3 Months in Southeast Asia with Carry-On Only | What’s in Our Bags?
Packing for 3 months in Southeast Asia with just carry-on backpacks?
We did it – and we’re sharing everything we packed & why we packed it.
In this video, we unpack our 40L main backpack + 15L day pack, showing you exactly what we brought for 3 months of slow travel in South East Asia.
We also reveal:
– How the packs fit on our bodies (front + back)
– The weight of each pack
– What we used to travel with in the past (check-in luggage + carry-on roller + backpack)
Whether you’re planning a month or a full year, this is the ultimate minimalist packing guide for Southeast Asia.
👇 Tell us in the comments:
What would you pack differently? What are your must-have travel items?
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases
Dharmesh’s Sling – Bellroy Lite Sling (lightweight crossbody bag): https://amzn.to/4mFXYCL
Kiran’s Sling (Bellroy Lite Sling Mini): https://amzn.to/46Vv90H
Kiran’s Backpack (Osprey Womens Fairview 55Travel Backpack): https://amzn.to/3Ut8j9o
Dharmesh’s Backpack (Osprey Men’s Farpoint 55Travel Backpack): https://amzn.to/4fAWBTz
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📍 Timestamps
00:00 Introduction
00:28 Our luggage
01:06 Unpacking Kiran’s luggage
09:29 Unpacking Dharmesh’s luggage
18:40 How the backpacks fit us
20:15 The Final Weight: Was it light enough?
21:10 Final thoughts
About:
In this video, we unpack our 40L main backpack + 15L day pack, showing you exactly what we brought for 3 months of slow travel in South East Asia.
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11 Comments
Thank you for the video. You mention that those supplies last for 4 months. What happens when 4 months is over? Do you go back to Canada and buy again?
Enjoyed the video! We just returned from 3 months in SE Asia, so we'll look forward to seeing where you explore. I really like the mesh bag idea; we'll use your link. We use the packing cubes and I've found it hard to be organized when you can't see the contents. Have Fun!
Thanks for the reminder of the power bank…checked mine, I'm in compliance.
nice video…enjoy your trip!
Another great video. And timely for us as it’s packing day here ahead of transition day tomorrow from Langkawi up to Chiang Mai.
I have your exact backpack set and love it so far. Big Osprey fan here. Lisa has the Cotapaxi backpack and loves a lot about it but feels the bag when empty weighs too much and while the bag itself can hold more than my Osprey but we hit airline weigh limits anyways so it not yet been used extra capacity.
Qatar (flight from US to Malaysia) made me check my Osprey main bag which didn’t make me happy but they treated it so very well that other than time waiting at the baggage carousel the bag seemed good as new. But so far flights around SEAsia we haven’t risked checking our main backpacks instead going with AirAsia FastPass addon (pretty inexpensive) to get up from their usual 1bag 7kg bumped to 2bags 14kg (total) carry on and it’s worked well (so far).
Off to check your item links and we hope we can connect with you all in Chiang Mai later this month. Safe travels!
Great video! It’s nice seeing that we have most of our bases covered on our packing. We have a two month and a four month trip this year. We’ve done two months before and got in a good laundry routine (every seven to nine days). We definitely carry less because it has just gotten to hard for us to carry more than 20 lbs for Tracy and 25 lbs for me (although my small backpack is usually an additional 15 lbs). We also don’t carry much electronics (one iPad, two phones and battery packs). We’ve gotten pretty strict on our pack weight and either suffer or buy things on the road instead of carrying it. Thanks for sharing your methodology and please share how those packs worked out.
Great job on the weight! How did the air cover workout?
I have a ton of those reusable zip up bags! I used to use them a lot for organizing files but now that I don't have files, I do still have a few of them in a box. They are great for organizing stuff! Darm, I feel like your day bag is like Mary Poppins! You keep pulling things out of it! I love seeing what you had when you started vs what you are carrying now. What a difference. I really feel like a smaller backpack is the way to go in the fact that you can go up and down stairs and over cobblestones and stuff with no issues, and I really think that like you said, you can always buy stuff if you need it, which you generally don't! I love seeing the progression over the years.
Really enjoyed this video! As slow travelers ourselves I think we can make some adjustments to our packing 😊
Great video. I’m 2 months into a 4 month trip to Southeast Asia and my bags definitely weighted more than yours. Guess I still have some work to do! Have a great trip.
Omg! your packs are pretty light, despite all of that stuff. But you are so right, you can purchase if you need too, but it looks like you have everything. Great video!