What would you bring with you to Thailand?

As an American, electronics are cheaper in the states then in Thailand.

I would only bring what you can carry in a couple checked bags on airplane.

Straydog; You beat me to the punch I was just about to say the same thing.

I will add one thing that I have heard from Australians. Thailand does not sell gas bar-be-que grills. I have heard that some Aussie's have had their grills shipped because they missed them so much. Again, I heard this from Aussie's.

As is implied, there's no point in paying for shipping anything, just pack your bags to your satisfaction.

Tea bags

I think you can buy some stuff that you need from Malaysia or Singapore. Just bring your suitcase will do. Save you the agony.

My thinking is that I can buy what I need upon arrival. I intend to bring only carry-on and buy what I need on the fly. The only additional items on my list is my laptop PC + external HDD.

You can buy those in Thailand and almost any other kind of computer thing, it's just that it might cost more here. But the pirated software is usually cheap. Bring some of your personal creature comforts also. There might be a brand named item that you like and they don't have it here.

bill kip wrote:

You can buy those in Thailand and almost any other kind of computer thing, it's just that it might cost more here. But the pirated software is usually cheap. Bring some of your personal creature comforts also. There might be a brand named item that you like and they don't have it here.

I will be staying long term so I bought a top of the line portable gaming rig (extremely fast, and powerful Core I7 CPU and geForce 1070 GPU VR ready Laptop) that (to the best of my knowledge) can't be purchased in LOS, along with two 5 TB portable HDD. outside of that I will have only carry-on. Everything else I will buy upon my arrival, or as needed.

A big jar of ibuprofen, if you need it for health and comfort. The Thai pharmacies seem negative about it.

I have no difficulty buying ibuprofen here in Chiang Rai.  They just don't sell it in the massive volume which is available in the US.

Aveeno sunscreen, a laptop, a carry-on guitar and something small but high quality to record on and maybe do videos on . . . Zoom devices are great for this. Oh, and a small dictionary / phrase book to get a kick start in the language. I also have an online course -- Learn Thai from a White Guy -- He gives you a good start in reading the language, etc. Good shoes for long walks and that are easy to slip in and out of (homes, temples). I.D. debit card, credit card and money. Comfortable underwear and socks. A few changes in clothing. Toothbrush and floss. A good Thai cell phone. Shots for hepatitis, etc and jungle fever medicine before you go. Good to go.   dcb

The most important thing is your brain. Please do not leave it at the airport.

       Look for an accident insurance that covers all medical costs, no matter if the rented motorbike had insurance or not.

  Get an IDP, it's just a copy of your driver's license, but internationally recognized. Once you've decided to live here, go for the Thai driver's license.

If you're a biker, bring your integral helmet with you, the most helmets here are thin pieces of crap and do not help should you have an accident.

  Don't fall in love with a bar girl, no matter what she tells you. Thai prostitutes are different to those from other countries. They play the loving and hand-holding wife. be careful.

And do not bring your mentality if you're easily pissed off because of little things. Many things are different in Thailand. Even when you might not realize that in your first weeks/months.

That is not true about BBQ grills not being available in Thailand.  You can purchase Weber grills which in my opinion are the best.  Yes, they are twice as expensive as in the states but they are available.

There are plenty of places to purchase tea both local and imported in Thailand.

Totally agree that the helmets here are very poorly made.  Bring one with you.

As previous responses indicate... you can get most stuff here.
Not meaning to advertise one particular Thai online mail order firm, but, if these guys haven't got it, think about bringing it...
https://www.lazada.co.th/
(You can navigate to  English -language pages).

If you wear specs, bring a spare pair. I'm a Brit, and I've found that good quality varifocals are quite a bit more expensive here.
If you have extra- large size shoes and socks ( e.g. AU/US size 13, UK size 11, EU size 46), stock-up at home.

Oh yeah... bring the appropriate Visa...!!!

After living here in Chiang Mai for 5 months  there are only a couple of things that I find I have missed. If you like to have a soak in a bathtub from time to time bring ‘Radox'.
If you have a favourite pillow-bring it and flat sheets of any quality are pretty difficult to find.
Bring ‘King Size'. If you are renting there will be no flat sheet to go on top of you. Sometimes it's too uncomfortable and hot with only a ‘Doona'.
I find that anything else is here.
One other suggestion would be to make sure you have an ‘International Driving Permit' it will save you heap of money in fines and if you don't have a motorcycle license plan ahead and get one. Not just a learners but an open license and add it to you driving permit.
Enjoy

A couple of decade ago I might have agreed with you but Jaspal has some great bed linens available under their Santas brand.  Their Calabria is a lovely 900 count Egyptian cotton.  Granted they can be a bit pricey but good quality is available here in Thailand.

Robinaus....
Forget the Radox - it's only Magnesium sulfate with smell. Get this from any farm produce store or ask for Epsom salts, then if you want the scent, add some yourself. You may find it in supermarkets - it's there in Oz. Otherwise known as bath salts - read the label.
I might suggest a dual sim phone so you don't have to keep swapping sims. I had this problem remitting money in Philippines. My Oz phone was registered with the remit company, but I had a Ph sim, so I had problems completing the transactions..