First time International Travel South East Asia, need Advice

[u/Kryma]

I posted this over on r/onebag but thought I should post here as well!

I will be spending a semester studying abroad in Hong Kong, from the end of August through December. At the end I plan to spend 1-2 months travelling South East Asia, Plan to hit Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, and maybe travel up into China. I'm intrigued by the idea of one-bagging because I will be in a dorm-room during my time in Hong Kong, not much room for extra stuff. I'd like to not deal with checked luggage afterwards while travelling either. This will be my first time travelling internationally, I'm from upstate New York.

Looking for overall suggestions, I still need to buy my bag and some new clothes (Recently dropped 40 lbs, down to 235 :) ), so I've been just browsing the various onebagging subs. I'm looking at the Osprey Farpoint 40L as my bag. Really liked the Tortuga Setout but it seems to be out of stock every time I check.

As far as what I plan on bringing, I need to bring clothes that fall more on the business casual side (My style, and I'm a finance student so gotta kinda fit in). Bringing a surface pro laptop as well. Ordered a pair of Xero Z-Trail sandals based off a few recommendations here. Trying to find a pair of shoes I can wear more casually that will hold up as well but still pass with a pair of slacks, seen the Altama Maritime shoes recommended a few times as well and they look like they could do well in black, any thoughts on how they would do in southeast asia?

Does anyone have any advice on clothing to bring for the climate during that time of year? That's something I'm also trying to keep in mind while building a packing/shopping list. How difficult would it be finding clothing in my size in southeast asia if I don't manage to remember everything I need? I'm 6'2", 235lbs, Size 12-Wide feet. Pants 36-38x30, shirts size XL, all in U.S. Sizes.

In addition, any advice for first time onebagging/International travel in general would be more than appreciated!!

[u/loddist]

Bag:

30-40L is a good size to aim for. Any bag will do fine if you combine it with packing cubes (which you can get at any ikea or daiso for cheap). If you'll be walking a lot with it, find one with a hipbelt. If it's just plane to dorm, then any bag is fine.

Clothes in South East Asia (SEA):

There are no real separate seasons in SEA. It's all just one big rainy humid hot season the whole year round. I've heard people compare SEA to Florida, but a little bit hotter. Coming from NY, imagine that every day is the hottest day of the year, but just a little bit hotter. Pack tshirts/polos and don't bring heavy boots. Shoes will be hard to find. Shirts and pants might be possible, since there are larger sized people here, but they may be shorter. 38x30 pants should be doable. Remember that there are large expat/tourist communities in all those places, so you can probably find a shop that sells your size. Worst case scenario, tailor a shirt/pants/suit which will only set you back maybe $50 for shirt/pants ($300 for suit). Probably less.

Other advice:

• Backup your documents and email them to yourself
• Pack less tshirts and buy there if you need to.
• Pack less toiletries and buy them there
• Get medical/travel insurance of some sort. Medical treatment is cheap there, but still costs money
• Don't pack a water bottle. Just buy 500ml bottle there and refill it.
• Use packing cubes. They're amazing.

[u/Kryma → u/loddist]

Definitely plan on getting packing cubes. No ikea around here, and never heard of daiso, but I have Amazon :). Originally it's going to be plane to dorm, then at the end of the semester it will be actively travelling with the bag.

Already settling in for a rough time weather-wise. It's been 103 degrees and kinda humid here the past few days and I have been dying. Going shopping for some new T-Shirts, Polos, and lightweight pants before I leave for sure. Never been a huge shorts guy unless I'm being active/beach. Good to know I might be able to get pants there, I was size 42 about 6 months ago and I would have definitely struggled. 

Thanks for all the extra tips! I've already got digital copies of all my documents so far sitting in cloud storage and as PDFs on my phone, and insurance I will be getting through my University most likely. I don't plan on packing much in the way of toiletries, just some deodorant. Didn't think about buying t-shirts there though! Thanks man, you're a huge help!!

[u/loddist → u/Kryma]

You're welcome.

Example of size 12 US (size 46 EU) shoes at thailand online shopping. https://www.lazada.co.th/catalog/?from=input&q=46%20shoes&ppath=30585:209104

Example of size 38 pants: https://www.lazada.co.th/shop-men-clothing-chinos/?from=input&q=38%20pants&ppath=30585:133117

Lazada is the amazon of SEA with sites in Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, etc. If you're not too picky about having a particular brand, you can always get shoes/shirts/pants/etc online and delivered to your accommodation. Around 1-2 weeks delivery time.

[u/Kryma → u/loddist]

I don't follow and brands at all, as long as the stuff fits me well I don't care haha! Thank you, Ive never heard of Lazada either, any other tips for SEA in general?

[u/englebert → u/Kryma]

Don't drink tap water or anything containing shaved ice.

[u/Kryma → u/englebert]

Good tip, this one will probably take the most getting used to. Right now I consistently drink tap water all day.

[u/englebert → u/Kryma]

If you are "dying" now then you are really going to struggle with similar temperatures and high humidity every day you are in SEA. T-shirts and shorts all the way, every day especially if you are on the larger side.

Hong Kong will be cooler in the latter part of your trip - dropping to mid - low 50s F overnight so you may want to pack a couple of warmer items. I tend to just take a pair (or two) of something like Prana Brions, which you should be able to use in all climates. Take one fleece or similar for the plane journey and you have a warmer jacket for the colder evenings too.

Alternately just take your summer gear, and if you feel cold just go here: http://www.uniqlo.com/hk/

[u/Kryma → u/englebert]

Oh I know I'm going to struggle and I'm going to look like a walking pool of sweat for the first month until it drops below 90. It's going to be rough, but I'll survive. Thanks for the clothing suggestions! I'll be bringing a couple pairs of shorts, some T-Shirts, and a pair or two of lightweight pants. Definitely lean more towards pants, but we'll see if that changes when I get there!

[u/[deleted]]

Currently in Japan with the Farpoint 40 and it's treating me well.

[u/Kryma → u/[deleted]]

Good to hear! Are you using any packing cubes? Trying to figure out which ones will fit well inside the pack. Also, are you carrying a laptop? I've read negative things about the laptop compartment, how do you feel about it?

[u/[deleted] → u/Kryma]

I'm using amazon basics set of four slim cubes and they fit really well. I'm not travelling with a laptop, I never really felt the need to have one while travelling so that didn't bother me much. Mostly using the laptop sleeve for documents and other paper stuff.

[u/Kryma → u/[deleted]]

Thanks for that, the amazon set is one I was actually looking at!! I'll be studying abroad, so attending classes for a lot of my time there so I will need my laptop. Does the pocket seem pretty solid/safe for a laptop? Mine is just a thin surface pro.

[u/CommonMisspellingBot → u/Kryma]

Hey, Kryma, just a quick heads-up:
alot is actually spelled a lot. You can remember it by it is one lot, 'a lot'.
Have a nice day!

^{The parent commenter can reply with 'delete' to delete this comment.}

[u/Kryma → u/CommonMisspellingBot]

delete

[u/InternetUser1794]

I went to SEA about 12 years ago and it was ASS hot! 

Bring clothes that you would wear for the hottest part of planet Earth: light materials, hat and sunglasses, comfortable trainers, no show socks.