Cool gear! But no, we don't get a discount... alas!

Crew! You're probably going to think that this is a little too extreme, but i wanted to make you aware of a few things nonetheless. In my journeys to India, i have essentially wrestled continually with two unresolved problems:

1) Clothing. You see, the problem (particularly with construction) is that you're pretty much going to thrash whatever you're going to take to wear. As a result, you can approach this one of two ways:

a) Just plan on taking disposeable clothing. This is pretty much what i usually do. I take a couple of pair of slacks and a couple of shirts (most often purchased from Goodwill), and just plan on the fact that i'm going to kill them on the field and then end up leaving them there. This goes for the shoes too. I come back lighter and have more room in my pack for things i want to bring home (i.e. souvenirs, etc.). This is a good plan, particularly if you're only going to go to India once. Given your situation, however (i.e. going in March AND in Oct/November), and mine (i now go to India a couple of times per year), you may choose as well to do the next option.

b) Test pilot gear that is specifically made to take a beating. I'm going to give this one a shot this trip. I have done some hunting, and have found some manufacturers who produce several types of clothing that are specifically designed for Adventure/Travel or Outdoor use. You may have other sources that you like (Orvis, etc.), but i have seen some of these garments "in action" in our teams (team members have tried them out in the past) and they seem to work well. Here's a couple of examples:

REI Sahara Zip-Off Pants
These pants are "convertibles" in the sense that they can go quickly from being pants to shorts and back again. REI manufactures them for both men and women, and while women will not be able to utilize the "shorts" function in-country, if you're particularly hot-blooded, you may prefer them in other climes. The "real" benefit to these pants is that they are rip-stop, very cool and breatheable, they dry quickly and easily, and are "wrinkle free". Right now, they are also on-sale at REI.com for like $40/pair (yes, they're pricey), but they make them for both men and women. Click here for REI's main site.

TravelSmith Quick-Dry Underwear
Rob swears by these. He says that you can literally just pack two pair of these, wash them out in the evening and they are dry by the morning. He says that they are a little pricey, but that they wick sweat, are cool and comfortable, and can minimize the necessity to take "plenty of underwear" (which is generally my rule of thumb). To get to TravelSmith's main site, go here. To get to TravelSmith's page for this underwear (men's) , click here. Unfortunately, i haven't been able to find these for women, but will keep looking.

2) The "perfect pack". One other "unending search" for your truly is for the "perfect gear pack". I have tried all kinds of things, and have yet to discover something that works unilaterally for all of my needs in India. HOWEVER, recently, both Mark and Amber Beeson joined us (Nov/Dec 2005 trip), and both of them had pack assemblies that made me stop and say, "My, that's certainly a cool rig!" Amber's get-up was the one she used for backpacking in Australia and while i cannot remember the name of the manufactuer, know that it was a fairly common brand. It was very "modular" (i.e. it all zipped, snapped or held together into one unit, or could be easily disassembled into a day-pack, backpack and "main pack"), and she could pack all of her gear into it easily. It also "expanded" through zipper-based "accordion" expansions on the sides, and if you look around a bit, could probably find something that meets that description. I have a call into her to ask her who the manufacturer is, and when i find out, will post it to the "comments" in this article.

Mark, however, had what is in my humble opion, the "Mecca of all backpacks". He purchased his system because he hunts so much all over the world, and for him, having a super-functional system is an absolute necessity. It's totally cool! It's manufactured by a high-end company called Kifaru who custom-manufactures systems for the Military and hunting parties. They have several models for consideration in both their Military and their Hunting lines, but the things that i noticed most about Mark's rig were as follows:

a) It was manufactured to his specifications. Yep, you got it. You feed Kifaru your body dimensions and they custom-manufacture your rig to fit your specific body.
b) It's built to be modular. Depending on which system you select, it is built be "scalable" to literally the needs of your individual day. You can have the whole thing bundle together for your trip to/from, or strip it down to little more than a fanny-pack if you just are taking a quick jaunt down the trail for a good photo op.
c) It's exceptionally ergonomically designed. The Kifaru systems are specifically engineered to save your back. They ride low on your lower back and are reinforced in various capacities to ensure that your load-bearing is distributed evenly over your spine and back.
d) It looks cool! There were several times when i thought that Mark looked more like a WWII 101st Airborne member than a Teaching Pastor at a growing church in Indiana, but because of the design of the system, he was by far the most comfortable of any of us. Click here for Kifaru's main site.

Quick Notes (1): A Kifaru system will set you back $$-wise a minimum of about $500.00. They're extremely expensive, but if you travel, hike or backpack regularly, you may want to give them a look. I just had never heard of them before, and Mark was great about walking me through the details.
Quick Note (2): If you order a Kifaru system and plan to take it to India with you, make sure you do NOT order it in any form of camoflage. A general safety rule for travellers in general is to "never look like a soldier". Soldiers make good targets. We don't want to be targets. If you order a Kifaru system from their Military or Hunters line, ensure that it is standard "Coyote Brown", or, as a second, "Drab". But no camo!

Now, here are my caveats if you've made it this far in the article:
1) YOU DON'T NEED ANY OF THIS STUFF!!! Seriously, no need to go out and blow a big wad of change on something you're going to use once... okay, maybe twice in your case... unless you're planning on doing this kind of thing regularly or just want to be a part of the experiementation process.
2) I'M NOT ENDORSING, RECOMMENDING OR ADVOCATING ANY OF THESE PRODUCTS! Hey, i have parents who are attorneys, so i'm used to putting disclaimers on things at the bottom after i've already told you my personal opinion. Seriously, though, these are just things that i'm thinking about trying, or things to put into your "things to chew on and muddle over" category. I haven't even personally tried any of the things listed above, but am going to give one or two of them a shot this go 'round just to see if they work like they say they're supposed to work.

Those said, have fun! If you decide to purchase any of the above stuff, or anything else that you think or decide on the other side of the trip would be helpful for future teams, please let me know about it so that we can do these kinds of articles for future crews.

In the mean time, you guys ROCK! Looking forward to seeing you next Tuesday!
-samurai jack