hipvirgochick

LOL! hopefulist, you never sound stupid!

I have the weekender too and love it. My daughter uses it when we go and she uses it for all sorts of other trips too.

shutterbug85

hopefulist - I'd been told stretching more would help, and also to massage the bottom of my foot. So far it seems to be helping! Thanks for the input - I was stretching before bed, but I need to make more time to stretch in the morning.

Thanks to all about the pack recs... I'll be looking into it this week and hopefully getting it ordered! : )

I will definitely post a trip review when we get back!

hopefulist

I think most travelers don't actually wear their pack much but if you think you might, be sure to stuff and weight the pack and wear it around before deciding to keep it. If anyone is in the market for a really great travel conversion pack with a backpacker suspension system, check this out:

http://www.rei.com/product/786932

I have more than a dozen relatives and friends with these and they're pretty amazing - durable, well thought out, and a great value.

Deirdredolores

Enjoyed reading everyones suggestions and having returned from 2 weeks in CR I agree with all. Important to remember you WILL be wet and its hard to dry out so make sure to bring change of everything. Also recommend bringing ziplock baggies for keeping passport/underwear dry. It is NOT comfortable wearing damp stuff! Enjoy the trip.

shutterbug85

Great suggestion on the ziplocks for underwear!

I ordered the Weekender bag from eBags and it should be here on Monday or Tuesday! The plan is to put weight in it and try it out. I think I'll like it though!

Also ordered the packing cubes and will experiment with those as well.

Thanks to everyone again! So excited!

glover

As a long ago convert to the weekender convertible bag, just want to add that I packed that sucker full for a 10 day trip to Central Europe a few weeks ago - and it still only weighed 19 lbs total. And there were things I could have left out!! You should be much lighter for the tropics.

Husband and felt so smug with our little ebag carryons. ..
Friends each had bigger rollaboards - feared one might have a hernia when he had to hoist the larger rollaboard onto high luggage shelf on train ..

volcanogirl

Same with us. On our last trip, our driver asked where our luggage was, and we pointed at our two weekender bags. He said, "Wow you guys are easy!"

hopefulist

Packing light has often meant I could keep my bag with me on chicken buses instead of having it on top with the bags of onions or in the back where it's equally hard to watch. Last summer in Belize our extended family group could easily fit 9 of us in a 12 seat van because no one had more than a carry-on - our drivers went on and on about that. As Rick Steves says, 'You'll never meet a traveler who, after five trips, brags: "Every year I pack heavier." The measure of a good traveler is how light she travels. You can't travel heavy, happy, and cheap. Pick two.'
http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/tips/packlight.htm
http://www.onebag.com

hopefulist

I also wanted to add that I usually travel for 4 or 5 weeks at a time and pack basically the same things for a month as I would for a week or 6 months on the road.

hotzim

Crocs! I remember trying to walk on the sidewalk in a torrential downpour and I couldn't keep my flip flops on my feet. Crocs with the little strap in back would have been perfect. They will be good all purpose shoes for beach, pool etc and they are extemely light.

dcorey

You must take binoculars! Beautiful birds and monkeys in the trees! Jeans may be too hot. Take casual pants that are light weight. Take one of those very paper thin plastic rain poncho's. When it rains, it rains really hard.

shutterbug85

Just wanted to give a quick update...

I bought a pair of Keen's! Whisper in black. I put them on when I got home from work the night they came in and didn't want to take them off, they are so comfortable.

I also got a Weekender bag. I'm really happy with it too!

This weekend we're going to get quick-dry clothes. Should be fun!

Thanks again for all the help!

volcanogirl

Glad you like the bag, shutter!

I got some nice quick dry shorts from REI - wore them for rafting and loved them. I think they're Columbia brand.