Gear

OBCR Staffers’ Favorite Kicks: Shoe Review

It’s been well established that we here at Outward Bound Costa Rica love our gear. Recently it seems we can’t stop talking about our favorite shoes. Check out some of the staff’s favorite kicks below.

Links We Like: September 7, 2012

Ever since the Marketing Office’s weekend trek through the Piedras Blancas region we have been thinking an awful lot about backpacking gear. What rain jacket would keep me the driest hiking through a torrential downpour? What hiking boot is both durable and lightweight? How can I bring the right amount of equipment without being weighed down? Let’s start there with this [...]

Keep the Lights On

One of the most important pieces of equipment we suggest here at Outward Bound Costa Rica is the headlamp. We often tell students to be sure to bring one of these handy bits of gear, not only because of its convenience, but also because it gets dark around 5:30, and you will simply need a light for a good part of the [...]

The Greenjackets are Coming!

The river team here at Outward Bound Costa Rica recently took delivery of several shiny new Greenjackets from Astral Buoyancy. These versatile rescue jackets are made to work and offer a phenomenal array of features that any serious boater needs to have. Some of the features we like the most include the incredible range of motion and the plethora of options [...]

The MHM Pack Takes in the Sights

Since taking delivery of the MHM pack, the most difficult issue we have been dealing with is keeping everyone calm until it is their turn to use it. This was certainly the case for Communications Director Jeff, who was immediatly off to do some backpacking in Nicaragua once it was his turn in the rotation. First [...]

Costa Rica OB Takes Delivery of MHM Pack

Gear is certainly on our minds, as almost any task we work to accomplish involves it. Always on the lookout for the best tools, staff and students alike are often constantly on the hunt for the best tools we can find. Once such tool we have been looking at with great interest is the product [...]

Gear, Gear and more Gear

Being in both the outdoor industry and having an internet connection often leads many in the marketing and programming offices to salivate over the newest and coolest outdoor gear. Today’s post is thus aimed at sharing some of the cool new toys that we are thinking can make our time here more enjoyable, as well as potentially be helpful [...]

The Gear Test Continues!

The gear test of our new North Tek Gear tents continues with a 3-day trip to the Rio General. Testing the tents abilities in a hot and sandy environment, the staff were excited to see how the tents would perform. Night 1 Our first evening on the riverside was a campsite mostly covered in tallish [...]

Tent Update!

Our second installment of the North Tek Gear review is here! The group just returned from Nicaragua and had a lot of great things to say. Let’s break them out here… Positives: The tent was very dry, even with the rainy season being in full swing. This is a good result of the rain shell being [...]

New Gear for Outward Bound Costa Rica!

Having good equipment is an important part of having a good time in the outdoors. Nobody wants to have a trip ruined by malfunctioning or poorly designed gear. At Outward Bound Costa Rica we are always on the hunt for tools that work well in the often extreme environment of the tropics, while also handling [...]

We Recycle!

Outward Bound Costa Rica has a lot of awesome equipment that we use throughout the year. These tools of the trade include backpacks, tents, surfboards, rafts, kayaks and much more. You name it, we probably have it! The thing is our various types of gear often have hard lives and eventually find themselves no longer [...]

Geeking Out on Gear

As some might already be aware, Outdoor Retailer recently hosted its 2011 Summer Market event featuring sneak peeks of some of the best outdoor gear in the industry, open air demos and over 1,000 retailers in attendance. There are a couple of us here at Outward Bound Costa Rica that can get rather excited for [...]

Top 5 sites for discounted outdoor gear

Every so often we get phone calls or emails from students and parents looking for suggestions about where to buy outdoor gear before arriving in Costa Rica. As an organization that lives and works in the outdoors, we too like to find good deals on new equipment, which is why we often direct people to [...]

The Outdoor Retailer Show and why we’re excited about it

Much to our dismay, we often miss out on what’s happening in the outdoor world. And while Costa Rica has its fair share of adventuristas, our geographic location limits the number of outdoor conferences and events we get to attend. If a private jet was parked outside our office, however, our calendar would be marked [...]

PACKING LIST – WATER & WAVE SEMESTER

This is a list of what our instructors deem as fundamental gear for your course. Feel free to bring items that are not on this list, but please keep in mind that you will be responsible for your personal belongings. Do not bring more than you think you will be able to carry. Prior to [...]

PACKING LIST – ADULT SURF GETAWAY

Stylish Surfers This Season

The next time you are on the beaches of Costa Rica and are astounded by the fashion sense of a group of surfers in their light and dark blue matching rash guards, you might be surprised to know it’s a pack of Outward Bound Costa Rica surf students. That’s right – we have our very [...]

Packing List: Rash Guard

For most students coming on a course that includes surfing, they become quite perplexed after reading the item “rash guards” on their packing lists. We’re here to help you put that confusion to rest. Rash guards help protect your skin from surfboard rashes (caused by popping up on a surfboard over and over) and strong [...]

Celebrating the Arrival of Equipment

Out with the old, and in with the shiny rafts, brilliant yellow z-rests, and stain-free backpacks. We thought we would involve you in our celebration, seeing as though the process in acquiring new equipment is far from easy, as we are located out in the rainforests of Costa Rica. What takes so long? It is [...]

Packing List: FAQs

Last updated: April 8, 2010 The packing lists provide the “bare bones” of what our students need to bring, but it is easy to get lost when trying to decide on types, brands, sizes, etc. of each item. In order to make packing easier for incoming students, we have started compiling the questions receive via [...]