Southeast Asia Packing List Essentials - Ultimate Packing Guide For Asia

Last Updated on 30th April 2024

This post about the best Southeast Asia packing list essentials contains affiliate links.

We spent a good seven months backpacking Southeast Asia so when it comes to packing essentials, I’ve pretty much got it nailed in terms of things you need to take with you.

Aside from the obvious stuff such as clothes, toiletries and swimwear, there are a fair few items that will make your Southeast Asia trip much easier and enjoyable.

If you’re in the process of planning a trip to Southeast Asia but don’t know where to start when it comes to packing for a trip to Southeast Asia, I’ve got just the post for you!

1. Travel insurance

While this isn’t strictly something that you can pack, it is imperative to have it regardless.

Thankfully, on our 11-month trip around the world, we didn’t need to use our travel insurance policy, but I still would never travel anywhere without one and it’s an investment I’m happy to make time and again.

There are dozens of travel insurance providers who offer varying policies with backpackers in mind so it’s really down to your own personal preferences and budget with regard to which company is the most suitable.

I’ve heard nothing but raving reviews for World Nomads and I know that so many travellers rate them for their backpackers’ insurance policies. While we were travelling, we used World First and we paid over £780 for one year for the two of us. Safety Wing is another great travel insurance company to use; their policies are much more affordable and you can choose various date ranges to suit your trip.

Travel insurance is by no means cheap (especially if you have underlying health conditions or allergies like Matt has), but it is imperative to ensure you’re well-protected in case anything goes wrong while you’re travelling. We were convinced we wouldn’t get back to the UK from Vietnam when the COVID-19 situation broke out, but our travel insurance policy should have covered us for any issues we would have faced.

2. A good backpack

It goes without saying that a heavy-duty backpack for travelling is an absolute packing essential, but how do you know which backpack really is the best?

After carrying it around on my back for almost 11 months and across 9 different countries, I will always recommend my beloved Osprey Fairview 70L backpack. There’s a men’s and women’s version, each of which comes in two different colours.

It works perfectly with packing cubes (the ones I’ve recommended below, in particular) and while of course, it does feel heavy on your back once you’ve packed 15kg worth of stuff in it, it’s still pretty comfortable to carry.

When we’re not travelling, I actually miss having to pack up my things in my Osprey backpack and I know that it’s gonna be accompanying me on many more of my travel adventures to come.

P.S. You can read my full review of the Osprey Fairview 70L backpack here!

3. Earplugs – Southeast Asia packing list

Now, when it comes to travelling and sleep, the use of earplugs isn’t mutually exclusive to just backpacking Southeast Asia.

However, I personally only really used my earplugs in Asia, as opposed to New Zealand and Australia as well. This is largely because (unless you have an awesome accommodation budget) you’ll mainly be sleeping in hostels that are renowned for being pretty loud.

While we never actually slept in a dorm (we always had a private room – apart from the time we stayed in a 60-person dorm on an overnight ferry in the Philippines…), we did often stay in hostels or noisy guesthouses where there were a fair few other backpackers and travellers staying.

Trust me on this – if you’re about to go backpacking around Southeast Asia, get yourself some trusty earplugs. These ones are great and they even come in a bottle with 60 pairs, so you’re not likely to run out any time soon!

4. Flip flops

Flip flops are an essential part of anyone’s packing list if you’re travelling to Southeast Asia.

Chances are if you’re doing the “typical” backpacker route of SE Asia, then you’ll likely be hitting top spots such as Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines and more; all of which are renowned for their ample, beautiful beaches.

Not only that, but even if you’re in cities then you’ll also likely be wearing flip flops or some kind of sandals on an almost daily basis.

The humidity in these kinds of countries is sweltering and even when it was raining, we still pretty much religiously wore our flip-flops.

My advice would be to get a “nice” pair of flip-flops that you’ll likely wear out to dinner, or if you’re going out for drinks and then just get a really cheap pair for wearing on the beach and for general, daily use.

Havaianas are always popular amongst travellers, and Matt absolutely swore by his Lacoste sliders.

5. Suncream – backpacking Southeast Asia packing list

Suncream seems like an incredibly obvious packing essential, but I.l really wanted to reiterate just how important it is when travelling to Asian countries.

As I mentioned above, temperatures can get very hot in pretty much every country you’ll be visiting in Southeast Asia, even during the rainy season. With Matt and I being so pale, we wore suncream every single day if we were going to be outside in the sun for more than 10 minutes.

Even when it’s cloudy in places like Singapore and Cambodia (which it often can be), you can still easily get burned so it’s imperative to ensure your skin is well protected.

One of my favourite suncream brands is Nivea and we always try to pick up the highest level of SPF protection. Sometimes, we’d even go for the kids’ suncream version just to ensure we were as protected as possible.

Suncream in Southeast Asia can be very expensive, and even the tiny 30ml bottles can set you back anywhere between £6 and £10, depending on where you are, but it’s still essential to have.

I’d recommend trying to take a good few bottles with you before you fly out to Southeast Asia so that you’re well-stocked for at least a couple of weeks.

6. Antibacterial hand sanitiser

At the time of writing this post, the whole world is in the midst of a global pandemic due to COVID-19, which means that stocks of antibacterial hand gel are on very limited supplies.

However, by the time your backpacking trip to Southeast Asia rolls around, hopefully, you’ll be able to get your hands on some as it’s an essential item to have on your packing list.

Unfortunately, in many places in Southeast Asia, hygiene standards just aren’t quite as up to scratch like the ones in most Western countries, which means food poisoning and general dirt and illnesses are much more likely.

Within just three days of arriving in Bali, Matt and I contracted the infamous “Bali Belly” due to something we’d eaten. Now, I’m not saying that you’re guaranteed to get ill while travelling (I know many travellers who haven’t), but I would still advise taking the necessary precautions to try and avoid it as much as possible and one of the best ways to do this is to simply carry antibac with you everywhere you go.

7. Universal travel adapter

Again, a universal travel adapter isn’t something that you need exclusively for Southeast Asia; they come in handy in every single country in the world.

However, you will still of course need one for Asian countries, especially as those countries themselves differ between their plug sockets and outlets.

We used the Hyleton Worldwide Travel Adapter (now discontinued, but this one is a very similar product) religiously in every single country we visited and we also actually still use it back at home in the UK.

It has 4 USB slots, one Type C fast-charging slot, as well as a 5.6A high-speed charger. We would often charge multiple things at a time using this adapter, including our laptops, phones, cameras and the GoPro.

It’s lasted us so well and was such a great investment travel adapter for our travels.

8. After sun – backpacking Southeast Asia packing list

To coincide with my recommendation of suncream, I’m also including after sun in my Southeast Asia essential packing list.

Of course, it’s advisable that you try your utmost not to get burned while you’re travelling, sometimes it just can’t be helped and that’s where the power and magic of aftersun comes in.

My personal favourite aftersun that I’ve used on many holidays for years is the Garnier Ambre Solaire. Not only does it smell absolutely divine, but the refreshing use of aloe vera also has such a delightful cooling effect on my skin.

Sometimes while we were travelling, I’d even use this as a standard daily body moisturiser, simply because it made my skin feel so good.

9. Luggage locks

Luggage locks should really be essential wherever you’re travelling in the world, but I’d always recommend them in particular for Southeast Asian trips.

If like the vast majority of other travellers, you’ll be travelling around via buses, minivans and trains, then luggage locks will become your new best friend.

Thankfully, we never had any issues with people trying to steal our belongings, but we did hear of a few other travellers getting some things stolen from their backpacks while on different modes of transport.

This isn’t a scare tactic by any means and I should imagine that it’s incredibly rare for you to experience that sort of thing, but to reduce your chances as much as possible, make sure you have a TSA-approved luggage lock on your backpack.

Having a lock that’s TSA-approved just means that the Transport Security Officers can gain access to your bag using a special key. This means they can check your luggage safely without having to rip open your bags (and they will if they have reason to believe they need to access something inside!).

10. Insect Repellent

Insect repellent is another packing list item that can (and should) be used in many countries, including all the ones in SE Asia.

Before we started travelling, I had literally never been bitten by a mosquito or midge in my entire life. However, pretty much as soon as we landed in Indonesia, I was covered in bites and I proceeded to get bitten for the duration of our time travelling Southeast Asia.

One way to reduce the chances of getting bitten persistently is to use a good insect repellent. Most work very well and you can do your own extensive research if you feel necessary, but I’m always pretty happy with the Jungle Formula sprays.

They contain DEET, which some people don’t like to use but I just always find products containing DEET to be the most effective. It’s entirely based on your preferences, but I would advise stocking up on at least one bottle to take with you.

11. Drybag (and waterproof phone case)

Depending on the kind of things you plan on getting up to while travelling around Asia, it’s highly likely that you’ll be taking part in a few water-based activities, particularly in places like Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand.

We embarked on many boat trips and snorkelling excursions while in Southeast Asia and our Ultra Dry Adventurer dry bag accompanied us on every single trip.

We’ve got the 10L bag which fits an awful lot of stuff inside – probably more than you’d think! I’d recommend getting a dry bag for your trip if you think you’ll be doing a lot of activities near the water. We saw so many people just taking regular fabric backpacks and bags with them on boat trips and every single time, someone would complain about their stuff getting wet!

Save yourself the agro and get a dry bag (the Adventurer one also comes with a waterproof protective phone case which we used every time as well).

12. Waterproof backpack rain cover

Continuing with the theme of waterproof packing essentials, I’d also advise getting a waterproof rain cover for your backpack, especially if you’re visiting countries in their wet season.

Top tip: Southeast Asian countries’ wet seasons differ from each other, for example, Thailand’s wet season is the opposite of Indonesia’s.

We have the Mountain Warehouse rain covers that fit any backpack between 55L and 100L. We were also extremely lucky with the weather on our trip and during the seven months we spent in Asia, I think we only got wet twice!

However, we also used our backpack covers every time we travelled on a bus or minivan as it helped keep our backpacks in immaculate condition. With the number of people who travel in various means of transport in Asia, it’s safe to say that it’s gonna get pretty dirty, and the luggage compartments of buses are always filthy.

By having our rain covers on, our backpacks remained clean and only the cover (which wipes very easily), got wet.

Bonus items for your Southeast Asia packing list

I’ve included a few more packing essentials below that can sometimes come in useful when travelling Southeast Asia.

I’d highly recommend my hiking boots as they’re without a doubt the comfiest shoes I’ve ever owned, and packing cubes made my life so much easier when it came to packing my backpack.

However, things like mosquito nets and sleeping sheets are really dependent on the type of travelling you plan on doing. We had a sleeping sheet and only used it twice in seven months and we didn’t even bother having a mosquito net as we weren’t in high-risk countries and we didn’t do any long treks or overnight hiking excursions in jungles.

Mosquito net
Travel water bottle
Hiking boots (I will forever rave about my beloved Vango Velan boots)
Sleeping sheet
Packing cubes (the Vercord ones are my personal favourite)

I hope you’ve found this post useful if you’re in the process of planning a backpacking trip! If it’s going to be your first time in Asia, then you’re about to embark on the journey of a lifetime!