Hi:
This is such a great source of information! Can anyone give suggestions on must have's for packing essentials for our trip to Panama City and Bocas this Aug/Sept. I presume it wll be rainy and warm, sticky and lots of bugs. So I am thinking very casual light clothes and flip flops for day and night. Is this correct?
Thank you!!

You're probably right about Bocas. Panama City, however, is a little more dressy than most places in Central America. I guess tourists can get away with almost anything, but on a recent visit I saw almost no one in shorts or flip-flops. More commonly (for men), a guayaberra and long pants.

--Lan Sluder

Bocas is very laid back and light clothes and sandals is the order of the day, you might want a rain jacket or poncho as it can rain in Bocas...
As Lan says, Panama City is more formal, shorts and sandals is for the weekends at the beach not for town (that's the thinking of the locals anyway) so a pair of lightweight long pants and sneakers will be more comfortable in the city.
Even I wear shorts, but really only on the weekends when popping to the supermarket etc.

Cheers,
Andrew

How much rain does Bocas get in the summer? Is it just an hour or two, or could it be for days unending?

Here's a link to my packing list in the FAQ thread of the Thorntree Forum (#15):

http://thorntree.lonelyplanet.com/me...d=0&from=1
I might take an extra skirt if I was planning to dine or enjoy the night life in Panamá City, and leave home the fleece unless you're going to visit a higher altitude place like Boquete or El Valle. If you want to walk the beaches looking for nesting turtles they recommend dark clothes. My advice is to limit yourself to a carry-on sized bag each - you'll never be sorry. Happy trails...

You will want something a little more presentable in Panama City than what you would wear at a beach resort or for your hiking adventures.

My favorite "don't leave home without it" clothing while we were there: Those lightweight miracle fabric pants that zip into shorts; same type of moisture wicking fabric long-sleeved t-shirt (for any jungle hiking); and my glorified fannypack (carried all my essentials plus water bottle clipped to it)--everyone else was sweating to death under their backpacks! Bocas is definitely casual and anything goes. A rain poncho might be needed since you are going during the height of the rainy season--ergo, very hot & humid and mosquito season. A really good pair of hiking/walking waterproof boots/shoes. I'm so glad I had those for a hike we took to a beach on Bastimentos island--would not have made it even in my heavy-dury TEVA sandals!

Do bring bug juice and anti-itch cream and maybe even antihistamines in case you are particularly susceptable. Sunscreen is a must--you will burn very easily down there, more so on a somewhat cloudy day. A hat might help too.

We brough underwear that you could wash & dry overnight (another kind of miracle fabric), but it was hard even for those things to dry overnight in the low humidity time that we were there. Most things took 2 days to dry! I also heard you can purchase that stuff they use when you get new shoes that wicks moisture away and that it is great to use in your camera case. Otherwise, you'll have to let you camera adjust for a few minutes when you go out into the heat & humidty from indoors, particularly with air conditioning.

I don't know about your time frame for travel, but when we spent six days on Bocas in January 2005, it rained the entire time. All day, every day. We saw about 20 minutes of sun the entire time. It was pretty brutal.