What Survive! should I bring to Costa Rica?

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supertac916

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I'm heading to Costa Rica next month on a family vacation. Our first time going and we plan to do some hiking and checking out the rainforests, along with some sight seeing excursions. I always bring a emergency kit with me just in case, which includes first aid kit, compass, water filtration, mylar blankets, headlamp, fishing kit, various fire starters, and of course a knife. Researching knife laws out there they seem pretty lax and suggestions say to buy a cheap machete from the locals out there, which I will probably do, if we decide to go on some hikes. Ideally, we'll have guided hikes, but I'm not sure yet.

I want to bring a knife with me for just in case. Of course, I have many other knives but figured what better knife than a Survive! I'm leaning towards the GSO 4.1, but have 3.5's, 5, and a 5.1 as well. What would you guys recommend to bring? Also, have any of you been to Costa Rica?

Thanks!
 
Hmmmm. I might take one of the 3.5s. If it gets lost or confiscated, you still have a backup at home. A 3.5 + local machete would be a good combo.
 
Riz2530 said:
Hmmmm. I might take one of the 3.5s. If it gets lost or confiscated, you still have a backup at home. A 3.5 + local machete would be a good combo.
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I was leaning towards the 3.5 or a 4.1 because I have multiples in the event it gets confiscated for whatever reason. I have two 3.5's and three 4.1's, if that makes a difference :) I also want to do some testing while I'm out there too and I'll be sure to take pics :)
 
ncrockclimb said:
I was in Costa Rica a few years ago. It was awesome. I hope you have a great time.
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Thanks!! We're really looking forward to it and have heard great things about Costa Rica. I heard you can pickup some cheap locally made machete's there that they use for everything.
 
I wouldn't take any. The TSA and Customs workers are a bunch a thieves that pocket anything they want.
 
Standard78 said:
I wouldn't take any. The TSA and Customs workers are a bunch a thieves that pocket anything they want.
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Come on Standard, don't hold back, tell us how you really feel :p

That is quite a paradox. I don't have any experience with blades on a plane (checked luggage of course). I was thinking 4.1 would be a good size and I really like the local machete idea, but could there be a risk with taking your favorite knife out of the country? Maybe take a Schrade instead just to be safe :p
 
We have brought local made machetes into the US many times purchased in Mexico, El Salvador, Grenada, etc... So that has never been a problem. And I have not heard of hunters flying knives, being a problem.. Show us the pics when you return
 
Silver Needle said:
Come on Standard, don't hold back, tell us how you really feel :p

That is quite a paradox. I don't have any experience with blades on a plane (checked luggage of course). I was thinking 4.1 would be a good size and I really like the local machete idea, but could there be a risk with taking your favorite knife out of the country? Maybe take a Schrade instead just to be safe :p
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Haha I don't hold back! I have more respect for Mall cops than I do for TSA morons.
I've had two separate customers go there and they came back missing items. One of them had I high end camera stolen and the other lost a complete MAC makeup kit.
After hearing that, I would only take something that won't kill the pocketbook if it "disappears".
 
For many years, my philosophy when traveling has been not to pack anything I don't want to lose into checked baggage. If it is valuable and I cannot carry it on, I don't take it. I used to travel domestically and internationally by air A LOT. I once had over 100K miles of air travel in a single year, and my experience is that there are many thieves in TSA and baggage handling in the US. I am not certain about this, but I am going to assume that the staff at Liberia or San Jose are not any better.

So, if I were in your shoes, I would buy a nice $20 Mora in the US for the trip, buy a cool machete in Costa Rica, and hope that nothing gets lost in transit.

All this aside, I hope you have a blast. I spent two weeks in the Guanacaste region and it was spectacular. I have a ton of great memories from that trip, but one of the things that stands out as I type this is a zip line tour that I did there. We took a tram a LONG way up to the top of a mountain in the Arenal area, then spent well over 3 hours "zipping" in and out of the jungle and across some massive canyons. I usually do not get too excited about "extreme" adventures like zip lines. However, this experience was truly something special and I would recommend it to you if you get the chance.

Again, best wishes for a safe and fun trip! Post some pics here when you get back.
 
Definitely going to try the zipping because I heard they're well known for that. After a few threads I'm thinking I'll bring something easily replaceable. Although, I'd love to bring a Survive! it seems no one trusts the TSA and customs. I'd hate to not even get to use the knife because some sticky finger employee decides he's been waiting months for his :) I will post some pics after we get back. Thanks!!
 
RiverRunner said:
Yes… keep them at home. Bring a few Mora throw aways along…. give them to the local when you leave.
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That is actually an awesome idea. You will probably have a guide of some sort during the trip. Pack a few Moras ($10 - $15 each), use them then give them to your guide. Buy a machete there and (hopefully) bring it home as a souvenir. To me, this sounds like the best solution yet.
 
+1 I agree with Standard, you could lose your S!. Get a mora high carbon knife. They have one that's about the size of a 4.1. They are great cheap knives that are about $15 to $20 delivered. - EDIT - I just noticed the above post....so +1 to that one too, good suggestion as well

Or you can ship, with insurance, your S! to your hotel and ship it home. If you do that I would bring the 5.1, you might want a knife with a bit more power and leverage than the 4.1.
 
if you know people who lived there i would say to ship it but that dont sound likely just buy a knife and machete there
 
OBX351 said:
+1 I agree with Standard, you could lose your S!. Get a mora high carbon knife. They have one that's about the size of a 4.1. They are great cheap knives that are about $15 to $20 delivered. - EDIT - I just noticed the above post....so +1 to that one too, good suggestion as well

Or you can ship, with insurance, your S! to your hotel and ship it home. If you do that I would bring the 5.1, you might want a knife with a bit more power and leverage than the 4.1.
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No there's a good idea! The shipping costs will probably cost more than a Mora, but you'll be able to have exactly what you want out there without having to deal with sticky fingered people.
 
Bring the 3.5 and keep an eye out for a local 'chete, I brought that and the gso 10 on my last jungle trip
 
I assume the worst will always happen when going through security...true story I had my bag dumped due to my little brass flashlight looking suspicious on the xray and them not believing me when i told them it was in the outside pocket on my duffle (spoilers...it was) I would do whatever you are comfortable with, it sucks to have nice knives and not use them, but also sucks to lose them due to security...:confused:
 
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