Help me pack for 5 months in SEA
Hi Friends! I am gearing up to quit my job and backpack for 5 months, beginning in August 2026. I have some family trips to attend to in Scotland, Greece and Spain before heading to SEA in mid-late September; specifically Vietnam, thailand, indonesia, phillippines, and maybe Laos. I have the Cotopaxi Allpa 42L and will most likely bring a 18-22L personal backpack/ daypack. I am going as barebones as I can, and have been doing A LOT of research on best packing practices (what to bring, what to avoid, etc.). I have only ever done one solo trip before, but I was luxuriously living out of a suitcase in Italy.
Some general things I have learned so far:
- 2 pairs of shoes MAX - Teva sandals and Sneakers (and a very thin pair of flip flops for hostel showers)
- Modular wardrobe (~6 shirts, ~4 bottoms, ~7 undies, 2 bras, 3 socks, 1 dress etc.)
- microfiber towel
- basic medicines
So my question(s) to you all is what are some things I should absolutely know, clothing items I will need, things I should invest in/ purchase for my trip, types of fabrics to avoid, toiletries I won't need, etcetera? Are there any good fabrics that are quick drying I should look into? My saving goal is $10K and I only have two and a half paychecks before I am officially no longer employed/ getting paid so I can't be dropping too much $$$. Any tips help!