Please bring all Required Clothing & Gear

You are welcome to bring extras of the items marked with a plus (+) sign. Where a range of quantities is indicated, e.g., “1-2” bring the smaller quantity if you are on a one-week course, and the larger quantity if your course is 10 days or longer. There are multiple brand name options available at varying prices. The clothing and equipment on this list is widely available in many places. Specialty outdoor stores like  L.L.Bean, REI, Campmorand  Eastern Mountain Sportswill have a range of appropriate items to choose from. Discount retailers, like Sierra Trading Postand the REI Garage often have good prices on name-brand gear and clothing. You may also locate many first- quality clothing and equipment items at military surplus stores and area consignment stores and thrift stores, such as Goodwilland The Salvation Army. 

The HIOBS website has some great items. A complete collection of HIOBS-recommended-for-course items can be found HERE. Please contact your course advisor for suggestions.

Sizing & Layering

Packing several light layers rather than fewer heavier layers allows you more flexibility as the weather and workloads change. Inner layers should fit closely, middle layers should fit loosely and outer layers should be just a little bit baggy. When shopping or packing, it is a good idea to try on your layers together.

Packing

Before your expedition, your instructors will check your gear; they will assess your clothing with the actual route and the anticipated weather in mind. Items you don’t take on expedition will be stored safely at base. We suggest leaving the tags on any items you purchase in case you don’t actually pack them for expedition, but please note that you should check with each store to see what their return policies are.  If there are items that you would like to bring but which are not mentioned on this list, feel free to call and ask your course advisor at 855-802-0307.

Tick- and Mosquito-Borne (Arboviral) Diseases

Tick- and mosquito-borne diseases are an increasing risk of traveling in the wild regions of the Americas, including our course areas in Maine, New Hampshire, Florida, the Bahamas, and Costa Rica. Fortunately, there are prevention steps that are very effective and, in most cases, treatment is relatively simple and recovery complete, so long as the diagnosis is made early. Students and their families should educate themselves on the risks, prevention measures, and signs and symptoms of tick-borne illnesses. 

Since prevention is always better than treatment, we STRONGLY recommend pre-treating your footwear, long pants, long-sleeve shirts, jackets and hats with a chemical barrier containing permethrin, at least two days before traveling to your course. Applied correctly and allowed to dry before wearing, the treatment remains effective for up to a month. For even longer-lasting protection, you can either purchase clothing with permethrin embedded within it, or send your clothes to Insect Shield®, who will treat them and ship them back to you, ready for your course. Use the Coupon Code “HIOBS” to receive a 15% discount on both clothing and treatment services at this website (please note that you need to use the coupon separately for products/ service).

Permethrin spray is readily available at many retailers, including Dick's Sporting Goods, Campmor, and Walgreen's.

For more information, please download our Vector-Borne Disease General Fact Sheet.

Costa Rica & Panama are located very close to the equator, but at elevation at our rainforest base. That means that temperatures will vary from the 50's to 90's farhrenheit. During the day it will be hot, sunny, buggy, with a rain shower or two. Once night falls, temperatures will drop and you WILL get chilly.

In both Costa Rica & Panama you will experience rain. The areas that you will visit are near or on water, which can be warm, wet, a little buggy, yet extremely beautiful.

The "summer" (aka dry season) goes from December to April, and "winter" (aka the rainy season) goes from May to November.

Bringing the required clothing on your course is crucial to being prepared for ALL the weather conditions you may encounter. On expedition, you carry a lot less than when you travel in the regular world. The clothing on this list is designed to keep you warm if it is cold or wet and be flexible enough to allow you to pack away items if it is hot. Please bring everything on the list.

Tops

• 3-5 Comfortable Sports Bras
• 5 Non-Cotton T-Shirts/Tank Tops: non cotton and fast-drying fabric highly preferable
• 4 Cotton T-Shirts/Tank Tops: Comfortable for dry days and sleepwear. Be sure to bring shirts you don’t mind getting dirty
• 1 Synthetic Sun Shirt
• 2-3 Long Sleeve Shirts: One of these MUST be BLACK for sea turtle conservation work. The coast will also be breezy
• 1-2 Rash guards: This is a tight-fitting shirt usually made of polypropylene; for temperature and skin protection
• 1 Rain Jacket and Poncho: lightweight, waterproof/breathable with a hood. You will get rained on. Rain gear can make or break your trip.

Bottoms

• 7 pairs Underwear: synthetic, non-cotton preferred
• 2 pairs Loose-fitting Long Pants: One of these MUST be BLACK for sea turtle conservation work. Think elephant pants! A loose fitting pajama-like pant provides great protection against mosquitos at night and won’t be too hot in a warmer climate either
• 4-5 pairs Shorts: lightweight, fast drying and/or non-cotton is preferable
• 1 pair Rain Pants: lightweight, waterproof/breathable.

Head, Hands, Feet

• 1 pair Adventure Strap Sandals: brands like Chacos, Tevas, or Keens are great for water exposure and must have a secure strap on the back. These sandals are perfect for the warmer climate in Panama.
• 1 pair Running or Tennis Shoes
• 1-2 pairs Regular Socks
• 1-2 pairs LONG Socks: MUST be long for great protection against mosquitos in evenings
• 1 Baseball Cap or Wide-Brimmed Hat: for sun protection
• 1 pair 3mm Scuba Booties/Socks or Thick Socks: these will protect your feet from coral and sea urchins in the water as well as to provide the best comfort when wearing fins.

Additional Clothing

• 1 outfit Travel Clothes: keep these at our base for a clean fly-out outfit
• 2-3 sets Pajamas: one set of warm weather pajamas (i.e. t-shirt and shorts); and one set of cold weather pajamas (i.e. long underwear top and bottom)
• 1 VERY COZY Outfit: Cozy and comfortable clothes are NECESSARY at our cool base in the evenings. We recommend a warm fleece jacket, fleece pants, and fuzzy socks. Jacket and pants can also be another warm synthetic fabric.
• 2-3 Swimsuits: At least one swimsuit should be a sports style suit. Either one or two piece suits work.
• 1 Skirt, Sarong, or Sundress: to wear over your swimsuit

Personal Items

• 3 N95 or KN95 Masks: to wear in the airport and airplane as it provides the most protection to you and your group
• Antibacterial Hand Sanitizer
• Toothbrush & Toothpaste
• Brush/Comb & Extra Hair Ties
• Soap, Shampoo/Conditioner: it is preferable for these products to be biodegradable, but not required
• Deodorant & Shaving Razor(s)
• 1-2 bottles Waterproof Sunscreen: 1 bottle Reef Safe, other can be regular. SPF 30 or higher – sports SPF 50 stays best during water activities and/or Zinc oxide sun protection.
• 2 bottles Insect Repellent: at least one with DEET and one without
• Menstrual Products: disposable or reusable products. Bring a good supply even if you do not expect to need them.
• Chapstick or Lip Balm
• Aloe Vera Gel
• Waterproof/Resistant Watch with an Alarm
• Free-Standing Mosquito Net: is ESSENTIAL to provide an extra layer of comfort against mosquitos at night
• Compact Travel Pillow
• 1-2 Bandanas
• 2 Water Bottles (1-liter): wide-mouth and plastic, like Nalgene, Camelback, Contigo, etc.
• 1 Small Carabiner: for securing your water bottle to your day bag
• 1 Whistle: Micro Fox 40, non-cork ball. In case you need to call for help in emergency situations
• Journal/Notebook and Extra Pens
• 2 Dry Bags: one 6-8 liter and one small size
• Book Bag or Day Pack: we will provide a large duffle bag to carry all your belongings, but for days at the beach you may want your own smaller bag. This can also be used as your carry-on during flights
• 1 pair Sunglasses
• 1 Headlamp with Red Light Setting: flashlights are not acceptable. You will use your “hands-free” headlamp every night. You MUST have a red light setting on the headlamp for the sea turtle projects, as the white light will confuse the turtles.
• Batteries for Headlamp: 1 set per week of course, plus one extra set.
• 1 Quick-Dry Pack Towel: full sized
• 5 Ziplock Bags
• 1 Lifestraw Personal Water Filter: water is safe to drink at your course locations. However, we recommend a Lifestraw filter as an extra layer of protection.
• Anti-Itch Cream: for relief against bug bites
• “Swimmer’s Ear" Treatment: a bottle of Swimmer’s Ear or another antibiotic drops for the ocean
• 2 sets Prescription Medications (if needed): MUST be in original containers. BRING TWO SETS. The extra set is just in case the medication gets lost or damaged. You must inform Admissions before course of all prescription medication you plan to bring on course.
• Glasses/Contacts (if needed): make sure to have a hard case for your glasses, and enough contacts for the course plus extras
• Passport + photocopy of passport
• Copy of your Return Flight Itinerary: you will need to show proof of exit within 90 days of entering Costa Rica
• Paperwork: Bring insurance documents and any important emergency phone numbers
• Money: it is highly recommended to bring at least $200 USD (in bills smaller and/or equal to $20 that are NOT ripped) for luggage cost and personal purchases. It is also highly recommended (but not required) to bring a credit card in case of medical emergencies. You will not need to carry money with you on expedition, but you will have access to it at our merch store and at the BIG airport souvenir shop.

Optional Clothing & Gear

These are NOT required items. Please only buy them if you plan to use them outside of your course.

• 1 pair Flip Flops
• Camera with extra batteries: waterproof recommended if you have one.
• Solar Charger: for camera
• Biodegradable soap: If you choose to pack lighter this is a great item to have for giving your dirty clothes a quick wash and hanging them on our course clothes line to dry
• 1 small ziplock full Baby Wipes
• Inflatable Sleeping Pad: twin-sized
• Secure Straps (“Croakies”): to not lose your sunglasses or glasses
• Compact Umbrella
• Compact Hammock with straps: Eno-style for use in Panama or at the base
• Moisturizing Lotion
• Long Underwear Layer
• Ear Plugs: to sleep soundly or if you are prone to ear infections
• Triamcinolone Bite Cream: Recommended – this is a prescription topical steroid cream used on mosquito bites and it works WONDERS to prevent itching and avoiding potential bacterial infections due to over itching
• Spanish-English Dictionary
• Deck of Cards / UNO
• Plenty of Snacks: We HIGHLY RECOMMEND bringing plenty of extra dry snacks from home that you love. For those with several food allergies/dietary restrictions or who are picky eaters, this is STRONGLY recommended. Even though we have snacks, participants have always loved having dry food comforts from home.

Please note that Outward Bound provides all other equipment, including (but not limited to):

• sleeping bags & pads
• backpacks or duffel bags
• dry bags
• lifejacket (Personal Flotation Device)
• food (meals + snacks)