I'll be heading to Costa Rica at the end of the month. While there we're going to be doing some hiking in the cloud jungle. I was wondering what the forum goers here recommend in boots and pants for hot, humid, and muddy conditions. As I understand it, it's the rainy season there, so mud and wet are to be expected.
Suggestions?
I was there in late August last year with my fiance.
We were in Monteverde and Tamarindo.
We realized that a) the bugs weren't nearly as bad as advertised in the mountains; b) they were worse in Tamarindo; c) the people were great; and d) a decent pair of Merrel/Ecco water proof boots and some breathable shirts/pants will do you fine.
I mainly wore t-shirts, a floppy breathable safari style hat, light cotton pants and Ecco boots (http://us.shop.ecco.com/ECCO-Track-6...cgid=men-boots). I had a few cheap 5.11 tactical breathable button downs (http://www.511tactical.com/All-Produ...-Ss-Shirt.html) that enabled me to carry stuff without bulging pockets when I needed to 'dress up' and stay cool. Mine were super cheap close outs for like $20; these look much nicer but way more expensive.
My fiance ran a similar set of outfits along with Merrels (http://www.merrell.com/US/en-US/Prod...X?dimensions=0).
At the beach? Bikinis for her and Borat banana thong for me
Enjoy!!
ETA: Oooh! If you get the chance, do the night time jungle tour. The guides tend to be awesome (Monteverde at least), we learned a lot, saw a lot and got to know more about the land through the guides.
ETA 2: If you rent a car, definitely go 4X4, the roads in many places SUCK! but are fun to drive on if you like that kind of fun
Fairness leads to extinction much faster than harsh parameters.
You had me at Costa.
Thanks Bai. Great post! Very helpful. Now I know that can bypass all that other nonsense and just wear the banana thong the whole time. I'll order leopard print for camo purposes.
Last edited by Nik the Greek; 07-03-2013 at 02:32 AM.
Roads are awful. 4x4 is a must.
If you can try and get to Tortuguero. It is a buss ride and a boat ride but you will see some amazing things, from birds to snakes, monkeys and gators. It is super isolated.
I will add to the west coast and say check out Montezuma. Really small town with good food and fishing. There are beach houses for rent that will make you just sit on the porch and read, sleep and not want to come home.
As far as gear the key is things that dry quick. If you can afford it Arc'teryx has a line I love, but only buy it on clearance because bird s*it is expensive.
A good alternative is the Mountain Hardware offering. I use these so much and have had one pair for 4 years and it is still in good shape.
Tortuguero....
Montezuma....
I am partial to Solomon boots, but am more partial to quality socks! Under armor socks have been great to me so far and I have no complaints. Boots come and go, but I'll put a quality pair of socks over boots in just about any climate if I have to walk in it.
You can get much more of what you want with a kind word and a gun, than with a kind word alone.
Thanks JFK. Tortuguero definitely sounds like the kind of experience I'm after. Adding it to the list.
I do have a bunch of smartwool socks that have served me well on hikes in hot/dry and cold/wet conditions before, and so far prove pretty indestructible. I'm hoping they'll do fine in the jungle too. I'll check out the UA socks though.
Any specific models of pants? One thing that I should add is that I've had arc'teryx/kuhl pants in the past. They were awesome, but they were 'swishy'. I kind of hate making that much noise when I walk.
Are there any options that are breathable and quick drying that don't go 'shzip shzip shzip' when I walk?
One more thing: apparently the locals often wear rain boots when hiking the wet rain forests. Anyone have experience with that?
Last edited by Nik the Greek; 07-02-2013 at 06:46 PM.
me too, I thought the title was, boot/pants for Costa rig and came in for the fail inside lol.Originally Posted by Jay Cunningham
Reply With Quote
