12 Unique Packing Essentials for Costa Rica

There’s a chance this isn’t the first post you’ve come across in preparation for your trip to Costa Rica. (If it is – WEEE!) Will I showcase my rain jacket of choice? I absolutely will. Dry bag? Duh. Backpack with rain cover? It’s on here. But there are definitely some unique packing essentials for Costa Rica that I think get overlooked.

With my experience schlepping expensive photography equipment, frustratingly working on shitty wifi, and getting robbed somewhere between San Jose and Monteverde, I know I have a few packing essentials and tips on my list you won’t see elsewhere. 

Packing Essentials Mentioned Above:

1 – The Rain Jacket Shell

Emphasis on shell. It will rain at random times, pour at the most inconvenient moment, and suddenly get so sunny and dry you’ll wonder why they call it a rain forest…so I recommend carrying one at all times. But it will be hot, humid, and you’ll be carrying other things.  So a shell is all you’ll need. The objective is to stay dry. 

2 – Dry Bag & Waterproof Phone Pouch

I used my Earth Pak 30L dry bag.  I love it, and it’s never let me down.  When I purchased it, it came with a waterproof pouch for my phone. They have smaller/bigger bags. The 30L was pretty great for holding my cameras and drone, spare socks, and a towel. It was super useful when I was kayaking… however, the breathability while wearing it was horrible.  And the couple times I carried it on a hike on a rainy day because I thought it would be easier, made my back sweat something fierce. The straps were not comfortable for hikes that lasted longer than an hour or so. 

3 – Backpack with Rain Cover

I am an Osprey kind of girl. This backpack is a legit day bag. It holds enough snacks/water for a day hike and comes with a built-in rain cover. Because it’s lightweight, and has a decent amount of mesh, it’s easy to carry, and reduced the amount of sweating. However – is not waterproof.  So if you know you’re going to be doing some marine activities, I highly recommend getting some kind of dry bag for your valuables, even if it’s a small one. 

4 – Multiple Sneakers/Shoes

Flip flops are a given if you’re hitting up the beach. I also packed two pairs of sneakers. They get caked up, and soaked because of the non-stop humidity, so I switched them out every other day to let a pair dry out. 

5 – So Many Socks and Panties

If you know you’ll be wearing sandals for most of it, disregard the socks. But I used nearly double the amount of panties I normally do. I was just always in a weird state of sweaty from hiking combined with wet from the humid climate, I hated the swampass feeling.

Unique Packing Essentials:

6 – Packs of Dry and Dry

Dry and Dry is a hell of a helper. My suitcase weighed several pounds more going home because of all the moisture I had collected in Costa Rica. So I have now adopted Dry and Dry into my packing routine. I keep a handful of packets in my suitcase at all times to help reduce the moisture. And, I keep a couple in my shoes I’m not using. 

7 – RFID with Wired Cord Passport Holder/Wallet

Don’t be like me and leave it in your car thinking it’s fine. WEAR IT ALWAYS. It sits nice and flat under your clothes and is big enough to hold your passport, some cash, and credit cards. The wired cord helps prevent anyone from trying to cut it off of your person.

Yes – that happens. 

Petty theft is incredibly common in Costa Rica. The thieves are not looking to steal your identity or use your credit cards – or hurt you – they’re looking for cash and good, expensive shit to pawn and get cash for. And I know several people who’ve had their purses/bags cut from the bottom while riding public transportation. The thieves use gravity as a tool to steal stuff. 

8 – Space Bag for Dirty Clothes

Maybe you’re already a space bag user when traveling. But I think it’s useful to have this for high humid climates. Keep your dirty clothes separated from the clean ones because they’ll have a lot of moisture in them, it helps keep your clean clothes dry(er). And you can keep a few silica gel packets in the space bag to reduce the moisture you’re carrying around. 

9 – Hood for Lenses

Are you bringing the good photography equipment? A hood can help reduce, even prevent depending on the direction of the wind, water from hitting your lens. It’s super helpful to not have to constantly wipe it down. You can also keep the Dry & Dry in your camera bag!

10 – Microfiber, Sand-free Towel

I love this towel.  LOVE this towel. It dries so quickly, and the sand slides right off. It’s a big, big towel and doesn’t drag shit into my suitcase. 

11 – Eco-Friendly Sunblock

There are a few eco-friendly brands out there, I enjoy using Sunology. It’s been kind to my skin, prevented horrific burning, and doesn’t contribute to the destruction of the reefs. 

12 – WiFi

I cannot complain about the WiFi enough. If you know you’re going on vacation and plan on disconnecting from the world, continue on to the next part. But since being a digital nomad is my life, WiFi is super essential. Correction – GOOD Wifi is super essential. Most of the places I went to, hotels, restaurants, etc. the WiFi wasn’t meant for trying to backup high-res photos to Google. It’s meant for some light social media skimming, and checking an e-mail or two. I always carry my Skyroam, and recommend using it on your trip. 

The only place the WiFi didn’t suck was when I was in San Jose. 

Before we get into the safety tips, there’s some food-for-thought I’d like to provide:

I was robbed in Costa Rica, yes. And not only will I definitely visit again, I recommend it to others with the same gusto I recommend Iceland and Japan. It’s a beautiful place on this planet and the people are incredibly kind.

From an objective and realistic point of view, petty theft is a type of employment. This is a way that people support their families and feed their children. While this isn’t a justification for the behavior, it’s a pause for understanding. 

And when understanding this is a type of employment, it’s also important to look at this the way you’d look at a writer or fast-food manager. Some are really good at their jobs. 

Hoping petty theft won’t happen isn’t a prevention practice, it’s a type of ignorance. Costa Rica is magical and you’ll have a great time, but go in knowing the whole picture about the country.

I made the mistake thinking I’d be fine, and I wasn’t. 

Safety Tips:

I’m not going to tease about petty theft and my own personal robbery experience without providing information for your safety and theft-prevention tips.

Copy of your Passport 

Technically you should do this any time you leave the country, but in countries where petty theft is high, you should definitely have at least one copy, but I highly recommend two. Keep the copies separate from your actual passport. Keep one copy in your suitcase, and another in your shoe (or random spot on your person equivalent). 

Since my passport was stolen, I was incredibly lucky I had a copy. It made my miserable, expensive time at the US Embassy easier since they believed I am who I say I am. I’ve heard horror stories of citizens having to wait almost three weeks for their passport because they were waiting on family/friends to fax documents to all the correct places for them. Whereas having a copy of my passport got me a temporary replacement in about two hours. 

Keep stuff in your Shoe

Okay – it doesn’t necessarily have to be your shoe. Maybe your bra, or underwear…but you know what I mean. Something that would require you to be forcibly removed from the clothing on your body for someone to access. A ziplock baggie with some cash, a credit card, and a copy of your passport is really all you need. 

Keep a Fake Wallet Easily Accessible

Usually, thieves are after this:  The Wallet. Keep a fake one with an expired credit card, expired ID, and some cash. If a thief pickpockets this, they’ll see it looks real enough and won’t search further. They’re after the cash. It’s also useful to keep a fake wallet in underdeveloped countries for corrupt law enforcement “fining” you for something. 

If you Rent a Car…

Only park in lots that have security.  Do not leave anything in the car, even if you’re only gone for a couple minutes. 

Seriously… this is how all of my stuff got stolen!

I know budget is a factor for a lot of us when traveling, but if you’re able to, splurge for a ‘fancier’ car to make sure you’ll have a FOB and alarm on the car. If your rental only comes with a key, no auto locks, windows, etc. it’s much easier for someone to break into it. 

If you Don’t Rent a Car…

There is a lot of transportation to the more popular destinations throughout Costa Rica. Some hotels provide shuttles and there is a private shuttle service that can be hired and is reasonably priced. 

Public transportation is where most thefts occur. While I am a fan of public transportation, if you don’t want to stress too much while on your trip, it’s better to avoid it. 

If you want to Uber…

Uber is available in Costa Rica. However, at least at the time of visiting there and writing this, it’s in a Schroedinger’s state of legality. If you call an Uber, it’s safe! The handful of Ubers I used asked me to sit in the front seat. It’s so I didn’t look like a fare and they weren’t fined/pulled over.

Cab drivers are likely to try and overcharge you and I’ve heard stories about tourists’ suitcases held hostage until they paid the cab driver more money.

I hope these tips will make your trip easier, fantastically enjoyable, and help you stay safe!

Find more packing inspiration on the blog (<- link)!