With my itinerary all nailed down, it's time to start thinking about... WHAT TO PACK! For those of you who haven't seen my previous posts, I'll be in Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia in February with my daughter (24). I like to travel light (and want to have plenty of room for purchases to bring home), but I want to make sure to bring the appropriate clothing - to give us the versatility to go out to nice restaurants in Bangkok, ride elephants in Chiang Mai, and peruse temples in Siem Reap. Here's a first cut at my packing list. Would love a critique and additional suggestions for those must-have items.
1 pair lightweight (khaki color) travel pants
1 (or 2?) capris
1 pair cargo shorts (longish - almost knee length)
1 skirt, just below knee-length (colorful silk wrap - it's reversible with completely different prints on each side)
2 tank tops
1 lightweight, short-sleeved print blouse (can wear over tank tops)
1 microfiber long-sleeved blouse (can wear over tank tops to dress them up for evening)
2 short sleeve tops
1 very lightweight silk/cotton blend sweater
1 lightweight windbreaker
1 pair walking sandals (not terribly clunky - can wear with skirt)
1 pair lightweight walking shoes (kind of Mary Jane style - could also wear with skirt)
Socks, underwear

That's it for clothes. Does the skirt (just below knee length) sound ok for temples or does it need to be long? Also plan to take:

Sunglasses
Sunscreen
Deet repellent
Toiletries
A duffel bag that folds flat but opens to a large size (for stuff we buy)
Digital camera, extra batteries, recharger
Small hairdryer (am assuming small guesthouses won't have them??)
Curling iron (yes, I know, it's my major indulgence)
Adaptor plug (European style with the two round prongs, right?)
Paperback novel
Journal/pens
Pepto bismol, immodium, ibuprofen
Binoculars (useful?)

Ok, I've seen other threads on packing but I've tried to capture what seems to me to be the essentials for a trip to Southeast Asia. So what am I forgetting?
And, of course, I'm assuming I can buy basic things. In fact, am I taking too many clothes? Should I just plan on buying stuff there? (I wear a small size so shopping would probably be fairly easy for me.)
Thanks for any tips you might have!
Karen
P.S. Happy Thanksgiving!!

I always bring:

handi-wipes

two copies of travel documents, ie. passport

Duct tape wrapped around a pencil, two rows of it about 2 feet long each

Tiny note pad for making trip notes so I can do a trip report when I get home. In the back of the note pad I put a little currency conversion chart and a short list of Thai words that I may need.

A little bottle of liquid laundry detergent to wash small items as I travel.

The list goes on...

I carry travel sized toilet paper. I bought about 6 rolls of it when I found it at Target one time. I just always pop one of them in my bag when I go to BKK. And YES I've needed them (but only a few times.... but when it happens, you are really glad you have it with you!!!).

I always pack items that are in bottles in baggies. Just in case they would spring a leak, it doesn't get all over your clothing.

It's great to be able to travel light. I really try!!

Carol

I think your clothing list sounds fine. The mary-janes would be OK if you should opt to go to the top of State Tower to Sky Bar. I'd do that rather than sandals, just in case. I know they are picky about shoes and no backpacker type outfits. It's definitely worth dressing nicer to be able to go to the top of State Tower.

I'd leave off the shorts. Capris are much more acceptable. Other than that, your list sounds good.

Did you see the other thread about must take items?

For me, hand wipes, small flashlight, a cotton sarong (for use as a pool coverup, beachtowel, nightgownd,etc), and a lightweight pashmina wrap (for covering up on the planes, cool restaurants, etc)all are very useful.

Yes, definitely flashlight and handiwipes. The duct tape is an interesting idea - have you used it much? As for the pashima, would that be something I could easily buy there? I had wondered about shorts vs capris. Didn't think I'd wear the shorts much, but sometimes they're just so comfortable when it's hot. Also, anyone know if a skirt just below knee length is acceptable for the temples? I wasn't sure if skirts needed to be long. Thanks for the answers so far, and no, I must have missed the post about must-take items. Will search for it (have been away a few days and am out of the loop!).

I think this is it...if not, it isn't far down as "comfort items.."

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34710013

You can buy the Pashmina shawls everywhere. Be careful though, sometimes the really cheap ones are acrylic.

cotton, cotton, cotton and loose fitting....

cotton undies and bras so says my wife..skirt should be fine, but she no longer brings one even for the fancy restaurants we sometimes go to...nice slacks...

malaria pills??

3 days before you go, look at the stuff again and eliminate about 1/3 of it.....laundries are so cheap and everywhere that it allows much lighter travelling...

a cotton hat of some sort...

long sleeve loose fitting cotton white blouse to protect you from sun on a boat or out in the open for a long time

this is great. i go to asia for the first time in 20 days.

handiwipes are to me the most important item. use them to wash my hands, utensils if needed and in an emergency as toilet paper.

Bring an extra pair of glasses if you wear them and are blind without them.

I would email the places you are staying and ask about hair dryers--you many not need to bring one

Extra set of passport photos

leave the curling iron at home

antihistemine cream and pills for mosquito bites

leave the shorts at home and bring another pair of pants of capris

Make sure all clothing is loose and cotton or some other light breathable fabric

sun hat -- an absolute must

leave the binoculars at home

Thanks for the ideas - had forgotten all about a hat! Malaria pills - yes, definitely.
I wear extended-wear contacts - will bring an extra set - good idea.
And I think maybe I will scrap the shorts and take an extra pair of capris. They're ok in most temples, right? It's just the main one in Bangkok that absolutely requires pants or a skirt? Or are others (say in Chiang Mai and Luang Prabang) also strict and forbid even capris? I had thought Siem Reap would be a good place for the shorts but maybe not?

I forgot to mention SWIM SUIT!!

swim suit or two....don't forget your passport and tons of $$ or quiivalent...

We wore shorts at Angkor because it was so hot, but wore pants to the temples everywhere else. you might want to bring them as an option.

Don't worry about having special clothes for temples. Just buy a sarong from the first shop you see and keep it in your bag, it's light, can be rolled up and doesn't take up much room. So if you're wearing shorts or any other clothing that may be deemed inappropriate, wrap on the sarong, you can also use it to sit on beaches, wrap it around your head if it's hot or raining and you forgot a hat, you can use it like a sack to carry things. You can wear it for swimming if you forgot your swim suit. The list goes on...

Emergency sarong for temples is a good idea and one I used one hot day when I forgot and wore shorts. But capri pants are probably the best idea. They are absolutely acceptable for temples and are only a bit longer than your knee length shorts, which are not acceptable. A skirt slightly below knee length would be acceptable.

I think your original packing list looks fine if you take out the shorts. Maybe take three pair of capri pants.

Karen, I have used the duct tape! A couple of years ago the battery door on my 35 mm camera busted. Had it not been for the duct tape I would have had a heck of a time trying to take photos while struggling to keep the battery door shut.

I also used it last year when I bought a rug in Turkey. The shop keepers packed the rug in a cheap nylon duffle bag. I wrapped the tape around the bag in case the zipper busted.

It takes up very little room and it can be used for many things!

Cheers!

Just returned from a month in Hong Kong, Vietnam, Cambodia and Bangkok. I used my light weight, light colored umbrella in all four places and only one day for rain. It was much cooler for me than wearing a hat of even a visor for the sun. I took a couple of long sleeveless dresses along but found that my capris were better suited to day time activities of climbing in and out of things and better for my fat thighs rubbing together in the heat of the day. But it was nice to have them to feel feminine at dinner in the evening. I did not have any trouble wearing sleeveless tops other than the Grand Palace during the entire trip although I always carried a super light weight scarf along just in case. And I wore a pair of Tevas every single day with some plain black flip flops thrown in for the pool and dinner with the dresses or skirt that I took. I managed the whole month with a carry-on and one laundry run for the most worn items. Undies I did in the sink and even a couple of blouses that are crinkled to begin with. Have fun!

Oh my, I need to re-think some of my choices and Dec. isn't the time to be finding summer clothes in the North!
SO... capris, huh? Hate them, but if shorts are out they beat long pants in the heat. What about a skort that's 3 inches above my knee? Does the no shorts rule apply to Phuket as well?

What's the option for men? No shorts, too, or would knee length work for hubby?

Hats... I don't own one. Can I buy one that's appropriate (maybe straw) that I can discard when I leave?

Now excuse my major ignorance... I've seen a sarong tied around the tiny waists of pretty young, bikini clad, girls in Hawaii, but will they work on a size 18 woman over 50? Are they 1) large enough, and 2) appropriate looking? I'd love to use one if it will work!

thanks for your input, it's been great!

Carolyn

we find that we feel odd if we were to wear shorts in bangkok except around the hotel or pool....they are not appropriate for our age group (61) we do not feel....having said that you do see tons of people wearing shorts in bkk....there is a problem at grand palace and some temples and upscale restaurants...

skort is fine, but not too short...might not work in temples...

my wife wears mens boxer shorts to avoid chaffing...

i wear khakis all the time and a polo or camp shirt...

shorts are ok for phuket....its a resort...

you often want long things to protect against too much sun and dirt and dirty water (river) and general trash you run into...

we figure that if we dress decently when touring we can go anyplace without having to think about what we have on....

best to have a woman's shoulders covered as well when touring....even a large scarf will do that...

hat is important....there are many you can buy...even a baseball cap is fine...we also take one long sleeve cotton shirt each to protect from sun on an open boat or the like...

shoes....good walking shoes...we do not take sneakers--too hot....we also take sandels...my wife took a dressy sandel and a casual one last time and nothing else....she did buy some fancy flip flops in bkk which she wore in the evening as well...

take band-aids
nix the binoculars