What to Pack for Thailand
Hot, humid, and casual, with strict cover-up rules at temples. Pack light, leave room for what you will buy, and skip anything you can grab cheaply at any 7-Eleven.
What Thailand Does to Your Packing
Six things worth knowing before you open the suitcase. They are why the list further down is shorter than you expect.
Light, breathable layers
Loose cotton and linen, quick-dry fabrics, and one light long-sleeve for sun and fierce air-conditioning. You will change and sweat often, so pack for laundry, not for every day.
Cover shoulders and knees
A light shawl for your shoulders, plus a wrap skirt or light pants that slip over anything, meet temple and Grand Palace dress codes in seconds.
A packable rain layer
From June to October the afternoon downpours are short and heavy. Buy a compact umbrella when you land; they are sold on every corner for small change, and remember sandals dry faster than sneakers.
You will change more than you think
Most people shower and change again after an afternoon out, so tops go through faster than the day count suggests. The list below already allows for it.
Almost everything is sold locally
Toiletries, sunscreen, repellent, umbrellas and cheap clothes are everywhere and inexpensive. Boots and Watsons stock familiar brands, and every 7-Eleven covers the basics.
Come home heavier than you left
Clothes, tailoring and market finds are what people fill their bags with on the way back. Arriving full is the common regret.
Thai Sockets · 230V, Types A, B, C
Flat (A and B) and round (C) pins fit the same holes, so many single-pin chargers plug straight in. Pack one universal adapter to cover everything, and a small power strip if you travel with several devices.
Your Packing List
The things everyone needs, then the extras for the places you have picked. Quantities assume laundry, which is charged by weight and usually back next day, so the list stops growing after a few days.
Pick at least one kind of place above and the list will fill in around it.
Everything else on a normal packing list is sold on every other corner, and usually for less. These are the things that are genuinely hard to find.
More First-Timer Guides
Written by Belle, a Thai American who travels to Thailand every other year and has family in Bangkok. Everything here comes from my own visits unless the text says otherwise. Prices and journey times are typical cases rather than quotes, so recheck anything time-sensitive before you pay. Brand mentions are never paid placements, and the guide is reader-supported: some links may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
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