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Hey Everyone,

 

Since we've finished Nanuk's shots, we've been taking him out to hiking a good bit on the weekends trying to get him ready for this summer. We'll be taking him backpacking with us and would love some ideas for harness's for backpacking. We've done a bunch of research on which ones would be better but have only found 1 that I really liked.

 

The Ruffler Singletrak Pack is the one that I'm liking most right now. He won't be carrying a ton of stuff, mostly just his own water and maybe some of his food. From what I'm reading, he should only carry a max of 20% his body weight which I'm estimating to be about 8 lbs assuming he'll be about 40lbs.

 

Since we are looking at hiking multiple days and close to 5-10 miles total, I really don't want him carrying too much weight right now. The Singletrak has smaller compartments so it would only allow him to carry his own water for the day. We are looking for one that would allow him to carry his food as well but don't want anything too large that hinders his ability to move around. He will be walking a few miles each day.

 

Is there any other packs that ya'll know of that would work well for backpacking but increase the carrying capacity by just a little bit?

 

Ruffwear Singletrak- http://www.ruffwear.com/Singletrak-Pack-Dog-Pack?sc=2&category=13

 

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Never had to use them, and we did many miles of hiking. I think it depends on the terrain conditions.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Ruffwear is a great company! I really recommend their products.

 

If you decide to go with booties, Ruffwear's are the only one I recommend. Be forewarned, though, they have a tendency to either rub against the dewclaw, or flip upside down. You'd need to make sure that they're fitted properly, and if necessary, purchase the socks to protect the dewclaws.

 

Personally, I'd stay away from getting boots immediately (unless you're going to be hiking over really rough/hot/icy terrain). But even then, I'd wait; their paws toughen up like callouses. If you need to do something about chafing or just prevent any discomfort, I've had Musher's Secret recommended to me. I haven't tried it myself, but the ingredients look pretty decent.

 

Have a great time!

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Hello,

 

We have been using the Ruffwear Approach pack for more than three years with our smaller dog who weighs 35 pounds. We filled the bags with lightweight bedding for the first year while she was growing and added a little more weight in the second year. We never had a problem, although I would say when wearing the pack she tends to explore less and stay on the trail so not to get caught on branches and other debris. We have two dogs using them now and are about to by a third pack for the youngest.

 

We have never needed dog bootees while backpacking in snow, forest, desert, or sand terrain. There have been sections of lava rock that we have carried the dogs over so not to cut their feet. We also found chicken wiring on a couple of steep trails (in order to provide traction for hikers) and we carried the dogs over those short segments as well.

When we have found the need for booties (we use Ruffwear Grip Trex) is during the summer when the dogs are scooter joring regularly on pavement. Unfortunately even with purchasing the socks, the booties did rub the dewclaw and cause bleeding. We have been using Musher's secret and have found as long as you are proactive in applying it, this has protected their pads and kept them running. If you do decide to go with the booties, you can find them used for reasonable prices on-line but remember that the booties are usually sold as a single or in a group of four and we have found that our dogs front and rear feet are different sizes.

 

We hope this helps.

Edited by Meadow's Family
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Third ruffwear, they make great products from harnesses, to packs, to booties. The sizing is important on the booties as Respiratie noted, but as she said, you probably won't need them unless it's ice/severe cold. We got them for Shiloh because of all the salt that they put down in the city during the winter, but he did need them when it was -5 and below a couple of weeks ago even on just the snow. If those aren't conditions though (or there's nothing too sharp), not sure that you'd need them. You'll find out soon that these are extremely agile dogs that seems to be able to get over any terrain just fine, and a lot better than we do ;)

 

Good luck, and hope it helps.

 

 

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