I've moved to Malaysia from California,as an avid hiker and camper I studied and practiced survival skills for the places I usually traveled. Now I do all my trekking (hiking) and camping in jungles here.
I have realized I know very little about this type of environment.
I've had to learn new methods of camping; hammocks instead of tents, hot, humid, and wet conditions (building a fire is a real chore.
So, can anyone give me some tips? There's little info available (here)

Thanks!

find some Australians to hang out with over there.i hear the Aussie's backpack all over Indochina..are we still allowed to use that word??--anyway from what i see on that Globe Trekker program you should be able to find them all over the "backwoods" drinking beer in some sort of palm and thatch resort.

I've been in the Vicinity,But not in Malaysia!Your best friends/tools-Get a Malaria shot,ASAP!Machete,Nylon Everything:Ditch the leather products,Hi-Top Converse tenny's-Keeps your feet cool/Easy to wash,& Work exceptionally well in Muddy terrain,Cheap&Tough!Hire/Befriend someone from the Many University's there,that know Botany/Herpetology/Biology.Don't Eat Durian Fruit,For ANY Reason!Watch out,"Them Monkey's Bite"!,Be on your Very Best Behaviour,Westerners are Low,On the Food Chain,in them Parts!Even if you are Not a Smoker,Keep cigarettes/Bic lighter with you,At ALL times-Xlnt fire starter,De-bugging purposes,Good will gesturing for Indiginous Folks!Rubber is Easy to come by in them Parts,as it grows there,So always keep everything cinched with Rubberbands-Probably the Best Firestarter in the Jungle!If you don't,Learn to Eat Bugs,Everyone does,& It Could/Will save your life,& They are Quite Delicious!They are some of the Most Accomodating Folk's on this Planet,but they have Laws that require-Strict Adherence,Any deviation,& You will know it,Quickly!You probably know this stuff,already,But just in case!Learn Chinese if you can!Unless they happen to be Surfers or Scientists,Stay away from the "Hippies",Many eyes are watching them,Drug use is Tolerated only with Death! Now,Go out & Have some Fun!

Used bicycle inner tubes make great rubber bands. One inner tube will probably make a hundred or more.

At all costs:
Machete.

Followed up by:

Poncho,
Hammock,
50-100' of cordage. 550 cord for pref.
Bungee cords, min of 4.
Mozzie-net,
Mozzie head net, has all sorts of uses.
A very good fire lighting kit,
Water bottles,
Tin or cup to boil water in.
Anti-malarial tablets,
Dry bag with a set of dry clothing in it.
Puri-tabs,
First aid kit.
File or stone to sharpen machete,
Compass x 2,
Mulitool.
Head torch.
Whistle,
Signal mirror.
Food(dried) for a couple of days.

If you are near water add a small fishing kit.

All of this will go in a 20-30L daysack. It looks like a lot of kit, but it is not.

What ever you do: Don't go off the beaten track without this kit. Your courting death if you do.

Other Advice: Google Ray Mears, Simon Hawke and Les Stroud. Watch them through. Lot of infomation re do's and don'ts.

pay particular attention to your feet.. we had 110 inches of rain in 40 days in the Philippines in 72.... still have the nail fungus.....wear flip flops or TEVA style sandals when the activity will allow it to keep feet dry

I've never been there, so take this with a grain of salt, but I believe the SAS trains in that area for jungle survival. As such, I'd think their manual would be well geared for it.

There's also a book by McNabb (he wrote Bravo Two Zero - it's either that one or his second book) about his career in the SAS. Anyway, there's quite a good chapter on his training in that area of the world. Probably worth renting from the library if possible.

Yeah, machete is so important the SAS ties them to their belts with a dummy cord.

I did a lot of hiking in the South Pacific and spent a lot of time in the boonies of Asia and South Pacific in the military. This list is great.

Add GPS and maps.
I always carried a solid water purifier and extra batteries.

For your house I would stash a minimum of 50 gallons of potable water for typhoons and some sort of genny to run your frig and a lamp when the power is out.

Randall's Adventure Training (RAT) is run by people with very extensive jungle experience. Check out their info.

One jungle trick that the SAS uses (verified by a pal who is retired SF) is to keep 2 sets of clothes: one for hiking in the day and one for sleeping in at night. The day set gets (and stays) wet, while you keep the night set in a waterproof bag during the day. It sucks to put on the wet clothes in the morning but it is great to sleep in the dry set at night.

I would carry a good gob of long-burning tinder.

Sue