For the next three months I will be living out of my bright green Gregory Pack Jade backpack while traveling through the ever-so tropical Southeast Asia– and until just now, I did not believe it would be able to fit all of my essential belongings into my backpack. It is no easy task deciding what to pack or leave out when you’ve decided to limit your load to one bag for such a long and adventurous journey. Lucky for me, the climate and weather are pretty predictable for Southeast Asia: hot and humid. Knowing the temperature and climate of Asia, I have a good idea of what clothing items I will leave out and what I need to bring.
Southeast Asia is in a tropical zone so I know that I’m going to drip sweat the second I land in Bangkok. For that reason, the key is to pack light and airy. No heavy jackets, no jeans that will cling onto me like a second layer of skin, no boots, no sweaters. I also don’t plan to spend much time in major cities so I left out dressy shoes like heels and wedges because I can always buy a cheap pair while I’m there if I decide that I need one.
There are several items that I don’t need to pack because I can always purchase it while I am traveling and that goes for toiletry, shirts, shoes, jackets. However, I still believe I packed everything I could possibly need. When I arrive in Bangkok I plant to buy a cheap pair of flip-flops for the beach and hostels, but for the most part, I will wear my sandals. What is not pictured is what I will be wearing on the airplane, which are yoga pants, a sweatshirt and a pair of converse which is likely what I will end up wearing on long bus and train rides. When backpacking it’s important to dress simply and comfortably.
What I packed for three months in Southeast Asia:
- 2 Swimsuits
- 2 sports bras and 1 regular bra
- 7 Pairs of underwear
- 4 Shorts (2 light and airy + 2 jeans)
- 2 Yoga pants/legging
- 1 Running shorts
- 5 Tank tops
- 2 T-shirts
- 4 dresses
- 1 pair running shoes
- 1 pair sandals
- Toiletry bag (includes makeup, hair products, feminine products)
- 4 pairs of socks
- 1 Sarong (to use as towel or shawl)
- Laptop + charger
- Camera + 2 lens
Packing light and only the essentials is the number one priority for me and of course what others consider to be essential will be different than what I do. At the end of the day, the less weight that I have to carry on my back, the better I will feel. If there is something that I did leave out of my bag, I can always purchase it while I am there for probably much less than what I will pay in the US.
If you would like to follow my adventure in SE Asia, you can follow me on Instagram @adriftanywhere_travelblog or by looking up #adriftanywhereinSEA
Post Southeast Asia Trip
What I Would’ve Left Behind
Looking back I would have left out my running shoes. They took up a lot of space in my backpack and something like Keds or Tom’s is enough for times you want to wear closed toed shoes. I went for a couple of runs and did use the treadmill at my hotels, but honestly, it was too hot to go for a run. I definitely think fewer tops would be okay: 3 tank tops and 1 t-shirt for everyday wear and 1 versatile dress.
One pair of running shorts, 1 pair of loose airy shorts and when you get there you can buy a pair of hippy pants which are light and airy for about $2. They have them everywhere! Getting laundry is done extremely cheap, they charge by weight for about $1/kilo. My backpack was really light considering I brought everything that is in the photo above, but I could have packed even lighter for sure.
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What you are packing looks pretty light to me. Good job! Looking forward to seeing your trip posts! I <3 SEA and want to go back some day.Have fun!
Tracie, I feel like it’s too light yet it’s feeling a bit heavy just with those few things! I’m really excited for this. I’ll definitely be posting to instagram, probably way too much 😀
Yeah, I bet the laptop weighs it down quite a bit. What made mine heavy was my camera and two lenses, but I didn’t have a laptop at the time. There are tons of internet cafes everywhere, and you can burn discs to save photos, but that might be an old school way of doing things. 🙂 I’ll be watching on Instagram!
I’m going to Laos too! I just got into Bangkok last night from Portland actually and so far its been pretty good! I brought two lens for my canon which are heavy, but I think I would have been regretful to not bring them. If you have any tips or advice about any of these places, I would love to have them. Tomorrow I’m going to the floating market so I am looking forward to taking photos there 😀
I didn’t do much in Bangkok, but I regret not going to the floating market! I wish I had paid more attention to hostel/business names when I was in SEA, but I didn’t at that time. I only have photos of places NOT to stay if you want to avoid spiders in certain places. 😉
PS: are you going to Laos? I hope so! 🙂
Laundry is also exceptionally cheap, so if you really wanted, you could cull an outfit or 2 if you needed! Hope you have a sensational time, it is a beautiful, vibrant part of the world!
That’s what I’ve heard! & Thank you! I am looking forward to melting into the vibrancy of the culture, the land and the food!
Im going to SEA this summer and am so excited! Was there anything you wish you had or that you packed that you felt like you didn’t end up needing?
-Becca
Hi Becca! Good question and I should probably have a follow up post specifically about that. Looking back I would have left out my running shoes (they took up a lot of space in my backpack and something like Keds or Tom’s is enough for times you want to wear closed toed shoe) and honestly it was too hot to go for a run. I definitely think less tops would be okay, just 3 tank tops and 1 t shirt for everyday wear and 1 dress. Take one pair of running shorts, 1 pair of loose airy shorts and when you get there you can buy a pair of hippy pants which are light and airy for about $2. They have them everywhere! Getting laundry is done extremely cheap, they do it by weight for about $1/kilo. My backpack was really light considering I brought everything that is in the photo above, but I could have packed even lighter for sure. I hope this helps!! I’m sure you will have an amazing time there!
Hi Susan! Any updates to your packing list for this trip? I saw your reply to Becca, but I would love to hear if you had any more ideas on how you would change your packing list for this trip. I’m also doing a three month adventure in Southeast Asia soon- thank you!
Hi Jenna, thank you for your question! I’m sure you are so excited for your trip! Are you going to be doing a similar trip/same countries? If you tag us on your pics I’d love you see them.
So I think in addition to what I mentioned to Becca, I would have left out bringing my DSLR, but I do love the photos I was able to take. I think now I would rather have taken a smaller and more compact camera that is just as good like a Sony A6000. DSLRs are heavy and did weigh me down a bit. I was also limited as to where I felt comfortable taking the camera just because it looks expensive and didn’t want to feel or look vulnerable. I needed to bring my laptop with me so that I can work, but if you don’t need it, don’t bring it! It’s such a headache to deal with.
I didn’t have a huge issue with this, but I wish I brought my own medicine for stomach bugs. There was a span of 4 days where I had painful stomach aches from food poisoning and I wasn’t in an area where so many tourists were so I had a hard time asking for the right meds and I remember standing in a pharmacy wanting to die while trying to flip through a dictionary to explain what I needed. So I suggest packing some imodium or peptobismol with you just in case!
In truth, even if you feel like you need to pack more of this or that, you can purchase anything you need while you are there for very cheap, whether it’s new underwear, swimsuit, a jacket or sunglasses.
I hope this helps guide you a bit more!
Thank you Susan! This was super helpful! I appreciate you taking the time to reply. I will definitely be posting photos on instagram (Jennadactyl)! I’ll find you on there if you want to follow and see what we get into. We leave in eight days!