The Sahyadris in monsoon are the best version of themselves — waterfalls where there were none, cliffs disappearing into cloud, the whole range impossibly green. They are also relentlessly, thoroughly wet. The people who enjoy a monsoon trek aren't the ones who stay dry (nobody does) — they're the ones who packed to be wet and comfortable anyway.
Here's how you do that.
A rain poncho beats an umbrella and often beats a rain jacket on a windy ridge — it covers your pack too. Quick-dry synthetic clothing, never cotton, which stays soaked and cold for hours. A change of dry clothes sealed in a plastic bag for the end of the day is the single most morale-saving item you can carry.
Wet Sahyadri rock and mud are genuinely slippery, and most monsoon mishaps are slips. Trekking shoes with real grip, worn in, not new. A trekking pole helps more than you'd think on greasy descents. Pack a spare pair of dry socks; wet feet all day is how blisters and misery start.
A dry bag or a rucksack cover, plus zip-lock bags inside for your phone, power bank, documents and any electronics. Assume water gets everywhere, because it will. A headlamp for early starts and cloud-darkened trails, and a power bank since you can't rely on charging.
On the Shravan circuit you're moving between wet trails and temple towns, so carry one set of modest, presentable clothes kept dry for darshan — covered shoulders and legs — and remember many sanctums ask you to remove footwear and leather. A small towel, cash in a waterproof pouch, and basic first aid round it out.
Monsoon rewards the prepared and humbles everyone else. Travel the Sahyadris and the Shravan trail with GoRaahi, and we'll make sure you know exactly what to carry before you set out.
Read next: The Maharashtra 3-Jyotirlinga Circuit · A Temple-Town Packing List
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