All of my Costa Rica guidebooks suggest bringing along rain gear, even for visits during dry season. I've looked over the choices at REI and Academy, as well as online - there seems to be hundreds of possibilities. Would anyone have an idea of what rain gear I might need for a December visit to Arenal, Monteverde, and Manuel Antonio

Just an inexpensive rain poncho has worked great for us. Things don't dry very quickly so shoes like Keens are also good to have.

Hip's suggestions are good ones.

I used Keen's hiking sandals last December (for the Central Valley and the Osa Peninsula) and they worked well. We also primarily took along the type of clothing that dries quickly and wicks moisture away from your body. That way, if you do get caught in a downpour, your stuff will dry out in a day or so.

I'd also throw in a lightweight fleece jacket for warmth as both Arenal and Monteverde can be surprisingly cool depending on weather patterns.

We've used the cheap plastic rain ponchos in the past and they'll get you by just fine. Their only drawback is that they aren't very breathable which would be nice in such a humid climate. For a trip to Peru next month, I invested in a waterproof, breathable rain jacket. My brother had one for CR last year and swore by it when we were caught in a pretty good cloudburst one afternoon.

We've been to CR twice in December and have had some rain, but we've also had a lot of really gorgeous weather that time of year. It's a great time to go!

Campmor is a good site to check for clothing and rain gear. They frequently have terrific sales:

www.campmor.com

I'm still loving the ll bean rainjacket my dad picked up for me 3-4 years ago. It's a nice cut, more wind-breaker style and best of all folds into itself so it's about the size of a football. Concentrate on clothes that are light/thin, stuff like jeans, yoga pants etc will take forever to dry. I have several pairs of shoes that I take depending on what area of CR I'm going to. I think a good pair of teva style water sandals would be good, plus a pair of either low cut hiking shoes like Merrill's or Salomon's Amphib Tech's that are half mesh to let water drain out. Sometimes Sierra Trading Post has some good deals too.

Hi tully!

Not meaning to detract from lamogood's post, but when are you headed to Argentina? If I remember correctly (which can be debatable! ;-) ), your trip is very soon. How excited are you!?

We just bought those cheap rain ponchos that fold up into a little zippered case. I think we got ours at Target, and they worked great. Most of our hotels also supplied umbrellas, but those are a little impractical for hiking. Totally agree with bringing a fleece jacket to Monteverde; I had to wear one every night we were there - very cool and rainy.

Hiya Cam! Yes, leaving next Thursday! I'm glad for the vaca, I don't have the excitement level of a CR trip, not sure why, but will make the most of it. And you're off to...Peru, right? And then going to the BdC GTG in June, right? Right?!

I don't know where you live but we live in Michigan and went to CR in February. We wore a microfleece + lightweight waterproof jacket combo to get to the airport and that worked out well for what we needed in CR as well.

That said, I don't know that I'd go out and spend the $$ on high tech rain jackets especially for CR. If we hadn't already owned them, we would have taken just the cheap rain ponchos.

I think if you're going to spend the $$, it would be better spent on good water sandals/shoes that you can hike in.

Good idea to check into water shoes too. I wore my running shoes on our night hike in Monteverde, and we got caught in a downpour. The shoes never dried the entire time we were there.

Have a wonderful trip, tully! I'm looking forward to hearing about it. Different than CR to be sure, but I bet you'll love it.

Yes, my plans are Peru (next month) and CR for June! I want to be holding one of those tuna melt sandwiches on the Titi trail when the nice Puma kitties show up!

lamogood,

sumi's probably right about prioritizing purchase of decent shoes before worrying about a rain jacket. Ponchos will get you by. I did get my rain jacket from Campmor for about 30$. Haven't put it to the test yet, however...

I love my lightweight goretex jacket, packs small and keeps me dry as a bone, at least the parts it covers. I also take a light-weight zip-up fleece for trips that include mountain time. I see the purchase of good quality travel clothes as an investment and just one more reason to keep heading back to CA..

I definitely agree that if you think it's something you will have use for several times it's worth a bit of an investment. I find good prices on sites like Altrec, Sierra Trading Post and Travel Country.

I 2nd www.campmor.com , www.sierratradingpost.com , and add www.rei.com/outlet/ . Happy shopping!

We've had good luck with REI. That's where I bought my Keen's.

lamogood, I agree with sumi - more important to spend on good footwear, than on raingear. But, I purchased a good quality Columbia rain jacket (one that breathes) 12 years ago for a trip to Alaska, and it is still in great shape. I have found it to be useful at home as well as on vacations, so it was well worth the investment.