Reply Submitted by TravelCenturian on Wed, 08/10/2011 - 09:48
The advice I got before my trip was to buy some rubber boots the moment I arrived, which I did and wore them every single day. I just went to a shoe store and bought some - about $11 then, but getting some better fitting Wellingtons on ebay that you can try out at home and are not too heavy for packing is a good suggestion too. I brought a pancho and found it way to hot when it rained. Most locals just used an umbrella - small portable one that they kept in purse or pocket and that worked fine.
The rains mainly came up in the afternoon and could be very intense, so the mornings were delightful and the air was so fresh after the afternoon rains that the whole weather thing became part of the Costa Rica experience.
Just a dazzling country and I did go during its raining season. Other friends however ended up with solid rain and not these wonderful intense afternoon showers that I experienced. Nothing ever really got dry so plan on that too. There are drier parts of the country like up north and to the west that I thought first sounded uninteresting since they called them the Dry Rainforest, but they were the most interesting because they had a much lower and open canopy and you could see all the animals so much better than in the far more dense and tall closed rain forest canopy.
Reply Submitted by Wanda on Thu, 08/11/2011 - 11:09
While I cannot address raingear specifically for Costa Rica or Guatemala, I have found my Foot Joy golf rainsuit useful for rainy weather in nearly any rainy climate. With it, I can layer under based upon my needs. So, if you're a golfer, you might already have raingear. I also carry a lightweight plastic poncho in my daypack for surprise rains.
Bring or buy rain boots
The advice I got before my trip was to buy some rubber boots the moment I arrived, which I did and wore them every single day. I just went to a shoe store and bought some - about $11 then, but getting some better fitting Wellingtons on ebay that you can try out at home and are not too heavy for packing is a good suggestion too. I brought a pancho and found it way to hot when it rained. Most locals just used an umbrella - small portable one that they kept in purse or pocket and that worked fine.
The rains mainly came up in the afternoon and could be very intense, so the mornings were delightful and the air was so fresh after the afternoon rains that the whole weather thing became part of the Costa Rica experience.
Just a dazzling country and I did go during its raining season. Other friends however ended up with solid rain and not these wonderful intense afternoon showers that I experienced. Nothing ever really got dry so plan on that too. There are drier parts of the country like up north and to the west that I thought first sounded uninteresting since they called them the Dry Rainforest, but they were the most interesting because they had a much lower and open canopy and you could see all the animals so much better than in the far more dense and tall closed rain forest canopy.
Try golf rainsuit
While I cannot address raingear specifically for Costa Rica or Guatemala, I have found my Foot Joy golf rainsuit useful for rainy weather in nearly any rainy climate. With it, I can layer under based upon my needs. So, if you're a golfer, you might already have raingear. I also carry a lightweight plastic poncho in my daypack for surprise rains.