readyfortravel

Have thoroughly enjoyed reading all the trip reports and forums. They have been a tremendous help. Have a few questions. Wondering what type of shoes we need to take ? Know we need a good pair of water shoes ie keen or teva? should they be open toe or closed? will they suffice for hiking or can we wear sturdy tennis shoes for hiking? Also can anyone recommend a lightweight bag to pack in to keep from going over the 25lb wt limit? Also need recommendations for travel map and a book on birds and wildlife. Many thanks.

sumi

The shoe subject seems really popular lately... if you visit the tripadvisor forums, there are at least two recent threads on the subject.

It depends somewhat on the time of year and where you're going and what type of activities you expect to be doing as well as personal preference. We just got back from Arenal/Mal Pais/Osa. For active things (hiking, ziplining, white-water rafting) my husband and son wore their Keens and I generally wore my Tevas. We also took flip-flops for just walking around.

There are those who insist that hiking in the rainforest requires a closed shoe (a light hiker) but we found that most of our hikes involved some water (crossing creeks, hiking in creeks, etc.) and a hiking shoe or tennis shoes would have gotten wet (and stayed wet.)

We used the National Geographic "Adventure" map and also rented a GPS through the car rental (Tricolor.)

We took laminated fold-out wildlife guides that I ordered online from Rainforest Publications (http://www.rainforestpublications.co...des/index.html)

volcanogirl

We took our Keens for beach hiking and just used good running shoes for hiking in the rain forest. We got great bags at ebags.com; ours are the weekender convertible bags - they hold a lot, and mine weighed in at 21 pounds when full. For a good birding book, we like The Birds of Costa Rica by Garrigues and Dean.

katemouttahere

The shoes that you take should not be leather. Crocs are a good choice or any shoe made by a brand that you like that is a water shoe or has a lot of ventilation. The rain forests and beaches can be a very moist place. We left with a lot of moist clothes and shoes. A suitcase dedicated to these items was great. A pair of evening shoes for dinner is a good idea too.
I love my Kelty backpack made for women. I am slender and the way that the pack sits is very comfortable. If you live near an REI or comporable store they give good advice.
I suggest goint to the library for starters and checking out a lot of books and then you will know what you would like to purchase.

hipvirgochick

Keen Venice or H20 are my all around shoe for medium hiking and water shoe. I like them over Teva's for the close toe factor. Otherwise, flip flops for the beach and if you prefer a tennis shoe type style the Salomon Tech's are great. Often good sales on them on Travelcountry.com and Altrec.

We have the ebag weekender like v-girl and love it. Just the right amount of compartments, sturdy, nice colors, lightweight and can wear as a backpack.

steviesmom

Hi, Ready for travel,

My husband, son and I purchased keens while they are a bit more expensive than some others; they were highly recommended

cmerrell

Another vote for the Keens... They worked well for me at BdC (Osa Peninsula) as well as in the Central Valley. I got mine on sale from Travel Country.

I have the laminated CR map from Berndtson (carried by many Barnes and Nobles).