I'm sure this has been covered here before, but here I go anyway:

We are leaving next Tuesday for an 8 day honeymoon in Costa Rica. We will be spending the first 4 days in the Manuel Antonio area at Tulemar Bungalows. The next 3 days will be spent in the Arenal area, w/ our final night at the Orquideas Inn.

We are trying to pack just one carry-on bag & backpack each, so my question is - what should we pack?

Are jeans too much of a hassle, or will we need a pair for Arenal? How cold does it get at night? Obviously this is our first time, and we don't want to overpack, but don't want to underpack either. I have spoken w/ Tulemar & they do offer laundy service, so my thinking was that we could probably use that at the halfway point.

Any thoughts are appreciated.

Zip-off pants that become shorts are quite popular. They are usually a nylon blend material that breathes better than denim. You just might be fine wearing jeans, though.

Consider this : My wife and I run at different temperatures. I'm usually 4-6 degrees warmer.

A thin, waterproof, breatheable, running jacket over a long sleeve or short sleeve DriFit, CoolMax, etc. poly/cotton blend shirt should be the most a person would need to stay warm. Teva sandals may be all a person needs. Running/Tennis shoes : okay.

We lived in : zipoffs and shorts, sandals, swimsuit/bikini, sunscreen, insect repellant, lighweight rain jacket described above.

I never take long jeans, but usually wear a pair of capri jeans on the plane. Certainly not necessary if you are trying to cut down on your packing. The laundry service is a good idea. You'll have access to it at Arenal as well.

The zip offs are a good idea, but I usually feel quite comfortable in shorts even in cooler areas as long as I have a sweater or light jacket. Sometimes I like to take a skirt for variation. 3 pair of shorts should suffice, 2-3 tanks, 2-3 t-shirts or similar. One pair of flip flops, one pair of tennies or Tevas as Triple Sec mentioned. I don't own a pair of Tevas and have gotten along fine without them. But I do think they are good advice! Sunvisor or cap is helpful.

Small flashlight, repellent, large and small ziploc bags. I always take my hair dryer and then find that I could have gotten by without it. Congratulations and have a great time! We'll be looking for your report!

WE TOO ARE LEAVING NEXT WEEK FOR C.R. WE LEAVE ON THURSDAY FOR OUR HONEYMOON/WEDDING. I WAS JUST TOLD THAT THE TEMP AS BEEN RANGING B/T 60-80 DEGREES. THAT IT HAS BEEN HOT SOME DAYS AND A LITTLE COOL AND RAINY OTHER. HOWEVER, I AM FROM LOUISIANA SO THAT DOES NOT SOUND ANY DIFFERENT FROM HERE.

I find jeans too heavy and constricting, but I usually do take at least one pair of long pants because it gets cool (especially at night) in Central Valley and around Arenal. I usually pack one duffle bag for a 2 week trip - here is my list:
- enough underwear to last throughout the trip
- enough tanks/Tshirts to last through the trip
- 3 or so pairs of shorts
- a pair of light weight cotton capris
- a pair or two of light long pants (I have a pair of zipoffs and a pair of cotton cargo khakis)
- one or two long sleeve tops (zip hoodies that can be worn over the t-shirts)
- a few pairs of socks
- a sundress (maybe)
- a pair of sport sandals, flip flops and sneakers or hikers (I wear those on the plane)
- a couple of bathing suits and a sarong
- toiletries
- insect repellant
- flashlight
- camera and film
- binoculars
- books to read
- rain poncho

Costa Rica is very casual and you don't need to dress up for anything. Usually when going out to dinner, I wear a clean t-shirt and shorts or capris and flip flops. During the day, you will practically live in your bathing suit with the wrap or a pair of shorts over it.

Last summer my husband and I packed all carry on for a three week trip. You should have no problem.

We each wore one pair of zip-off pants and heaviest shoes on the plane. We packed mostly quick-dry clothing, two bathing suits each, one light fleece sweatshirt each, Teva-type sandals and flop-flops to wear in the rooms. As shillmac noted, you can probably get by without the Tevas.I also packed a sundress. Flashlights with extra batteries and small umbrellas were essential. Bincoculars and cameras.

Others get by just fine with windbreakers, but there's no way I'm returning to CR without gortex {or other highly waterproof} jackets and footwear. We would have been lots more comfortable.

Anyone concerned about weather anywhere can check several resources online. I look at weather.com, enter the city, state or zip code or city, country. Entering San Jose, Costa Rica will be about as close as I've found. Yes, the temperature varies across the country. Yes, there are microclimates. Yes, 60-80 is mostly what a person will find online.

Thanks y'all! As always, you have been EXTREMELY helpful. I'll be sure to post a review of the honeymoon once we return!

I think what danmim is referring to is the cold spell that swept across the country, particularly in the central valley and the Caribbean slope a few days ago--with 46km per hour winds and a considerable drop in temps. Not what most of us experience when traveling in CR. Hopefully that has passed by now and nicer weather will be on tap!

I don't know what others' experiences have been, but during the sum total of many weeks we have spent in CR, never have I had a problem with clothes getting wet--except for the dampness of the Osa Peninsula. We just never have gotten caught in that much rain--and we NEVER take a raincoat. Once in a great while, we carry umbrellas with us--on the Osa in particular. Although even there, we didn't have that much use for them as the canopy protected us from what little rain there was while we were hiking.

I mention this because I don't worry too much about the dri-ability of clothing when I pack and it has never been a problem. I take what I have---including lightweight denim capris. This past summer, I did purchase a pair of the nylon zipoffs and have enjoyed them. The point I am making is that you do not HAVE to make a lot of new purchases or pack "special" clothing for travel in Costa Rica--although you might choose to do so!

I agree with Shillmac. We never really got caught in the rain in CR (even though we always go there in the rainy season). Most of the things I pack for our trips are just my regular summer clothes - which means lots of cotton. In MA and Guanacaste we found the weather dry enough for things to actually dry when left out. In Arenal and Osa, it was way too humid for anything to dry.

While in CR during the green season (September) we were completely happy that we brought raingear. It was well used. Rained in San Jose. Rained on the canopy tour. Rained on the Penas Blancas. It rained nearly every day.
It's not a cold rain. Clothes could have been dried using a hair dryer or the hotel laundry service, but as stated above, they never really dried on their own.
100% Cotton? Nope. Not my recommendation. Knew this in advance and brought technical clothing.
Absolutely necessary? Nope. People could get by with what's already in their closets.
If comfort is important, then select breatheable fabrics.