When you're backpacking for an extended period of time it comes down to "needing something" more than "wanting something," which is difficult for me to do. I always come up with these crazy situations in my head and end up packing way too much stuff than what I actually need. For this trip in particular I had to think of stuff that would be adaptive to the weather down there since it is so hot and humid all the time, and the fact that I will be there at the peak of the rainy season. In addition to the weather I decided to stock up on health supplements and medicine that I don't think will be as readily accessible or as effective in the region. Therefore I wanted to show you what's in my backpack, so you can get an idea of what I'll be getting up to!
First off I have all my medicine/toiletries:
- Sunscreen (OF COURSE).
- Multi-vitamins and Ibuprofen
- Anti-perspirant deodorant
- Shaving cream and razor
- Emergen-C chewables
- Toothbrush + toothpaste
- Anti-itch cream
- Hand sanitizer
- Contact lens solution
- Mini tissue wipes
- Facial wipes
- Baby wipes
- Laxatives and anti-diarrheal medicine (YOU NEVER KNOW)
- Pepto-bismol chewables
- Off mosquito repellent
- Nail clipper kit
There will probably be some more last minute things added to this list, but I don't want to carry too many toiletries because I can just buy most of them there. Next let's talk about my ultimate struggle of picking and choosing... CLOTHES!
I was trying VERY hard to only pack what I really need, and I'm sure I still will overpack on clothes. My mom got me these super nifty packing cubes, which makes organizing things so much easier and aesthetically pleasing ;). In my biggest packing cube to the left I have:
- North face rain jacket
- Nike dry fit sweatshirt
- Light sweat pants
My next packing cube holds all of my tops, which consists of:
- 5 Tank tops (3 dry fit and 2 cotton)
- 4 T shirts (1 dry fit, 1 merino wool, and 2 cotton)
After that I have my bottoms packing cube:
- 2 boardshorts
- 2 shorts (one gray and one beige)
- 2 gym shorts (which could also be used in the water if needed)
Lastly, I have my smallest packing cube that has my underwear/socks:
- 5 pairs of underwear (all are dry fit)
- 3 pairs of ankle socks
- 1 pairs of long socks
As for shoes I have:
- Nike tennis shoes
- Birkenstocks
- Tevas
I'm sure that I will only use about half of what I packed, but for most of the clothes that I packed I wouldn't DIE if I had to toss out some stuff on the road if I needed to. And if I find something that I need in Southeast Asia I can always buy it there since everything is pretty cheap. You may be wondering where the heck am I going to be putting all this stuff in? Well that brings us to the most important part... the backpacks!
For the main backpack I have a Klamath 50 liter, which I used when I was in Europe and it works WONDERS. It has a bunch of different sections to make packing super easy. The daypack I will be using is the little green backpack in the upper left hand corner. This one is nice because it's waterproof so it will be good to go to the beach/on boats and it folds up to be about the size of a baseball! I also have my microfiber towel in this picture which I will be using in hostels and what not since it dries super quick. One thing that I have pictured, but have decided not to bring is the microfiber beach towel that I have in the bottom left corner. I thought it would be good to bring, but I decided that it's not really necessary since I already have the shower towel.
We're almost done! The last bit of goodies I have are all the electronics and miscellaneous things. NOTE: I decided to not bring the larger blue backpack on the left because it was too bulky, and instead Im going to bring everything in my smaller green backpack.
- Nikon D3100 camera
- Waterproof wristwatch
- Powerstrip (for charging multiple things at once, and making friends in hostels!)
- Lonely Planet guidebook
- Passport (DUH) and passport holder
- Umbrella
- Flashlight
- Anker re-chargable power strip
- Outlet converter
- Headphones and wireless headphones
- GoPro + stick
- 2 locks
That's all I've got as of now, but there will probably be some other random things that I last minute add to my backpack. T-minus 3 days until takeoff!
And to leave you with some fun... this is a picture of me before my year abroad in Paris, France with the same backpack I will be using in Southeast Asia. LET'S DO THIS!
“…whoever you are, or whatever it is that you do, when you really want something, it’s because that desire originated in the soul of the universe. It’s your mission on earth.”
Sending good vibes with Compliment Your Soul by Dan Croll. This song brings me nothing but joy and positive thoughts of what life has to bring.