Today was gear check day at ISDSI. We don’t require students to purchase lots of books for the semester (we provide readers once they are here), but they do need to be properly equipped for the Expedition Field Courses. Before coming on the program, students are given a gear list to know what they need to bring.

Taylor's ready to go.

Why gear like this for an academic program?

A favorite piece of gear -- NRS watershoes (with a strap). Comfortable, and stay on even knee deep in mangrove mud.

The ISDSI program in Thailand is based around “Expedition Field Courses” which are intensely experiential and hands on. While EFCs start with one week at the Institute in town, the remaining three weeks are in the field—living, learning and working with villagers, tribal people, and others.

Betsy checking her gear with Pi Carrie.

The academic courses require students to live and travel in often remote and challenging environments while engaged in academically rigorous studies. Thus, the academic requirements of the program necessitate strong expedition skills. As with any expedition into difficult conditions, appropriate equipment and clothing is often critical to success.

We've got a lot of gear available if students need it -- widemouth stainless steel water bottles, sleeping bags, backpacks, etc.

The focus of our program is on the experiential study of people, the environment and development. If you are properly equipped for the expedition field courses, you will better be able to focus on your studies.

Pi Aaron fitting Jill's backpack.

We’ve found that spending time getting students (and staff) equipped well pays of in lots of ways.  If you’re sore from an ill-fitting backpack, it is even harder to sleep on a bamboo floor.  If you don’t have quick-dry clothes, for example, you might still be wet from a river crossing when trying to listen to a field seminar.

Five key pieces of gear -- sunglasses, a wiregate 'biner, a sunhat, a headlamp and quick-dry pants.

ISDSI Expedition Field Courses are not easy — the demands of academic coursework, cross-cultural living, and backcountry travel are significant.  We don’t want shoddy equipment to get in the way of a student’s learning!

Nikki ready to hit the trail (after she puts the top of the backpack on correctly...)

This fall we decided to increase our fleet of boats. We have 16+ sea kayaks (mostly singles and some doubles), as well as a couple of stand up paddleboards, a couple of sit-on-top kayaks, and nine SOAR inflatable canoes.

Backing into the gate.

We’ve decided to add some regular canoes for our Rivers course, and after looking around — without luck — for a local supplier, we contacted Mad River Canoe. They got right back to us and we worked out a great deal, including setting up the shipping from South Carolina all the way to Chiang Mai. (The specific canoe is the Explorer 16 TT.)

The container full of canoes.

The canoes got here on Saturday, and just as we got them unloaded from the container, the new students showed up and helped carry them to the office.

Nong Miriam, Ajaan Mark, and Paw Chuck starting to unload.

The container was on a 18 wheeler truck, who made an amazing U-turn in front of the office across 2+ lanes of traffic on the Superhighway before backing into our compound’s gate.

Miriam lifting and moving the canoes out of the container.

We then hopped up into the container, pulled the canoes out, and the students helped carry them back to the office.

Canoes in the front of the office.

We’re going to build a rack this week.

The Mad River Rabbit in Chiang Mai...

From the Mad River website:

The story of Mad River Canoe begins in a patch of ferns, oh so long ago, with friend Rabbit. Native American legend has it that Rabbit was a great hunter and a bit of a trickster, but most of all Rabbit was confident in his abilities. So confident in fact, that even as Lynx circles the fern, planning his attack, Rabbit is free to enjoy his pipe, secure in his abilities to avoid this mortal enemy.

Within every legend, there is truth. And the truth in the legend of Rabbit is that confidence is a powerful asset when backed up by ability.

“Confidence backed up by ability” fits well with our approach to leadership and experiential education — so we’re glad to have the rabbit in Chiang Mai!

Thanks to Patrick FitzGerald and Preston Lowery and all the other folks at Mad River and Confluence Watersports for making this happen!

A new group of students arrives at ISDSI at the end of the week.  In addition to planning meetings, confirming activities and course details, we’re pulling and cleaning gear, sorting equipment, and getting the expedition side of our courses ready.  To do expedition based experiential learning well requires a lot of gear!

Paddles for sea kayaks and canoes.

Carrie cleaning and drying PFDs.

Even more PFDs (we have a LOT of PFDs).

Masks and sea kayak pumps. Seawater wreaks havoc on gear, so we've got to clean and soak it in fresh water.

Aaron soring gear, tents, scientific testing equipment and other things.

Some (but not all) of our gear storage. It is a constant challenge to keep things sorted and organized well.

Drying tents (just before an unseasonal rain!)

We’ve been focused on sea kayaking and skin diving on our two courses in the south of Thailand, but I wonder if we should see about getting a couple of these…

Pedal powered submarine

It may sound like a crazy stunt dreamed up by an adrenalin junkie, but the plan, dubbed the “Subhuman project”, has attracted serious attention from marine biologists. That’s because the sub, when it takes to the seas later this year, could for the first time allow them to explore the upper layers of the ocean silently and unobtrusively, revealing marine life as it has never been seen before.

Go here to read his blog, and catch up on their current plans.  The novelty aside, if they can pull this off the amount of scientific data about the oceans they would gather would be significant.