Ok, I have to chime in on carry-on's cause we're travelling that way too. I'm allowing my daughter and I each a carry-on and small bag each (for 17 days, she's gonna love me :).

Anyway, we already have carry-on's, but I've been looking at the Ebag Mother-Lode-Mini. Looks pretty handy.

Shillmac, Thank you for the information. As soon as I read your post I tried to lift the new duffle(already packed) and just about threw out my back. I quickly ordered two of the weekenders. They are supposed to be here on the 9th. That is cutting it close since we leave that night. They look like great bags. I hope that they make it here in time!

Hipvirgochick, The mother load looks great. We have a several rolling bags and like them a lot. I think that we will take one rolling bag and the two weekenders.

How old is your daughter? Ours is ten. I am sorry that we will miss you at BdC.

Sparkle - Darn it! My daughter is 10 also! Too bad we're going to miss eachother, they could have been great friends by the end of the trip.

We'll have to plan ahead next time ;)

Be sure to post back about your trip and what your daughter enjoyed the most!

Oh, that would have been so much fun!

We will write when we get back.

Very Best,
Gem

I hope your weekenders arrive as well. You'll like them. Thanks again, Glover, for the recommendation!

Heck, I wish your two daughters could have met as well! And hipvirgochick, your thread has turned out to be quite a conversation piece! :)

Thank you, Shillmac!

For those of you thinking about those bags on wheels, keep in mind that they do add weight and once you get to CR you will just be carrying them most of the time. I have both styles (wheels or backpack)for different types of travel but gave up my wheels years ago for CR.

That weekender looks pretty good. My Eagle Creek soft sided backpack with attachable day pack is the same size and weight but has a lot more useable packing space, I assume because of the softer sides. 45 L inches for the weekender vs 69 L inches for the Eagle Creek. Both are about the same size. That extra room came in handy bringing things home (including a lamp!)after I went to Sarchi. I use light weight clothes in CR so they aren't heavy and it does give me that little extra room for just a few more things for my extended trips down there. I am not suggesting you all go out and spend a fortune on Eagle Creek but do check the details ie weight, linear inches, etc when considering a purchase and buy based on your needs.
Happy travels

shillmac -- I know, even though no GTG's, a lot of people getting to know each other better here!

Suzie2 -- All helpful comments. I definitely go back and forth on the wheels vs. backback, that's why I haven't committed yet! I'm a bean-counter, so you know I have to line up all the numbers first :) Ha! Truth is, I have stuff we can get by with, but it's still fun looking!

25 days and counting! If I don't leave soon I will have bought enough stuff for the next couple of trips!

Our weekenders arrived and I love them. Very light even with all our stuff. Very attractive, too.

Two days and counting!!

Have a great time sparklegem, can't wait to hear about it all when you return.

Gosh, the time came up so quickly! Easy for me to say. Have a great time Gem and can't wait to hear all about it.

Your countdown is flying along, Tully! I'm excited for you. . .

I got a little shop crazy before our last trip, too. We picked up new socks for BdC (and found that in March everything dries a lot more quickly than in July!), t-shirts, shoes, pants, the list goes on! It helped pass the time! :)

Just got my daughters and myself booked for 3 nights in NYC the last weekend in May. We were together Easter weekend (12 people in all, our house, 3 days--I'm recovering slowly!) and got everything booked. Very excited! :) So we have a little counting to do as well. It's acutally a college grad gift for our youngest daughter. She's never been, so that will be fun.

And now, I'm trying to talk our older daughter (who turned 30 on Saturday) into joining me in CR in June for one of my long weekends before or after school. We work hard to make sure we get to see each other about every 6 weeks. It isn't easy!

Hope you had a nice Easter! Did the felines get to hunt eggs???? It was COLD in Oklahoma!

Shillmac, hope you'll post an NYC trip report, sounds like great fun. Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge if the weather is nice. It snowed on the cherry blossoms here in DC. But I won't mind if it's still cold here when we fly off to San Jose just a week from Friday! I'm so anxious to go that I spent much of yesterday afternoon looking at pictures of Casa Bambu - even though I'd seen them all already and had even made a few into a screensaver.

You probably read in my report, Glover, that I missed the Golfo Dulce hike this year. My daughter wanted to rest that afternoon, so I opted to stay with her (couldn't talk her into one more hike!) while the others went. So didn't get to see Casa Bambu this time. I had planned to get another visual on it so I would be able to write back to you, knowing you would soon be there.

As it turned out, I was glad we stayed at the hotel. Tried to tell the others than they needed to leave before lunch and take a box lunch with them, but there was "mutiny on the Bounty" and they thought they'd wait and leave about 2:00. So they barely got down there and it was time to meet their hotel pick up for the ride back to BdC. . .

How in the world did I get off on that? Just wanted to say that I really regretted not hiking the Golfo Dulce Trail for that reason--checking out Casa Bambu again. I just know you are going to have a great time there and can't wait to hear all about it!

Almost time for your departure! Please hug Humberto, Carmen, and little Felipe for me. Also say hello to Hanniah, who cooks and cleans there. She is a real sweetheart.

Sounds like a great time Jill, I've always wanted to do a long weekend in NYC, one of these days!

Guess ShelID and glover are coming up next...did I miss anyone else? This thread has got so long, lol!

Good news! I just confirmed that Phillip will be at BDC while we're there, so we will plan on doing some things with him. Anxious to meet him after all the great things said. I've almost, but not quite, gotten them to confirm Mariposa. Although, Tully, you've scared me with the tipsy walk in the dark comment on another thread!

Tully -- Are you packed yet? Ha-ha! After so many trips you probably don't even have to think about what you're taking anymore. Luck you :) I will miss your trip report as I will be flying off the day after you return. My daughter is starting to get really excited now...

Being the procrastinator that I am, I've just recently discovered I need to "brush up on my Spanish" with Rosetta Stone on-line...we'll see how that goes!

hip - there is always new stuff to buy of course! New flashlights, new shorts, shoes! I will not be packing the night before though, done that too many times and ended up all stressed. Since my flight leaves so early, I have to get up at 3am, eek!

Looks like we'll both get to take a hike with Philip, Kim told me he'll be there for most of the time I'm there as well. I was just being silly about the walk back to Mariposa, it's just something about the dark & being alone that always made me feel like the walk had quadrupled after dinner. If you can get it, it's really a lovely one, you must take a bath there! I've done the same thing with my Spanish cd's & book, lol. So far I still only have a few phrases and some of them aren't very polite ;)

I'm so excited to go I'm driving everyone at work nuts!

LOL--they'll have their own little vacation while you are gone then! :)

Ah, you guys have such a good time to look forward to! So glad you both will get to go out with Phillip. Always amazes me when he has the ant bite him. I'd not want to do that every day, but I'm thinking he does. . .we've seen it twice now!

Couple posters off this coming week - have a great time!