THE RIGHT KIT by Flint Sky Malamutes
This is one of the most important points to be aware of when starting out backpacking with your dog. Having the right pack for your dog and your purposes matters enormously — not just because of the practical importance of always having the right supplies for the job, but because the way the pack is positioned and how well it holds and carries weight is vital for your dog's safety and enjoyment on the trail.
When you begin, you will start with very light weights (for arctic breeds, 10% or less of their body weight, to build the right muscles for carrying the pack), so problems may not be immediately obvious — but they will start to show when you add more weight, miles, or elevation. What is true for people is true for dogs: you don't want to carry a badly made pack that doesn't fit well on the trail, or you're not going to enjoy yourself anywhere near as much, and your body will tell you about it the next day.
This is trickier with dogs because the signs may not be as easy to read until you've done a fair bit of backpacking with them and begun to know their cues. Luckily those cues will be there, and it's important to watch your dog closely as you start out for any signs of discomfort. Stopping to make adjustments on a hike is far better than pushing on and ending up with a dog that runs when a backpack is brought out.
What you want is a robust pack made with serious hiking in mind, tried and tested for dogs of different shapes and sizes. If you aren't sure about a pack you're considering, talk to people who have backpacked before. Investing a little more in a quality pack is, in my opinion, always worthwhile.
There are a number of packs on the market and I have tried quite a few of them. Unless you have definite ambitions for very long hikes with big weights, I would recommend beginning with one of the Ruffwear packs. These are excellent, long-lasting packs — my 13-year-old has been using the same Ruffwear Approach since she began proper hiking at 2 years old, and many of our new puppies have borrowed it before getting their own. The smaller pannier packs (the Approach and the Front Range Day Pack) are great for day hikes, climbs, and any of the backpacking schemes up to and including AMWA Copper and Bronze, which require 10% and 20% of body weight respectively.
Even for my dogs who will be doing bigger miles with larger packs later in the season, I generally start the season with a Ruffwear pack at lighter training weights — for me, these are simply the best-fitting packs on the market. My dogs are without a doubt most comfortable in these, specifically the Ruffwear Approach and the Ruffwear Palisades, which has slightly larger, removable panniers that can handle longer miles and higher weights when carefully packed. I also use the Palisades on my dogs with longer backs, as the fit is just that little bit better.
Another great advantage of these two packs — probably the two I use most across all my dogs — is that they are extremely adjustable. Both my 29-kilo female and my 42-kilo male can comfortably wear the same pack (see pictures below of Memphis and Colt wearing the same pack).
Despite being vastly different sizes, both dogs have quite compact builds, and as you can see from the photos, the Approach has a nice, snug fit that keeps the panniers in a comfortable position throughout the hike or climb. I love this pack for climbing because it simply doesn't move, even with more weight in it. My one reservation is that the panniers aren't removable — on a shorter hike this isn't a big deal, but repeatedly taking the whole pack on and off on long hikes or with heavy loads becomes an issue.
Which is where the Palisades comes in.
This pack is very similar but slightly larger, with removable panniers that are easy to take on and off — so no matter the weight (I've managed to get 30% in these packs), removing them at every stop is no problem. The slightly larger panniers also sit a little more comfortably on my dogs with longer backs. They are almost as compact as the Approach and sit at a similar height, with slightly better balance across a longer back. They don't sit quite as perfectly, and it's easy to get the position a little off each time you reattach them — but on balance, the removable panniers make it the marginally superior pack. Check them out here
If you want to do longer miles carrying more weight, the traditional and most widely used pack is the Wenaha, which is no longer in production. If you are lucky enough to own one or find one second-hand, getting the sizing right is all you need to have a very reliable pack for long distances carrying up to 30% of your dog's body weight. The panniers are fully removable and the pack is light, robust, and simple.
This is the gold standard pack for most backpackers I know who do long-distance hiking. That said, I have always had a few reservations — specifically, keeping the panniers perfectly balanced throughout a hike can be tricky, and with this pack an imbalance is particularly noticeable. I also find the panniers a little long; I prefer a pannier that sits slightly higher, as I feel the dogs cope better with the weight that way. The Wenaha works very well for large dogs with big shoulders and long legs, but I've been hoping for some time that something new would come to market that could handle higher weights for big dogs with a slightly better fit.
Non-Stop — who make the shoulder and racing harnesses I love — have released several new packs, one of which I'm hoping might fit that bill. I'll be reviewing the Non-Stop Amundsen pack for Snowpaw Store over the next few pack walks with my youngest, Colt, and my older girl Nevada, so watch this space!
