dog backpack

[spreerider]

I took my dog backpacking a few weeks ago and next time he is going to carry his own gear (dog food is heavy and left little room for my own food).
does anyone know a good place online to get a quality pack for my dog?
It needs to be durable as he is energetic and likes to run back and forth on the trail and cheap fabric would probably get caught on branches and rip.

[Avalanche123]

I would suggest goggling dog packs. There are a number of choices out there depending on where you live. Try not to weigh your dog down too much either as it gets hard on the pads of their feet.

[horshur]

Pack is made by wilderness wanderer in kamloops...works like a hot damn.

Load your dog up till he heals voluntarily.LOL

[bighornbob]

I will second the Wilderness wanderer dog packs. I borrowed a pack to see how they look and feel while they were fixing a buddies pack (they make them around the corner from me).

They are heads and shoulders above anything else you can find in the stores. I was shocked at the price (about 175 bucks) until I saw what they are selling for around 80 dollars in the pet shops. Would not even try and compare them to the store ones.

They come in three sizes. I just am waiting for the dog to get more to adult size before I make my final order.

Here is a pic fo the pack



BHB

[calvin L]

Big horn bob . From what I see you are trying to go to light, by over packing you pup. as your pack is not the big . In a short time he should be as big as my girl . I just hope he has good hips .

calvin L

[bighornbob]

If my dog gets as big as your girl, I am scrapping the pack and getting a saddle.

Mine should be around the 100 pound mark once done growing not the 150 of your little girl.

BHB

[Kody94]

My packs are made by DogStuf, which unfortunately are no longer in business. I hope to get someone to copy them for me for my next pack dog.




Kody was 105lb in his prime, and carried 25 lbs with ease. I had him loaded up to 35 lbs once, and he handled it in 18" of snow for over 12 kms.



He's over 14 yo now...

Cheers,
4ster

[Deadeye]

I'm thinking of doing the same thing with my dog. She's only 50 lbs (small ShepX) but if she can pack 5 lbs of kibble and another lb or so of survival kit, that's lots. She's into the rhubarb most of the time, so it needs to be tough and snag-free, like a heavy-denier Cordura. Definitely gonna check out Widerness Wanderer, thx

Is there a rule of thumb for how much a dog can pack ? I know it's probably a loaded question - just looking for general guidelines.

[bighornbob]

I read somewhere that one guy said a dog should be able to carry about a 1/3 of their body weight or was it a quater. Cant remember. The guy also wrote that he was always asked whats the most his dog ever carried. He was not sure but he said once his dog had 50lbs on and was still chasing ground squirrels all over the trail. The guy figured that if the dog was still chasing the weight was not an issue.

Like Horshur said load up until they heal voluntarily. thats kind of like my train of thought.

BHB

[Kody94]

Like Horshur said load up until they heal voluntarily. thats kind of like my train of thought.

BHB

Yep. The "official" rule is: you know their pack is the right weight when they stop chasing gophers and squirrels, etc.



Cheers,
4ster