so Larian decided to block US from using items by blocking the party inventory screen

what actually happens is party members refuse to pick up items, swap gear or spells i.e, you have no control over them until you get to the beach

by the way US can still carry items if you drop them onto his portrait but you will need to kill \ loot him to get those items back

I recommend not installing the patch until you hit the beach but perhaps you like Shadowhearts default spells