About a year and a half ago, after my next trip to Thailand and Hong Kong, I posted a video with the contents of my Asia travel backpack. Then I was reproached that, they say, I carry too much junk with me, and half is not needed 🙂 In principle, I agree with this, but when you take a hiking backpack, there is already a lot of things you can take, there is no point in saving on grams, all the more , when you go for a couple of months, you want to take more things for comfort. Yes, of course, you can buy them locally (clothes, for example, or some kind of extension cord), but in the end you still have to carry it with you. In any case, if you have a minimalist approach to collecting things and go to Thailand, then you can completely get by with a 30-liter backpack. I'm talking about Thailand, because it has a year-round summer, and in other Asian countries it can be winter, here you need to look at the specific climate.
The content of the article
Video review of the contents of my backpack
List of things to do in Thailand
List of things in Thailand - light version
Clothes and footwear
T-shirts - 3 pieces
Shorts - 2 pieces
Sweatshirt - 1 piece (needed on buses, trains and planes)
Windbreaker - 1 piece (needed in the north of Taya, otherwise you can not take it)
Pants - 1 piece (needed in the north of Ty, otherwise you can not take it)
Panties, socks (socks are also only in the north)
Tourist sandals - 1 pair (it is better to take quick-drying sandals, then you can use them in the shower in guesthouses)
Technique
Smartphone
Notebook (macbooks weigh very little)
Camera + lenses (if you take a soap dish /mirrorless, then the weight will decrease even more)
Travel bag with accessories and chargers
Other
Documents (international passport)
Soap accessories
Belt bag for wallet and phone
Sunglasses with replaceable lenses are dark / transparent, comfortable for riding a bike (but you can get by with a rented helmet)
Explanations
With this set, I rode for a week and a half in the north of Thailand, and the rest of my things remained in apartment in Bangkok. But with such a backpack, you can come straight from Russia, you just need to solve the issue of warm clothes if you go in winter. I usually ask my friends to take them to the airport and then also meet them, then you can leave them a winter jacket, a hat, etc. Although, again, it is warm in the car, and, in principle, you will not need warm clothes anywhere along the way. True, last year I greatly regretted transit in Novosibirsk, that I didn't have anything warm with me, -36 degrees and I almost died.
In this set, a lot may not be enough for someone, a first aid kit or something else. But all these issues are resolved on the spot, so here everyone chooses for himself what is closer to him: to travel quite light, but with less comfort, or to carry a heavy load with him. I personally haven’t come to a single option yet, sometimes this way, sometimes this way I can, but rather, I tend to the minimalistic version..
Also, after wintering this year and small outings along Tay, I concluded for myself that I really get along calmly. without any photo bags and photo covers. Yes, and in general I am thinking more and more about the transition from a DSLR to a compact mirrorless, apparently soon I will finally decide. After all, equipment usually takes up a significant part of the luggage and is the heaviest element in a backpack. We still need to figure out what to replace the tripod with.
P.S. I also recommend reading my article What to take to Thailand and what not to take and comments on it to better understand the big picture.
