Do you find yourself scratching your head every time you want to pack for your long travels? Here are some guidelines on what to bring for your trips. Please note that this packing list focuses on budget backpacking style traveling, with occasional hiking, jungle trekking and camping activities in mind. The list below serves only as a reference, as each individual has different needs.
Quick List: What To Pack For Travel, Hiking & Camping
- Hiking Backpack
- Small Backpack
- Dry Bags (optional)
- Clothes
- Hangers & Clips
- Footwears
- Shower Bag (optional)
- Personal Hygiene Items
- Reusable Water Bottle
- Water Filter
- Reusable Utensils & Straw
- Raincoat/Windbreaker/Jacket
- Insect Repellent
- Torchlights
- Compass & Whistle
- Camping Equipments
- A couple of Plastic Bags
- A Small Padlock
- Exercise Mat Cutouts (optional)
- First Aid Kit
- A Pen
- Portable Bidet
- In times of Covid-19: Facemasks & Hand Sanitizer
Detailed List: What To Pack for Long Travel (or even for short ones)
Hiking Backpack
Serves as the main travel luggage, and to be used for overnight hikes or camping activities. I use a hiking backpack that fits within the maximum size range of cabin baggage allowance, so that I do not have to do baggage check-in.
Smaller Backpack
A casual backpack for you to carry around exploring nearby areas, or to use it during short hiking trips.
Dry Bags (optional)
I usually bring a small dry bag to keep my electronic stuff to protect it from the rain, and to keep them dry while crossing rivers. I also use a large dry bag to store my clean clothes before stuffing it into my backpack.
Clothes
Do not pack too many clothes. Below are the general guidelines for tropical climate:
- 3 to 4 Shirts: Bring 2 sportswears for daily activities. Preferably one long sleeve with UV protection for activities out in the sun, such as KALENJI SUN PROTECT Men’s Running T-Shirt (and For Women). These should be lightweight and quick dry, as you could easily wash it during the end of the day, and it would be dry by the next day so you could wear it again. Bring one shirt for sleeping.
- 1 or 2 Long Pants and Shorts: For long pants, just one hiking pants will do. My Hiking / Trekking Convertible Pants Men (Quechua) can turn into shorts so I have 2-in-1 long and short pants. Also, bring two lightweight and quick dry sports shorts for sleeping and for casual/sport activities.
- Underwear: Underwears are usually the clothes that take out more space than you expect. But, there is a HACK for this. I mentioned bringing two sports shorts above. Well, get the ones with integrated briefs and you’ll never have to bring separated underwear. Wash it every end of the day and it’ll be dry in the morning. My favorite is KALENJI RUN DRY Men’s Running Shorts (and For Women). For the ladies, sorry I don’t have any tips for this. If you do have tips for reducing underwears for ladies’ travel packing, please leave a comment below.
- 3 pairs of Socks: Never a bad decision to pack extra socks. You wouldn’t know when they’ll be essential.
- Microfibre Towels: Microfibre towels are lightweight and dry very fast, which make them the best choice of towels for traveling around. Say goodbye to stinky wet towel in your backpack! I pack one large towel for shower, and one small towel for random purposes (eg. wiping sweat, cleaning, etc.). I use NABAIJI Compact Microfibre Towels
- A pair of Gloves: For hiking/jungle tracking.
- 2 Tube Scarfs: Great for sun protection or just to cover up your head or face during activities.
Laundry Tips: Use a laundry bar soap to wash your clothes. You can usually get the large bar from the sundry shop. Just chop it into smaller bars and pack it into your shower bag. It is easy to use: just rub it on your wet clothes, simply scrub the clothes with your hands and rinse off the soap. It has a lower environmental impact than liquid soaps. I am not sure about other products, but I recommend Labour Multi-purpose Bar Soap which is made of natural activated ingredients.
Hangers and Clips
Bring a couple of these. You’ll find them very useful to hang your clothes and towel in the bathroom during showers and in the dorm.
Footwears
Don’t bring more than three pairs of footwears. Two pairs (one on your feet, one in the backpack) are optimal:
- On your feet when traveling: Hiking/Sport shoes, as they are too large for your backpack and good for long distance walks.
- In the backpack: Slippers. Taking a stroll on the beach? Moving in and out of the house or the tent? Taking a shower in a hostel with a dirty bathroom floor? Use this. (Tips: Reuse a bread packaging to store your slippers, as the packaging is long enough and you can easily tie up the opening.)
Optional: Sandals. Light and cool to walk around the streets or even for a hike.
Shower bag (optional)
A shower bag makes everything easier in the bathroom. It provides a place for your items, as you don’t often have proper space to place them in the bathroom of your hostel/guesthouse. Shower bags usually have a hook for you to hang it by the door or the wall. Some even come with a built-in mirror.
Personal Hygiene Items
- Toiletries: Soap, shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrush, etc. You can repack them in small containers for short travels, or buy them when you reach your destination.
- Nail Clippers: For journeys long enough to grow your nails.
- Razor: To shave. Duh.
- Dental Floss: Just in case you stumbled upon your dentist and you can say you’re still flossing frequently.
- Small Mirror: You could use your phone’s selfie camera but nothing beats an actual mirror.
Reusable Water Bottle
Having your own bottle saves cost as you do not need to buy a new single use bottle of water a few times a day. Please do not rely on single use plastic bottles as they are one of the main sources of plastic waste. You could easily use up five plastic bottles of water in a day and that adds up to the landfill very quickly.
Water Filter
This could be a lifesaver when things go South. Dehydration is a huge risk in the wild. It is recommended to bring along a water filter, which doesn’t take a lot of space, when you are going for a long journey in the wild. If you are certain that you will find water sources in your journey, you can bring enough water to last you up until you reach the next water source. Then, you can filter and refill your water before moving on. This could be a great weight saver, as water is essential yet heavy to carry around.
I use and recommend HydroBlu Versa Flow Water Filter System.
This portable water filter proved its great usefulness when I camped by the river at Tegudon and Melangkap campsites.
Reusable Utensils and Stainless Steel Straw
Up your environmental game by bringing a set of reusable utensils and straw. Street food is not to be missed when traveling, although a lot of single use plastic items are used for convenience. You can reduce the reliance of these products by bringing your own utensils, which won’t take much space.
Raincoat/Windbreaker/Jacket
Be it walking in the town, or trekking in the jungle, you’ll want this when it rains. It is also important to keep dry in the wild to prevent hypothermia (it could happen even in tropical areas, don’t underestimate how cold it could be, especially during the night). I use a QUECHUA Hiking/Camping Lightweight Raincoat.
Based on your situation, you could also bring a warm jacket for a comfortable sleep indoors or outdoors. Also, do you notice that most of the buses and other public transports in South East Asia love to blast their aircon to the maximum?
Insect Repellent
Getting lots of itchy bites out in the jungle is annoying (also a potential health risk, eg. Dengue fever, Malaria). Some hostels are also full of mosquitoes. By the way, the repellent works for leech prevention during jungle trekking too.
Most of the time I even used Axe Brand Medicated Oil (Minyak Cap Kapak) as leeches and mosquitoes repellent, and it worked better than some insect repellent! Not only that, you can use it as its main functions: to relieve headaches, colds and congested noses, muscle pains, travel sickness and soothes itching.
Torchlights
Use it when camping or walking at night. Also good to use a mini torchlight when you’re entering a dorm late at night, which you do not want to switch on the light and disturb the sleeping guests.
Compass and Whistle
For orientation and giving signals or to call for help, especially when your electronic techs don’t work. I use GEONAUTE 50 Multi-Purpose Whistle And Orienteering Compass, which has 4 tools in 1: Compass, whistle, thermometer, magnifying glass.
If you require more advanced orienting and precise azimuths, you can use GEONAUTE Orienteering Compass (360 Degrees, 6400 Mils) instead.
Camping Equipments
This is for travelers who expect to camp outdoors throughout the journey. Using a tent is practical, but I often bring my hammock instead. Although it could be tricky to set up in certain areas, a hammock is very easy and quick to set up, as long as there are trees or things to hang it. The perks of using a hammock is that you are sleeping off the ground, and it is generally lighter than a tent, which you have to include other things such as a floor padding. I use a hammock that has a mosquito net, which is very important. For rain and wind protection, I bring a tarp to hang it above my hammock, and tie it down to the sides. These proved to be very handy during my Motorbike Trip Around Sabah while camping at Tegudon riverside camp and Polumpung Melangkap View Camp Site.
A couple of Plastic Bags
Although I have asked to reduce plastic usage above, it’s always good to have a couple of plastic bags in your inventory, which you could reuse. You can use it to store your dirty clothes and other miscellaneous items.
A small Padlock
To secure your dorm’s locker. Afraid to lose your key? Use a combination lock.
Exercise Mat Cutouts (optional)
Workouts should still be part of your routine while traveling. If your workout requires a mat but it’s occupying too much space, try cutting out a few small pieces of the mat. I cut out two square pieces from an exercise mat (about 3×3 inches), and use it for my workout. You don’t need the whole mat, just cushion the small cutouts underneath the critical points (eg. tailbone, knee) to do your workout. You can even use them as a sleeping cushion on the hard ground.
First Aid Kit
Expect the unexpected. There’s always a chance that we might get an injury. Whether it’s a small scratch, or a serious injury, a proper first aid kit will come in handy. It prevents further infection, while also maintaining the morale of the person.
A Pen
Never have to wait for your turn sharing pen to fill up travel/immigration forms. If you are flying, keep it with you in your pocket or small bag, so you don’t have to get up and search around the overhead baggage compartment when you need it.
Portable Bidet
‘Once you use sprays, you never go back to wipes.’ Asians never understand the deal with the Great Toilet Paper War in the West. If you can’t live without a bidet, it’s time to get a Portable Bidet. You could use it in the wild (no toilet papers needed, more environmentally friendly), or in bathrooms without a bidet. I highly recommend this mini yet powerful CuloClean Portable Bidet. It is perfectly designed for a strong jet of water!
In times of Covid-19: Facemasks & Hand Sanitizer
We are all in this together. To beat this pandemic, everyone needs to take their part to stop the spread of the virus. If you are traveling during this time (or even when not traveling, you would have to head out doing your daily stuff), please do it responsibly.
What else do I miss? Leave a comment below and let me know!
Have this guide helped you? Tag @meowtainpeople in your hiking stories & posts!
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*Captain Planet passing by* Remember, please take care of our environment, and please don’t destroy the Nature. Leave no trash behind and take back only photos and memories (and also some trash if you can). BE ONE WITH NATURE *flies away*
