What’s In My Bag: Asia Backpacking Trip

This post was last updated on 2023 November 13

Packing for an Asia backpacking trip is challenging, particularly when you need to be prepared for varying climates. I managed to fit everything into one big backpack, one small backpack, and a small messenger bag. How I’ll fare lugging these around for 5 months is TBD, though I’d like to think I’m fit enough to handle it!

I’m also counting on getting rid of some of this gear (especially the food, toiletries, etc) to make room for things I’ll gradually acquire throughout the trip.

Packing the Big Backpack

I knew straight away that I wanted to organize my clothing and gear by climate/location, separating them in storage cubes for easy access:

Cold weather gear for Nepal trekking:

• 2 sports bras
• 5 pairs of wool socks
• 1 wool long-sleeved shirt
• 1 pair of thermal leggings
• 1 pair of tights
• 1 pair of black leggings
• 1 long sleeved shirt
• 5 pairs of quick-dry underwear

I know this doesn’t seem like much – that’s because I’ll be buying/renting the bulk of my cold weather trekking gear once I arrive in Kathmandu. After Nepal (March and on), this cube will be at the bottom of my backpack.

Warm weather clothing for India & Southeast Asia:

• 3 t-shirts
• 1 pair of cropped spandex pants
• 1 long skirt
• 2 regular bras
• 2 pairs of cotton underwear
• 1 cardigan

I won’t need these things until after Nepal (March and on), so they are in a separate cube that I will leave in storage in Kathmandu while I’m trekking in February.

Hot weather clothing for Southeast Asia:

• 5 tank tops
• 1 tank dress
• 2 pairs of shorts
• 2 bathing suits

I won’t need any of this stuff until Southeast Asia (April and on), so I stashed it all in a separate packing cube along with all my extra supplies that I won’t be needing anytime soon (vitamins, toilet paper, makeup). I’ll leave all of this in storage as well while I’m trekking in February.

Other Items:

• [easyazon_link identifier=”B004X8ITQC” locale=”US” tag=”frugafroli-20″]Feminine hygiene items[/easyazon_link] Erm, note to self: next trip, invest in the diva cup!
• First Aid Kit: band aids, hydrocortisone, tape, ibuprofen, immodium
• Toiletries: shampoo, conditioner, soap, lotion, razors, face wash, hand sanitizer, sanitizing wipes
• [easyazon_link identifier=”B00B39KSUO” locale=”US” tag=”frugafroli-20″]Water purifying tablets and droplets[/easyazon_link]
• [easyazon_link identifier=”B01BBJWIB2″ locale=”US” tag=”frugafroli-20″]Sunscreen[/easyazon_link] & bug spray
• Toilet paper
• [easyazon_link identifier=”B000F5NNPY” locale=”US” tag=”frugafroli-20″]Baseball cap[/easyazon_link]
• Sunglasses
• Head lamp
• [easyazon_link identifier=”B07856QYYT” locale=”US” tag=”frugafroli-20″]Quick-dry towel[/easyazon_link]
• Small sack for storing dirty clothes, etc
• Pillow case
• Waterproof bag for electronics
• Makeup bag
  Arguably frivolous, but guess what – I don’t fancy looking like a complete frumpster all the time!
• Vitamins & [easyazon_link identifier=”B00KOCN3QW” locale=”US” tag=”frugafroli-20″]Tums[/easyazon_link]
• [easyazon_link identifier=”B000N8GXI2″ locale=”US” tag=”frugafroli-20″]Pacsafe 85L[/easyazon_link]
• [easyazon_link identifier=”B0094GO9DA” locale=”US” tag=”frugafroli-20″]Yak Trax[/easyazon_link]
• 2 books (not pictured)
• 1 pair of [easyazon_link identifier=”B000NBILYS” locale=”US” tag=”frugafroli-20″]Havaianas flip flops[/easyazon_link]
• 1 pair of [easyazon_link identifier=”B07581FZBC” locale=”US” tag=”frugafroli-20″]Toms shoes[/easyazon_link]
• 1 pair of [easyazon_link identifier=”B01HFL7GTY” locale=”US” tag=”frugafroli-20″]Merrell hiking boots[/easyazon_link] I SWEAR by these boots! They barely need to be worn in, zero blisters, super comfy. LOVE!
• Water bottle & [easyazon_link identifier=”B01G4818E8″ locale=”US” tag=”frugafroli-20″]camelbak water bag[/easyazon_link]
• Snacks: trail mix, plantain chips, dried fruit, dark chocolate
  For the 30 hour journey to Kathmandu, plus the EBC Trek

Packing the Carry-on Bags

Anything fragile/valuable, or that I’ll need on the plane, went into these bags. Essentially, the backpack is full of camera gear and electronics, and the messenger bag contains mostly books, money, and my passport.

Carry-On Gear (electronics, etc):

• [easyazon_link identifier=”B007FGYZFI” locale=”US” tag=”frugafroli-20″]Canon 5d Mark III[/easyazon_link] Digital SLR camera (not pictured)
• [easyazon_link identifier=”B01KURGS8U” locale=”US” tag=”frugafroli-20″]Canon 16-35mm f/2.8 L lens[/easyazon_link]
• [easyazon_link identifier=”B00X8MRBCW” locale=”US” tag=”frugafroli-20″]Canon 50mm f/1.8 lens[/easyazon_link]
• [easyazon_link identifier=”B0033PRWSW” locale=”US” tag=”frugafroli-20″]Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS lens[/easyazon_link]
• [easyazon_link identifier=”B00UGE8RXC” locale=”US” tag=”frugafroli-20″]11″ Macbook Air[/easyazon_link]
• [easyazon_link identifier=”B00IOY8XWQ” locale=”US” tag=”frugafroli-20″]Kindle[/easyazon_link]
• [easyazon_link identifier=”B075QN8NDH” locale=”US” tag=”frugafroli-20″]iPhone[/easyazon_link] 4
• [easyazon_link identifier=”B01LQQHI8I” locale=”US” tag=”frugafroli-20″]WD Passport external hard drive[/easyazon_link]
• ~132gb of [easyazon_link identifier=”B00NUB2Q9E” locale=”US” tag=”frugafroli-20″]Compact Flash cards[/easyazon_link]
• 3 [easyazon_link identifier=”B00NI3CSIS” locale=”US” tag=”frugafroli-20″]Canon camera batteries[/easyazon_link]
• Memory card reader
• International adapter
• 2 travel guides
• Travel journal