Tips and Tricks for Laundry on the Road Even on a short trip to Costa Rica you may find yourself in need of clean clothes half way through your travels. Two sweaty t-shirts, a salt crusted rash guard, mangrove swamped board shorts, mud caked hiking pants, six smelly socks and some unmentionable … [Read more...]
Packing List
Cool Fun Stuff | Full Annotated List | Simple Checklist | Unpacking List | 25lb Carry-On List Packing is a personal process. I've seen people arrive with nothing but baggy shorts, flip flops, a t-shirt and sunglasses. I've also seen travelers with two huge roller suitcases bulging with who knows … [Read more...]
Camera Tips & Packing List
You'll never see tougher lighting or composition challenges than those you'll face in Costa Rica. skip down to the photography packing list The interior of the rain forest is about as bright as a big room with one forty watt bulb hanging from a high ceiling. In the age of digital cameras the … [Read more...]
Unpacking List
There are a few things that you should make a point of leaving at home. Copies of your documents - Minimally a Xerox or digital photo of your passport, drivers license, credit cards, airline tickets, and any reservations that you've prepaid. Having someone fax or e-mail these things to you in a … [Read more...]
Costa Rica Packing Checklist
If you're wondering why anything on this list is included or want more info on styles, types or brands we recommend the full annotated list is available here Gear for Costa Rica Plugs and voltages are the same in Costa Rica as the U.S. (120V flat prongs) Headlamp or Flashlight … [Read more...]
The Twenty Five Pound Packing List
Trek, Fly, Boat Version of the Packing List for Travel to Costa Rica. Small planes and small boat transfers have weight limits ranging from 15 lbs to 40 lbs so if you plan to travel off the beaten path in Costa Rica you’ll need to plan a packing list for a smaller version of your stuff in a … [Read more...]
Camping Gear Packing List
Our 40 years of back country adventures in the Rocky Mountains and the deserts of the American Southwest instilled habits that aren't necessarily appropriate for the tropics. We've never fully figured out camping in the rainforest (or maybe it's just impossible to be truly comfortable when it rains … [Read more...]
Bike Gear Packing List
Most airlines have started charging US$100-200 per direction, per bicycle for international flights to Costa Rica (I know, the bicycle page on the airline website says bikes can be counted as one piece of luggage on international flights, but read the fine print that often says "Except to Costa … [Read more...]
Giant Ziplock
I’ve been whining for about two decades that no one in the corporate glass towers built on the plastics industry was capable of recognizing the full potential of the zip-lock plastic bag. In December of 2006 they finally took a small step. The dimensions of the bags increased from inches to … [Read more...]
Trash Compactor Bags
I don't know anyone who has a home trash compactor, but the bags are indispensable for travelers. They are tough as nails, and our clothes and books stayed dry in our compactor bag lined bicycle panniers through rainstorms that made us feel like we were swimming. It hadn’t occurred to me but … [Read more...]
Swiss Army Light
Magnetic-Base, Flexi-Neck, Clip-On, Laser Pointer/LED Book Light It’s absolutely brilliant. I love doohickeys and this one is no exception. I have to admit that sometimes I’m a little susceptible to clever, compact, combination, creations. I’ve actually looked longingly at combination travel … [Read more...]
Tschermigite Deodorant
Before I discovered this magical mineral I had to throw out a pair of shoes every six months. My bromidrosis didn’t just affect python boots like Frank Zappa’s legendary stinkfoot it polluted even open sandals and seasonal footgear like ski boots (even though they weren’t made from … [Read more...]
A Sponge in a Towel
Made from the same material as pile or polarfleece jackets with slight modifications to the polymer cross-linking to make them water absorbent instead of water repellent synthetic backpacking towels are small, lightweight, wring-able, and quick drying—great for everything except modesty (most are … [Read more...]
Modern Bota
The Bota Bag Comes into its Own You won’t need your Camelback in Costa Rica. If you’re thirsty just tilt your head back, open your mouth and all the fresh pure rainwater you want will be instantly delivered down your throat. Seriously though, unless it’s already an irreplaceable part of your … [Read more...]
Picaridin vs DEET
Picaridin is an Alternative to DEET Mosquito Repellent Picaridin (RS)-sec-butyl 2-(2-hydroxyethyl)piperidine-1-carboxylate was developed by the German pharmaceutical giant Bayer in the eighties, was approved by the EPA as an insect repellent recently and is marketed in the U.S. under the name … [Read more...]
Slortz – Stylish and Functional
The adjectives in the title might be a bit of a stretch, but a pair of slortz are almost irresistible to first time adventure oriented travelers to the tropics. Slortz is the best one word moniker I could conjure for the cargo style travel slacks with zip off legs for conversion … [Read more...]