Hey all you helpful people,

In February, we're doing a trip to Monteverde, Arenal/Fortuna, & Manuel Antonio. We'll hiking and swimming at all locations, mountain biking at Arenal, and canopy touring at Monteverde.

I'm trying to pack efficiently due to Sansa's 25 1b limit and due to changing lodging multiple times.

I've seen a lot of posts that mention it can get cold in Arenal & Monteverde. Cold is such a relative term, so I'm torn on my packing.

I was thinking a couple of tank T's with a fleece sweatshirt thrown over for Monteverde & Arenal hikes along with Cargo pants & boots. Is this a good choice?

For mountain biking, I was just going to wear bike shorts & sports tank since I assume that I'll heat up eventually. Should I modify that?

What about the evenings. If I have a suede jacket, do I need long sleeves, sweaters, or short sleeves? I was hoping to get by with short sleeves and one sweater for just in case. I do get cold when I'm not active though.

P.S.---Also in Monteverde/Arenal, are we talking long sleeve knit pajamas or warmer flannel pajamas? Do I need a warm robe? Thank you.

One thing you won't need is your suede jacket. It is a bulky thing and useless in Monteverde or any other places you mentioned. But bring your Gortex jacket for those cool and wet mornings and evenings. Instead of sweatshirt I suggest one wool sweater. It takes forever to dry any sweat-thing in Monteverde. I learned this a hard way. Even when your sweater gets wet it will still keep you warm
And remember that Sansa may put not only your bags on a scale but also you with your carry-on.
Have fun

Are you going camping? If not you don't need flannel or robes. Leave your robe at home.

Thanks for the advice. It's very helpful.

This past Feb when in the Arenal area I never had a need for anything other than my sleeveless tops. A week later a cool front came through and people were pretty cool at night. I was nice and warm down on the Osa by then thankfully.
Up in Monteverde I have seen a wide range of temps and conditions during Feb. Generally, it can get down in the 50's at night (not always) but up in the 60-70's during the day. I bring a couple of pairs of zip off pants so I can be prepared for anything. They are nylon so they can be rinsed off and they dry quickly. I also have a pull over rain jacket with a hood that compacts into a nice little ball and has its own bag. It weighs very little and when not in use I hook it to my belt loop. I was taking spanish classes up there in Feb. a couple of years ago and my raincoat and flannel shirt were my best friends although I was warm enough for shorts and a T in the mid afternoon. I have seen it sunny, warm, cold, windy and rainy there in Feb. One year it was raining in both reserves and it was dust dry in Santa Elena and several of the other places to visit up there.
For shoes I use New Balance or Nike all terrains. I used to ride my bike 20-30miles a day during the nice weather at home and the NB's worked well with pedals(I don't like the clip shoes). They are fast drying and much lighter than boots. Hardly a day goes by down there that I don't hike somewhere. If you are more comfortable in boots I would wear them rather than pack them.
For my 3-4 weeks down there every year I can get by with about 10-15lbs for my clothing. I also pack a sarong which can be used as a towel, beach blanket, skirt, or whatever else your imagination can think of. It is really light weight and dries much quicker than a towel. There are lots of capilene, Dry max, and silk weight shirts on the market now that don't weigh much of anything. I have accumulated a bunch of tanks and T's and all together they don't even register on my scale and they pack small.
I wouldn't bring heavy pj's or a robe. You will only be up there for a couple of days. Just plan on layering.

I am posting this seperately because I have some questions regarding you using Sansa.
When were you planning on using them? You will have to have some type of ground transportation to and from Arenal and Monteverde. They don't have airports. To fly to MA you would have to pay for ground transportation back to San Jose (plus spend several hours doing so)then, pay more for a flight to MA. For about the same amount of money you could hire a private van that would leave (Arenal or Monteverde) when you want (within reason), stop when you want (for a potty break or if something looks interesting) and, providing you don't make too many stops, it would also take just about the same amount of time.
If the above prices of approx $100 per trip are too much you could look into Fantasy Bus, Interbus, or Monteverdeinfo.com. If you went to Monteverde first (this is what I do so I can start cold and work my way down) you could take a Fantasy bus (airconditioned) directly from Fortuna to Manuel Antonio for $25pp. Any of the three options mentioned could be used for any or all of your travels in CR. Monteverdeinfo.com are the people who operate the jeep/boat/jeep trip and they also have a horseback trip between the two places.
You could then fly back to San Jose from Quepos with Sansa or take another bus or private van.
Happy travels

Suzie,

Thank you for this great input.

Yes, we were planning on taking a bus or van to SJ from Arenal and then catching the plane.

Where did you get your raincoat? Do have a good recommendation for where I can find some of the dry-max stuff? I race in triathlons, so I've seen some of it at running & tri shops. Is it that same stuff?

Thanks again.

Suzie,

I'm also not familiar with the capilene and silk weight shirts. Could you tell me more about those and where to find them? Thank you.

Yes, those are the same type of shirts that you would buy for running. My husband used to be a marathoner until arthritis got the better of him and that is how we learned about these shirts. I bought my rainjacket at a good quality sporting goods store. LLBean has the cool max (made a mistake on the name earlier). I just rinse them out and they are dry by morning unless I am in a very humid area. Good quality sporting goods stores would have the capilene. Patagonia has silk weight stuff. Campmor, Sierra Trading Post are both good places to look on the net for good deals on those type of shirts and other good adventure/hiking etc. clothes. The Capiline is really good for wicking and they even have underwear.
Just type in Capilene and it will pull up Patagonia etc.
I had one of the silk weight patagonia tanks on under a long sleeve shirt while horseback riding up in Montana. We had a brief sprinkle and it was amazing how much drier (and warmer)I was where that tank was. It helps the other way too by wicking sweat.

Suzie,

Thank you so much. You have sent me in the right direction. Good luck with your travels! Maybe we'll cross paths in CR.

Did Tarzan and Jane wear suede coats in the jungle? I second everyone who says do not take bathrobe, and all that stuff down under. I agree with Suzie - take a teeshirt to sleep in, a poncho for the rain and sneakers to walk in - I travel with a carry on, wear my sneaks, long sleeve shirt, jeans or zip off pants and a sweat shirt - pack a light wool sweater (may not need it) and you are fine. Feb. is usually better weather there than in summer.
Suzie, will you be in Tamarindo this summer - I'm your age and would love to meet you and your hubby. My husband will leave after two weeks.
Let me know at [email protected].
Marilynn

Hi Marilyn!
I envy you being down there this summer. I had planned on going down with or without my husband but I already have so many trips planned this year that I will just have to wait for next Jan or Feb.
Who knows, we may run into each other someday. We ran into a couple in San Gerardo de Dota that I had been talking to on another message forum. We didn't realize it until a couple of weeks later when we had all gotten home again and were back on the boards and talking about the same place at the same time.
Have a good trip.

Yes, I will not bring my suede jacket, which in defense of my earlier misconception is still a light-weight jacket for suede. I just had no idea at first what the temperature was like. People were saying that it could get cool in Montverde. I get cold really easily and wanted to know what "cool" meant.

I'm leaving behind the bathrobe & the flannel too.

On the silkweight stuff, are talking long sleeve, jog bra, or something in between.

Everyone I talk to keeps actin glike I'm crazy for taking tennis shoes instead of hiking boots in the jungle. (Of course, these people have never been either.) Folks are saying that I should have something that goes higher up on my ankle to protect me from snakes & bugs. What are y'all's thoughts on that matter?

Hey!
In my other reply I mentioned that I only wear the New Balance or Nike all Terrains (basically tennis shoes but a little better tread and a little sturdier). That is all I have ever worn down there for hiking and I have hiked a lot of miles. The important thing for me is the drying factor because they are cooler and lighter than boots but not waterproof. With my NB I can walk through streams and feel dry in a short time. Everywhere I go I see people in the same shoes. On the other hand my husband only wears hiking boots but he has arthritis in his feet so the sturdier shoe bottom works better for him. I would recommend long pants when hiking for protection from the bugs. Not jeans, something lighter that will dry quicker and be cooler. I think you will find the "jungle" much easier to hike in than you would think. We have run into some tough trails but most were way out of the tourist areas. The old lava bed hike from the Arenal Observatory was a little rough but my NB's held up well.

Those shoes are making sense to me. I love new balance anyway.

Of course, if someone has a contrary opinion, I'd love to weigh both sides of the issue.

What about jog bra v. tank v. long sleeves in the capilene?

You have been an incredible help. I'd be delighted to return the favor if you ever want info. about the places where I've spent the most time recently such as, St. John (2x-total of 13 days), Texas (live there), San Diego (2x-total of 8 days), and the CA Bay Area (4x-total of 13 days).