Asia Travel Gear: Complete 202-Day Packing List
This Asia travel gear list covers everything we packed for 202 days across 6 countries in Asia — bought with our own money, used every single day. No sponsorships, no gifted gear. If you want the full story of what we carried, our Asia travel guides break it down country by country. Good Asia travel gear makes or breaks a long trip — this is ours.
202 days. Six countries. Two carry-ons, one camera bag, and exactly the gear below. No sponsorships. No gifted products. Everything here we bought ourselves, used every single day, and would buy again.
If you are planning a long trip to Asia or building a travel vlogging setup, this is our honest list. We keep it updated as we travel.
This page contains Amazon affiliate links. If you buy through our links we earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only link to gear we actually own and use.
📷 Camera Gear
Wireless Mic
DJI Mic 2
Better audio changes everything
People watch for the visuals but leave for bad audio. The DJI Mic 2 clips on and connects wirelessly with no cables or fuss. We use it any time we are talking to camera in loud markets, restaurants, or on the street. Clear audio separates a travel vlog from a home video.
B-Roll Camera
DJI Osmo Pocket 3
Ian’s pocket camera – always on, always ready
Fits in a shirt pocket, shoots buttery smooth 4K with a built-in gimbal, and runs 4+ hours on the Power Combo. Our go-to for B-roll and reaction shots anywhere the Sony is too slow to pull out. This camera has been to every country on our trip.
Phone
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
Jenny’s phone, Instagram shooter, and travel command centre
200MP main sensor, a zoom that works, and handles a full day of filming and navigation across six countries. Some of our best Instagram shots came from this phone, not the Sony.
Main Camera
Sony Alpha ZV-E10 II
The camera behind every video on our channel
Shoots crisp 4K, flip-out screen for solo filming, and face-tracking autofocus that locks on even in chaotic markets. Light enough to carry all day. We have never once wished we had something different.
Lens
Tamron 17-70mm f/2.8
The only lens we travel with
Wide enough for street scenes, close enough for food, and f/2.8 handles dim restaurants and night markets. We left every other lens at home for 202 days and never missed them.
Drone
DJI Mini 3
For the shots you cannot get on foot
Under 249g so it clears most country drone regulations without registration. Drone shots change the entire feel of a travel video. Compact enough to fit in your carry-on.
🎒 Bags & Luggage
Carry-On
LEVEL8 20″ Carry-On
We checked nothing for 202 days across six countries
The front zip pocket is the feature most luggage skips and the one we use every single flight. Hard shell survived airports across six countries. Zero cracks. Wheels still roll perfectly.
Camera Bag
WANDRD PRVKE 21L
202 days. Zero damage. Zero complaints.
Carries our entire camera setup and still fits under an airplane seat. Side zip gives instant access without taking the bag off. Saved us in a Vietnam downpour. Still looks new after six months.
📦 Packing Organisation
Luggage Tracker
Apple AirTag 4-Pack
Peace of mind for every flight
One in each bag. If the airline loses your luggage, you will know exactly where it is. We never fly without them. Under $100 for four. Cheapest travel insurance you can buy.
Packing Cubes
BAGAIL Compression Packing Cubes
How two people fit 202 days into carry-ons
Compression cubes are the only reason carry-on-only travel works on long trips. Compress down jackets, fit in extra layers, find everything instantly. We each have a set and would not travel without them.
Luggage Scale
Etekcity Luggage Scale
Never pay an overweight fee again
Weigh your bag before the airport. Five seconds and it saves you from panic at check-in. Under $16 and it has paid for itself many times over on budget airlines across Asia.
Cable Organiser
tomtoc Travel Cable Organizer
Stop untangling cables at 6am in a hotel room
Every cable, SD card, adapter, and brick in one place. Opens flat so you can see everything without digging. Used it daily since day one and it still looks brand new.
Toiletry Bottles
Mrsdry Travel Bottles
TSA-approved and actually leak-proof
We have tried many travel bottles. These are the ones that did not leak on a single flight across six countries. Fill them with your own products and stay within carry-on liquid rules.
Tripod Case
TORIBIO Tripod Carrying Case
Keep your tripod from scratching everything else
Keeps your tripod from scratching your camera gear and from shifting in your bag. Buy it once and forget about it – in a good way.
✈️ Flight Essentials
Sleep
mavogel Cotton Sleep Eye Mask
Block it all out on long-hauls
Contoured so it does not press on your eyes. Soft cotton feels good against skin. Pairs with earplugs for the closest thing to actual sleep on a plane. Under $14 and we would not do a long-haul without one.
Flight Comfort
PENGARO Foot Hammock
It looks ridiculous. It works incredibly.
Hooks to your tray table so your feet rest in memory foam instead of dangling for 11 hours. Used on the Calgary to Seoul flight. Arrived without leg cramps for the first time ever.
Multi-Use
Rainleaf Microfibre Towel
Beach towel, gym towel, airplane blanket
Packs to the size of a water bottle, dries in 20 minutes, and doubles as a blanket on cold overnight flights. We each carry one. At $13 it is the easiest addition to any Asia packing list.
Hygiene
Lysol Disinfecting Wipes
Wipe down your tray table. Always.
Airplane tray tables test positive for more bacteria than most bathroom surfaces. We wipe ours down every single flight. Cheap, light, and you will be glad you have them.
🔒 Documents & Security
Travel Safe
Diyife Travel Safe
Lock up your passport in any hotel room
A portable safe that cables to a fixed object in your room. Fits your passport, cash, and cards. In shared accommodation or anywhere you leave valuables unattended, this buys real peace of mind.
🩺 Health & Comfort
Sleep Aid
Webber Naturals Melatonin 5mg
Reset your body clock without the grogginess
Crossing six time zones wrecks your sleep. Melatonin taken at the right time fast-tracks adjustment without the hangover of stronger sleep aids. We take it the first two nights in every new country.
Pain Relief
Advil Tablets
Do not wait until you need it to find it
Pain relief, fever reduction, inflammation from too much walking. Pack it before you go. Finding familiar medicine in rural Asia is harder than you think.
Stomach
Pepto Bismol
Street food is worth it. This is your backup plan.
We ate street food every day across Southeast Asia. Stomach upset in a foreign country on a travel day is miserable. Keep it in your bag before you need it.
Cold and Flu
Vicks DayQuil & NyQuil Combo
Getting sick mid-trip does not mean stopping
Air-conditioned buses and crowded airports are cold and flu factories. DayQuil keeps you functional. NyQuil knocks you out so you actually recover. Non-negotiable on a long trip.
Insect Repellent
Natrapel 6-Hour Repellent
Mosquitoes in Southeast Asia are not a joke
DEET-free but EPA-registered effective. Works for six hours and does not melt your camera gear or ruin clothes the way DEET can. Used through Thailand and Vietnam where mosquito-borne illness is a real concern.
Bite Relief
BUG BITE THING Suction Tool
When repellent fails – this actually works
Draws out the irritant from bug bites, dramatically reducing itching and swelling. Sounds gimmicky. It works. We both have one and use it more than we expected to. No chemicals, works instantly.
First Aid
Travel First Aid Kit
Compact enough to forget about, useful enough to matter
Bandages, antiseptic wipes, tweezers, safety pins. Covers the small emergencies that happen on any long trip. The one you want is the one already in your bag before you need it.
Sinus
NeilMed Sinus Rinse
Dry plane air and pollution hit your sinuses hard
Airplane cabins are drier than most deserts. Long-haul flights followed by high-pollution cities wreck your sinuses. A rinse at the end of travel days keeps you breathing clearly.
Itch Relief
Natural Itch Relief Patches
Stick it on and stop thinking about it
Small patches that go directly on bug bites. Reduces itching within minutes and stops scratching, meaning bites heal faster. Great for nights when you cannot stop thinking about that ankle bite.
💆 Skin & Beauty
SPF
d’alba Sunscreen
Non-negotiable in Southeast Asia
The UV index in Thailand and Vietnam is brutal. The d’alba goes on weightlessly with no white cast. Korean sunscreen formulas are genuinely better than what we grew up with in Canada.
Lip Care
Carmex Classic Lip Balm
Airplane air destroys your lips
Dry cabin air on long-haul flights is brutal on lips. Carmex is the one we have used for years. It actually heals rather than just coating. Pack it in your carry-on.
Moisturiser
Physiogel Daily Moisture Therapy
Keeps your skin calm when climate-hopping
Going from humid Vietnam to Korean air conditioning to dry Japanese winter wrecks your skin barrier. Physiogel is dermatologist-recommended and one of the few moisturisers that keeps up with constant climate changes.
Serum
d’alba White Truffle Spray Serum
The one Korean skincare step that actually shows
A cult Korean serum that mists on – no rubbing, no mess. Use it after moisturiser to lock everything in. Our skin genuinely looks better using this consistently through Southeast Asia.
Toner
MEDIHEAL Toner Pads
Swipe, done. No cotton pads needed.
Pre-soaked toner pads in a tub – perfect for travel because there is nothing to measure or pour. One swipe preps your skin for everything else. Great for nights when you want your routine done in two minutes.
Treatment
VT Reedle Shot Korean 300
The Korean skincare splurge worth making
A micro-needle serum that delivers actives deep into skin. Used consistently through Korea and Japan and the difference in skin texture was noticeable. The Korean product we would recommend if you only try one.
Sheet Mask
BIODANCE Bio-Collagen Deep Mask
The overnight mask that feels like actual skincare
Leave-on overnight collagen mask. Apply after your routine, sleep in it, peel off in the morning. We used these on heavy travel days when our skin needed a reset. Korean sheet mask quality is on another level.
Shampoo
UNOVE Deep Damage Repair Shampoo
For hair that has been through every climate
Pool chlorine in Thailand, hard water in China, dry air in Japan. Travel is brutal on hair. UNOVE is Korean salon-quality shampoo that repairs damage without weighing hair down.
Hair Treatment
UNOVE Deep Damage Treatment
Pairs with the shampoo for the full effect
Apply, wait two minutes, rinse. Hair through six countries of different water quality comes out feeling completely different. Worth the investment paired with the shampoo.
💻 Tech Stack
USB Hub
Anker 4-Port USB 3.0 Hub
Turn one laptop port into four
Most hotel desks have one USB port. This hub gives you four, all USB 3.0 so file transfers from your camera SD cards are fast. Tiny, light, and one of those things you stop noticing because it just works.
Cable
Anker USB-C Cable
The one cable that does not break
We have gone through cheap USB-C cables faster than any other gear. Anker cables are braided, durable, and fast-charging rated. Buy two – one in the camera bag, one in the room.
Travel Adapter
VINTAR Universal Travel Adapter
One plug. Six countries. Zero problems.
Three USB-C ports and two USB-A so you can charge everything from one wall plug. Covers every outlet type across Asia. Under $30 and one of the most-used items we packed.
Adapter
Anker Nano Travel Adapter
The compact backup adapter
Smaller than the VINTAR and better for when you need something pocketable. Works across Europe, the UK, the US, and Australia. We keep one in the camera bag as a spare.
Storage
SanDisk 1TB Portable SSD
Back up every day. Learn from our mistakes.
At 800MB/s read speeds, dumping a full day of 4K footage takes minutes. We back up every card at the end of each shooting day. 1TB holds roughly 300 hours of 4K footage. Losing footage is not something you recover from.
This page contains Amazon affiliate links. When you buy through our links we earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only recommend gear we personally own, paid for ourselves, and used on our 202-day trip across Asia.