shoulders on day two making days three to seven miserable. Atlantic wind masks the heat completely, and reflected light off the water doubles your exposure.
Bring SPF 50 rather than 30, a zinc stick for nose and cheekbones because ordinary cream washes off within an hour of paddling, and a rash vest with sleeves. Reapply at the halfway point of every session rather than only before it. Buy after-sun before you leave; it costs more locally and you will want it on day two.
Clothing that works in both the water and the village
Loose linen or cotton trousers do everything: they dry fast, they work over swimwear, they are comfortable in 30 °C, and they are appropriate in a souk and a village street where board shorts are not.
For women, a long lightweight shirt over a swimsuit covers the walk from the van to the water and the walk into a café afterwards without changing. It is the single most useful item in a Moroccan surf wardrobe.
Leave anything white at home. Between sand, argan oil, tagine and the red dust inland, white lasts about three days.
A complete list you can work from
Clothing: two sets of swimwear, rash vest, three t-shirts, one long-sleeve, one warm mid-layer, one jacket if you are going inland, loose long trousers, shorts, underwear and socks for the days you are, sleepwear, flip-flops, closed shoes.
Water: reef-safe SPF 50, zinc stick, wide-brim hat, sunglasses with a strap, after-sun, a hooded changing robe if you are here in winter.
Inland: scarf or shemagh, head torch, warm hat for December and January, closed walking shoes.
Health: any prescription medication in original packaging, rehydration sachets, ibuprofen, plasters and antiseptic for reef cuts, ear drops, motion sickness tablets.
Tech: European two-pin adaptor, power bank, charging cables, phone tripod if you care about the desert sky, zip-lock bags.
Documents: passport, insurance details, a printed copy of your booking, and some cash in euros to change on arrival.
Cabin bag only, and how to do it
A week on this coast fits in a 40-litre cabin bag comfortably, and doing so removes the single biggest source of travel stress — waiting at a carousel after a delayed flight, and the possibility your bag went to Casablanca.
The trick is that camps do laundry and everything dries in hours. Pack for three days and wash twice. Wear the bulky items — jacket and closed shoes — on the plane.
Decant liquids. Sun cream is the one thing worth buying in a full-size bottle locally rather than fighting through security with, though it costs more here than at home.
What to buy there instead of packing
A scarf. They are everywhere, they cost a few euros, they are better than anything you would bring, and buying one is a pleasant twenty minutes in a souk.
Argan oil and amlou, from a cooperative rather than an airport shop.
Slippers or babouches for the house, which every camp floor is more pleasant with.
Do not buy: sun cream, which is more expensive here than at home; anything electronic; and prescription medication you should have brought.
A last look before you close the bag
Three questions catch most packing errors. Have you got something warm enough for a desert night, if you are going inland? Have you got shoes you can walk twenty minutes of rock in? And have you got more sun protection than you think you need?
Those three account for nearly every "I wish I had brought" reported at the end of a trip. The jacket in particular — people find it absurd to pack for the Sahara and then spend a night grateful for it.
Weight-wise, be ruthless. Camps do laundry, everything dries in hours, and nobody on this coast is judging your outfit rotation. A week fits in cabin baggage with room left over.
And leave space. You will come back with argan oil, a scarf, spices, possibly a rug you did not plan on, and a quantity of sand distributed through everything you own.
Packing for the season you are actually travelling in
December to February: add a proper jacket, a warm hat and an extra mid-layer. Desert nights approach freezing and the coast is cool after dark. Your wetsuit will be a 3/2 and a hooded changing robe is the best thing in your bag.
March to May: the easiest packing of the year. A light jacket covers evenings, the water still needs a full suit, and the valley pools are at their fullest so bring swimwear you can walk in.
June to September: lightest packing, shorty rather than full suit, and considerably more sun protection than any other season. If you are going inland in these months, add electrolytes and a wide-brim hat, and expect to want long loose sleeves rather than bare arms.
October and November: transitional. Bring both a shorty and expect the camp to have a 3/2 by late November, plus a warm layer for desert nights that are already cool.
The constant across all four is the same: two sets of swimwear, closed shoes, more sun cream than seems reasonable, and something with sleeves.