spook

Have booked Sansa to fly us from SJO to Quepos and am pretty certain we will be over the weight limit (perhaps by 30 lbs between the two of us). Don't mind paying the extra fee but is this too much over?

faithie

The weight restriction is for safety reasons , but some people travel really light , others have more so I guess is equals out , but really , Costa Rica is super casual , u do not need a lot of stuff . Perhaps re- think , re-pack ? If not they will just charge the extra . Have fun ! Faith

Pat2003

And your luggage could arrive later than you. Faith is right, rethink and repack.

dfarmer

Keep in mind that although they may allow you to pay the extra, they can also make the decision to send your bag on another flight, especially if your flight is full.

Are you packing in a duffle bag? Sometimes the bag itself can take up much of your alloted weight. So weigh your bag empty and find the lightest one.

Have you put some of your overage that is in your check-in bag, into your backpack?

This sounds ridiculous but I even weighed my husbands shirts, and we only packed the lightest ones. (Used my postage scale)

Anything in a bottle or container, only carry enough for your trip. This cuts much uneccessary weight.

And one all else fails - carry half of what you have packed. And you will still have too much.

faithie

Funny story , on our way home from costa Rica in November this actually did happen , arrived in Montreal from Plillie on a connector which was completely full because of tons of delays etc. Basically everyone on the flight was missing 1 piece of baggage . Found out later , it was because of weight restrictions . These are SMALL aircraft as well , pack light ! Faith

tully

I managed for 10 days with a duffle bag weighing under 25 lbs. and I'm admittedly a high-maint. type of gal Before I went to CR I was used to trips to Europe with 2 bags packed to the weight max & a carry-on, so I had a huge adjustment to make. There's a lot of advice here at fodor's for packing which I took to heart and helped to get under 25 lbs. CR is very casual and you can avail yourself of the laundry services (I know that certainly helped me!) As others have said I would re-think & re-pack & have a great time.

spook

The problem is that the first reason we are going is a 9 day business conference at Playa Conchal and we are arriving early to check out the rest of the country, so some semi-formal clothes are required. Our transportation back north will be ground, so it's only the flight from SJO to Quepos that we are worried about. I realize the safety issue (remember Allayah or something like that crtashing after a video shoot in the Bahamas because everybody wanted their luggage with them), but if the plane is less than full or other passengers are travelling extralight, how lenient are they?

dfarmer

As I understand it, your International flight in and out are SJO? It would have been convenient to have been flying into Liberia, so that you could drop off some luggage at Conchal.

Oh well - In this case it is obvious that it is not necessary for all your luggage to arrive at the same time. In the event that they cannot carry all of your luggage, I would suggest packing in a way to have your dress wear arrive later.

If your flight is not full, (as I understand from other) they may very well allow you to pay the extra.

Hopefully someone else that has actually encountered this problem, will pick up on your post.

Good Luck! Have a great trip!

shillmac

If you would spend the first night (or even the last night) at a hotel near the airport, that would establish a connection and most would gladly keep your luggage for you until you return from Quepos before traveling to Playa Conchal.

There are several that come to mind: www.hotelvillabonita.com is one.

It is owned by Humberto and Carmen, a lovely young Tico couple who own a B&B not 5 minutes from the airport. They would be happy to accomodate you, I am sure. Even if you don't stay with them until the night before your departure (and you will probably need to get back to the airport area and stay somewhere), they would be more than happy to keep your things for you.

faithie

Hi Shillmac ! Can I piggyback , or highjack a post !! Do you know of any hotels closeby to the Pavas airport ? Perhaps anything in Escasu would be close ? The neices have decided to stay in San Jose the first night since the first day they would not get to M.A. until well after dark anyway , and the extra cost of getting someone to buy the bus tickets , come and pick up and stay with them etc. , they have decided they can afford to fly for the difference . ( Nature Air )Thanx , Faith .

dcmalia

There are ways to get around the weight limit....

(1) Wear the heaviest things on the flight: hiking boots, jacket tied around your waist, etc.

(2) Pack your bag full of light stuff: clothes, towels, etc.

(3) Put the heavy stuff in a separate backpack, that you have on your body: Extra shoes, guide books, bionoculars, camera stuff, etc.

By packing this way, we ended up being totally under the limit, so it was not a problem at all! Also, we did all of our major shopping (for coffee, chocolate, liquor) at the airport, AFTER the flight. Hope that helps...

faithie

Sorry , feel the need to say a little something about the last post , they have weight restrictions for a reason . Safety .. ... Not something to try to be sly about . No offense by the way ! my husbands a priv.pilot and an air traffic controller , its there for a reason .

spook

Thanks for the help but we have it figured out. One of our business associates who is only going for the conference will be bringing a suitcase for us (which will save us 25-30 lbs). With what is left, my chronically overpacked wife (lol)can't believe how light our luggage is. Once again, thanks for the help.

dcmalia

I didn't mean to make it sound "sly," it's just a way to make sure your bags will pass muster. There is no way you are going to be able to get an extra 20-30 lbs on a flight by packing the way I was suggesting. So it really would only affect someone who is afraid of being a few pounds off the mark.

In our case, each of our bags was vastly underweight (10-15 pounds each), so it was probably not necessary. Also, consider the fact that a heavy backpack on a small woman is going to still weigh less than a light pack on a large man.

For what it's worth.