Backpacking through Panama is an incredible experience, but eventually you will discover one unavoidable truth: Panama has water absolutely everywhere. It comes from the sky, runs down mountains, crosses hiking trails, hides in jungle puddles and occasionally appears precisely five seconds after you decided not to bring your rain jacket. You can leave your hostel beneath a perfectly blue sky and return looking like you accidentally walked through a swimming pool. Your backpack might survive. Your phone might survive. Your dignity is questionable. But your shoes? Your shoes are going to need a strategy.
The first rule of backpacking Panama is simple: don't expect to keep everything dry all the time. The goal isn't to defeat the tropical climate. Panama has been doing this weather thing considerably longer than you have. The goal is to manage moisture intelligently so that when your shoes inevitably get wet, they don't stay wet for the next three days. A wet shoe for an afternoon is annoying. A wet shoe that never gets properly dried becomes one of the great enemies of the backpacker.
The biggest mistake travellers make is bringing one pair of shoes and treating them like they are indestructible. Panama can take you from paved streets to muddy jungle trails, rocky waterfalls, wet grass, slippery paths and streams in the same day. Your footwear needs to be chosen around the trip you're actually taking. For many backpackers, a lightweight pair of trail shoes or hiking shoes combined with simple sandals or water friendly footwear gives you much more flexibility than carrying one enormous pair of heavy boots everywhere.
The Golden Rule: Let Your Shoes Dry Properly
Once your shoes get wet, the mission changes. You are no longer trying to keep them dry. You're trying to get them dry as quickly and safely as possible.
The best opportunity is usually when you arrive at your hostel. Take the shoes off. Remove the insoles if they come out. Open the laces as much as possible and give the shoes plenty of airflow. If you have access to a covered balcony, porch or other ventilated area, that's ideal.
Don't simply throw soaking wet shoes into the darkest corner of your backpack and hope Panama will solve the problem.
It won't.
Panama will probably add more water.
Your Backpack Should Have a Wet Zone
One of the smartest things you can do is separate wet equipment from everything else.
A lightweight waterproof dry bag or waterproof stuff sack can be incredibly useful for keeping wet socks, swimwear and other damp clothing away from your dry clothes. Even a sturdy waterproof bag can be helpful as a backup.
The important thing is to think of your backpack as having two worlds.
The dry world.
And the wet world.
Never let them meet unless absolutely necessary.
Because there is nothing quite like arriving at your hostel after a tropical downpour, opening your backpack and discovering that your supposedly dry shirt now smells like the inside of a rainforest.
Don't Put Wet Shoes in a Plastic Bag for Days
A waterproof bag is excellent for transporting wet footwear temporarily.
It is terrible as a long term drying system.
If you seal wet shoes inside plastic and leave them there, you've basically created a tiny tropical ecosystem.
Warmth plus moisture plus limited airflow is exactly what you don't want.
Get them out as soon as you can and let air circulate through them.
If they're soaked, remove the insoles and loosen everything. The more airflow you can create, the better.
Newspapers Are an Old Backpacker's Trick
If you find yourself with completely soaked shoes and access to some ordinary paper, stuffing loosely crumpled paper inside the shoes can help absorb moisture.
Change the paper once it becomes damp.
This works particularly well when you don't have access to fancy drying equipment.
But don't aggressively pack the shoes full. You want the material to absorb moisture while still allowing air to circulate.
Backpacking sometimes involves surprisingly low tech solutions.
Your expensive travel gear may fail.
A piece of paper from yesterday's newspaper may save the day.
Don't Cook Your Shoes
This sounds obvious.
It isn't.
People sometimes try to dry wet shoes by putting them directly against intense heat or using very hot air.
That's a bad idea.
Excessive heat can damage adhesives, synthetic materials and the shape of footwear.
If you're using a dryer, keep the heat gentle and maintain some distance. Better yet, use airflow and time whenever possible.
Panama is warm.
Let the climate work for you rather than trying to turn your shoes into toast.
Socks Are Your Secret Weapon
Your shoes might be important, but your socks are arguably even more important.
Carry several pairs of lightweight, quick drying hiking or travel socks rather than relying entirely on thick cotton socks.
Cotton absorbs moisture and tends to stay wet.
Quick drying synthetic or wool blend socks can be much easier to manage during a wet backpacking trip.
And don't underestimate the value of having one completely dry pair reserved for sleeping or relaxing.
After walking through rain all day, putting on dry socks can feel like a luxury resort.
Suddenly the hostel bunk looks like a five star hotel.
Panama's Rain Can Be Sneaky
One of the most annoying things about tropical rain is that it doesn't always arrive dramatically.
Sometimes you get an enormous downpour and there is absolutely no confusion about what is happening.
Other times you get light rain, wet vegetation, mist, puddles and damp trails that slowly soak everything.
This is particularly relevant in cloud forest environments.
The weather can change quickly, and vegetation can remain wet long after the rain has stopped.
You can walk beneath dripping leaves for an hour without experiencing an actual downpour and still end up with completely wet footwear.
That's why waterproofing isn't only about rain falling from the sky.
Sometimes the jungle itself is wet.
Waterproof Shoes: Yes or No?
This is where backpackers can get into an interesting debate.
Waterproof footwear sounds perfect.
And sometimes it is.
But in hot tropical environments, waterproof shoes can have a major disadvantage: once water gets inside, it can take a long time to get back out.
If you step into a stream that goes over the top of your waterproof shoe, congratulations. You have just converted your waterproof footwear into a small aquarium.
For some trips, breathable non waterproof trail shoes can actually be more practical because water can escape more easily and the shoes dry faster.
There isn't one perfect choice for every Panama itinerary.
If you're mainly hiking in cooler mountain environments and dealing with rain, waterproof footwear can be useful.
If you're crossing streams, walking through wet jungle and regularly getting your feet wet, quick drying footwear may make more sense.
Sometimes the Best Shoe Is a Water Shoe
For certain adventures, particularly around waterfalls, rivers and beaches, lightweight water friendly footwear can be incredibly useful.
You don't necessarily need to force your normal hiking shoes to do everything.
Having a second option that can get wet without becoming a disaster can make life much easier.
This is particularly useful when you're travelling somewhere where swimming and hiking are happening on the same day.
Panama has plenty of those places.
You might hike to a waterfall, swim in a pool and then continue exploring.
That's when footwear versatility becomes your friend.
Protect the Inside of Your Backpack
Your shoes aren't the only thing that need protection.
If you're hiking in Panama during the rainy season, consider keeping important items inside waterproof bags or dry sacks within your backpack.
Your passport, electronics, power bank, camera equipment and other moisture sensitive items deserve their own protection.
A backpack rain cover is useful, but remember that water can still enter from openings and from your own movements.
For important electronics and documents, an additional waterproof layer is cheap insurance.
The Backpacker's Emergency Drying System
When everything goes wrong, you can create a simple drying station.
Take your shoes off.
Remove the insoles.
Loosen the laces.
Shake out excess water.
Use paper to absorb moisture from inside.
Put the shoes somewhere sheltered with maximum airflow.
Position them so air can move through the opening.
Rotate them occasionally.
Replace damp paper.
And then leave them alone.
The temptation is to keep checking them every ten minutes.
Don't.
They're shoes.
They don't respond well to pressure.
And Whatever You Do, Don't Forget the Sand
Panama's Caribbean beaches have another enemy.
Sand.
It gets everywhere.
Inside shoes.
Inside socks.
Inside backpacks.
Inside clothes.
Somehow, it will probably end up in your bed.
If your shoes get sandy, rinse them with clean water when practical and let them dry completely. Sand can become abrasive and uncomfortable when trapped inside footwear, especially during long hikes.
Your feet will thank you.
The Real Secret Is Having Options
The best Panama backpackers aren't necessarily the people with the most expensive equipment.
They're the people who understand that different environments require different solutions.
A good pair of hiking shoes for trails.
A lightweight secondary pair for wet environments or casual use.
Several pairs of quick drying socks.
A waterproof bag for important belongings.
A backpack rain cover.
And somewhere to separate wet things from dry things.
That's enough to make a massive difference.
Because Panama isn't a country where you need to fight the rain.
You need to work with it.
Accept that some days your shoes are going to get wet. Accept that jungle trails are going to be muddy. Accept that a cloud forest is, by definition, not particularly interested in keeping your clothes dry.
The trick is making sure that tomorrow's shoes aren't still wet from yesterday.
And perhaps that's the ultimate Panama backpacking philosophy.
Don't try to stay completely dry.
Just make sure you have something dry waiting for you when you get there.
Because sooner or later, you're going to step into that puddle.
Everyone does.
The experienced backpacker simply laughs, keeps walking and thinks:
"Well, at least my other socks are dry."