As has become a bit of a custom, and because people have been asking, here’s what I’m packing while in Costa Rica for 2 and a half months.

Bag one is an Arc’teryx Cierzo 35 L daypack. The bag is fairly light, expands to hold a fair bit, and still compresses down when only partially full. The shoulder and waist straps are fairly minimal, but since I don’t ever plan on having the bag full to bursting, or carrying it long distances with full loads, I’m not overly concerned about that. At any given time, the pack is typically 2/3 full. I’ve already had a few people I’ve met down here give me incredulous looks and ask if this was everything I had with me, and the best answer I have is that you don’t realize what you don’t need until you try leaving it behind. I rarely miss the things I’ve left at home, and on the rare occasion I think I need something else, I buy it on the road.

Bag two is a DaKine 6’5″ surfboard bag. Although my pack is never quite full, I do have a full sized towel that lives in the board bag during transit. I also have a hooded sweatshirt that I wore when I left and on the plane, and since it’s a bit bulky, I’ve been stashing it in the board bag as well.

To see a list of gear, expand the section below…

* note that I only wear the boxers with my pants, which I haven’t put on since I got off the plane. I also almost never wear shoes, so am not wearing the socks often either.