The Gear You Need: Backpacking in Southeast Asia

New Balance 920
When it came to footwear, my main objective was to pack light but be utilitarian, so behold the perfect shoe: The New Balance 920 is one part water shoe (though not the floppy mesh kind you remember from the ‘90s) and one part sneaker, perfect for hiking, running, and walking in any condition, from arid and dry to downright soaked, as was the most common condition during Southeast Asia's rainy season. The Vibram sole hugged the terrain while climbing up to a waterfall, including crossing a sizeable stream at the edge of a cliff; I was the only one who trudged right through without any problems. I also appreciated the shoe's closed-toe design. While jungle trekking in Chiang Mai, the water shoes worked great as hiking shoes and I was glad for the added protection. The 920's quick-pull lacing system vastly improves on traditional tie-up laces; when you've got prickly Thailand jungle underbrush surrounding you on every side or you're wading through murky water, the laces stay clenched. Aesthetically, the shoes look sleek and stylish, which is often more than can be said for other water shoes. In fact, aside from the lacing system and the water vents near the sole of the shoe, which let grit wash out of the shoe and also aid in ventilation and drying, the 920s look almost exactly like sneakers. I'd wear them out to run errands as well as when I'm on the trail.
$89, newbalance.com

Aquis-Britanne Adventure Towel
Towels are the bane of any traveler's packing existence. They take up tons of space, and they never seem to dry—at least not before contaminating your entire pack with the stench of mildew. For most travelers, however, this isn't an issue since hotels almost always provide towels. But not so for budget guesthouses. The solution? The Aquis-Britanne Adventure Towel. Made of superabsorbent water-wicking, quick-drying Aquitex microfibers, these towels have an added bonus: they feel more like normal towels. Other pack towels I had tested felt like you were drying your body with a large, brightly-colored sheet of paper. But when you're showering in a two-by-two-foot bathroom, standing on top of a toilet, and wearing flip flops because you question the floor's cleanliness, the soft little microfiber loops in the Aquis-Britanne towel offers the slightest reminder of the normal comforts of back home—and when you're on the road, even the small things make a difference. Beyond that, the Adventure Towel was so absorbent that even after I had toweled off, large portions of the towel were still relatively dry, so I could use the same towel to dry my hair as well. The Aquis-Britanne Adventure Towel also comes with a handy snap loop so you can easily attach it to your bag or throw it on a hook to dry, it also doubled as a blanket on a couple long bus rides where the air conditioning was turned up so high I could have kept popsicles frozen in my backpack.
$31 (XL); aquis.com

Cocoon TravelSheet
At the end of an exhausting, adventure-filled day, all I wanted was to fall into bed and not worry about what creepy crawlers might be lurking under the covers. And while my fear of bugs compelled me to check out the bedding before I crashed, I did rest easier knowing that the Egyptian cotton travel sheet from Cocoon was lying between me and my hostel bed. A godsend for any budget traveler, these sheets come in a variety of fabrics to suit your sleeping conditions: flannel and microfleece for extra warmth; silk for warmth and lightness; CoolMax, a moisture-wicking polyester fabric; and both cotton and Egyptian cotton for machine-washable, everyday use that proved plenty thin and didn't make me feel like I was encumbered by fabric in the hot tropical weather. And at only 260 grams it was lightweight enough to pack it and forget—until checking into the next cheap hotel room. The sheet also includes a pocket at the top for your pillow (because as you would guess, pillowcases at budget hostels are no cleaner than the rest of the bedding)—or, in no-pillow situations, you can pack your spare clothes into the space and finally get that much-needed rest.
$36, cocoon.at