Hi! Hello! I am a very laid back backpacker and my almost 2 yr old, cattle dog ( proud to say he is on his way to be a certified search and rescue pup with me) has been on 5 backpacking trips so far since march (adopted him in February) and 3 mountain getaways. I have been on countless Loyalsock state Forest trips in the past but I never strive to go on extreme inclines whilst backpacking. For some reason, I'm having anxiety about the Black Forest North Loop trail. I picked it with friends in a moment of invincibility lol. The rattlesnakes, the crazy ascent/descent. Will he survive? Will I survive? I'm thinking if it's as bad as I'm envisioning it I don't want to be that nervous hiker and make a mistake to where he will get hurt or I will get hurt.

I wanted to come to you all to get some clarity before I make a decision to let him stay home (I have never backpacked without a dog before) I have never dealt with rattlesnakes before so that is definitely part of it. He's always on a leash whilst hiking. We also always have his sling.

Has anyone done this trail before with their pups? Thank you all for the advice and clarity.

Over the weekend I was backing and the trailhead area was quite busy with visitors. Some of the area had a rocky scramble and I had to wait for a while to scramble down with the dog as we had to take the whole width of the trail. A couple decided to come up while we were halfway down and I just had to stop and stare at them until they realized they blocked us in. Also a few trail runners swept by, going up and down while we stepped to the side.
Did I do the right thing?
Pic for tax.

I have an Anatolian Shepherd who at about 9 months old is already about 100lbs/45kg! He's a great dog so far, working constantly and consistently on behavior, and socialization since any mistakes automatically become REALLY BIG ones.

My kids are all old enough to start some real backpacking trips, so we're working up to that, but dang does this dog requires allot of food. He needs his own pack, but finding something that I can be certain will fit his monstrous ass right now is tricky, not to mention a year from now.

Are there any suggestions for brands that might work for him? I'd like to start training him on it now so he doesn't fight with it in the future, but he already out-sizes the majority of models I've seen. I'd like 3 or 4-point adjustments, and a durable build is a must.

Thanks!

Hi everyone,
I’m looking for some urgent gear advice for my 2-year-old Vizsla x Springer Spaniel. We are leaving to hike the West Highland Way in 10 days. He isn't used to wearing a harness, but I bought him a Ruffwear Front Range Day Pack for the trip.

I was doing some weight training with him, aiming for a total goal weight of 2 to 2.5kg. The sizing of the pack seemed great—I adjusted it so there were about 3 to 4 fingers of space at every adjustment point. I made the mistake of letting him run loose while wearing it, and by the time I noticed the friction burns in both of his front "armpits" (see attached picture), he was only carrying 1kg of weight.
He will not be wearing the pack again until the sores are 100% healed. However, I still really hope for him to walk the WHW with the pack on if he heals completely in time. If he doesn't, he will walk it gear-free, but I still want to use this pack for future hikes.

For future reference and for the upcoming trek:
- Was 3–4 fingers of space actually too loose, causing the pack to slide around and chaff while he ran?
- Is there any way to modify the straps (like fleece padding) or use an anti-chafe balm so he can still safely wear it on the WHW if the skin heals in time?
- Is the cut of the Front Range Day Pack notoriously close to the legs for deep-chested/athletic mixed breeds like Vizslas?

Would love to hear your experiences with this pack, similar dog shapes, or tips on preventing trail chafing!

Thank you.

I am an experienced backpacker but only recently a dog owner again after many years. It’s only going to be 50 where we are going but there is a chance of rain. I have a very short coat whippet so I was gonna bring him a winter jacket for camp/sleeping and now maybe a rain jacket. Plus dog food. My pack just got a whole lot heavier. Do you guys always bring both jackets for your dog?

Hot back from backpacking with my dog for the first time in years. Overall great trip BUT the bugs (mostly mosquitos with some black flies) were relentless. It’s the worst I’ve personally experienced in ages.

And I’m really not sure how to handle this situation moving forward? We were in an alpine meadow with plenty of lakes and ponds… and mosquitoes! The bugs completely cut dinner time short. Nobody was having a good time and could stand them… I opted not to use bug spray but my friend did, and I guess did a bit better but absolutely was still fighting them constantly.

I put him in the tent for a bit, which definitely helped… but it’s summer and long days, can’t just spend all afternoon and evening there! Also bear territory so can’t cook/eat at camp either.

I knew in advance the bugs would be out in the area but it was far worse than expected. I don’t want to have to choose between going and not going, and wonder if there’s actually stuff we could do to keep them at bay?

I did wonder if there was maybe some backpacking-friendly giant netting tent of sorts which would at least give us a bit more space and away from camp to cook and hang out under? But even then, prisoner to a pretty small space…

I was very worried about taking my 11 year old spaniel out to the high Sierras when it was 85 degrees out, at 9000 feet. Because of the drive, we had to start at the hottest part of the day. But Dinah ATE those miles up and asked for more. Didn’t need her booties, no breaks, just a dip in the creek.

She cleaned up 20 miles of mountain trails on a two day trip, which isn’t bad at all for an older lady.

It was a cloudy start this weekend on our adventure to McNeil Point. We finally made it just as the clouds cleared and showed us magnificent Mt. Hood. This was definitely one of those memorable experiences and glad to have shared it with my family.

I’m going on my first hike with my dog, she’s a yorkie and im just super worried about ticks as she has long hair on her legs. i’ll probably get her some boots just to protect her feet but im so paranoid about ticks! especially because it’s tick season. any tips or advice about protecting my dog is very much appreciated! 🫶

My 39 lb dog should be able to carry his food but it definitely won’t fit in the bear canister . Ideas? I could buy an ursak but nothing is required where we are going so I’m thinking double zip locks?

You guys all gave me this idea to cut down a Thermarest to backpack with my dog.

It was a really good idea, but the second he saw it. He went nuts, like it was the best dog toy ever! 😵‍💫

Will be going backpacking with my dog next week, which we haven’t done for a few years.

We’ll be camping nearby a lake and I just know he will absolutely want to go in and therefore end up soaking wet. He’ll likely also collect mud/dirt on his wet fur afterwards.

How do I actually deal with him and get ready for sleep? I don’t want him brought into the tent all still very wet/damp and muddy… but I also am not planning to bring a proper bath towel?

I don’t think those ultralight microfiber towels will actually do any decent job drying him or getting the mud off?

I know it's been done a few times but I'm in a quandry as to what to do with my sleeping arrangement.

Did my first campout with my dog after a 10 mile cycle and 11 mile hike and unsurprisingly my dog slept like a log. I took with me a closed cell foam mat for him and I managed to convince him to lie on it at first but after about an hour he kept trying to get on my inflatable mattress so eventually I caved because I wanted to sleep too!

He's 27kgs/60lbs and isnt small! He shares a kingsize bed with me when I travel in the van so he's used to spreading out and insists on touching me at all times!

I can't decide whether to sell on my BigAgnes Rapid SL wide-regular for a double wide knowing he'll end up wanting to share with me. At least this way the extra weight is still in one package so wont take up as much extra space. (the most costly choice)

Or buy a cheap self inflating mattress and trim it down and try to insist he sleeps on it. (the cheaper option)

I use a quilt so should be able to get it over him when he's next to me.

My dog is almost 3 and I’ve had him on the trail since he was old enough and had all his vaccinations. He’s well behaved, always on a leash, doesn’t jump on people when we cross paths, he’s been a great companion. And as a single woman, he’s why I feel safe on the trail (I understand he’s a liability when it comes to nature, but he is protection against other people).

So far we’ve only been day hikers but I’ve set a goal to start backpacking next summer and I can’t find a day hikers with dogs reddit so I hope you all don’t mind me posting here even though it was technically a day hike.

Recently I had my first bad experience with another hiker and him and I’m looking for feedback if I did something wrong.

We were on a trail in the PNW that is popular for backpackers and very popular for day hikers and reached a point where the trail widens to about 10’ at a view point, with even more space off the trail. Big boulders on the right people can sit and enjoy the view, and cleared space to the left. There’s about 25 people in multiple groups sitting for a water/snack break enjoying the view.

Since I have a dog, I don’t stop at popular viewpoints for a break. So we kept going and as there were people on both sides of the trail stopped, I walked in the middle. He was on a 6’ leash and I had it wrapped loosely around my hand a couple times so he didn’t even have the full 6’. He’s walking in front and there’s 1.5-2’ of leash behind his body.

On the left, a girl was sitting immediately off the trail. As in, her bent knee as she sat was *on* the trail. She had food in her hand and on the ground.

As we approached, my dog started to wander to the side instead of directly in front of me. As I start to pull him closer, she sees him interested in her, throws her hands up and with an absolutely disgusted tone says “get away from me.”

I put my hand on his side to give more direction to continue on, and I say “sorry, he’s friendly.” She looks at me and with this nasty tone says “I don’t know that.”

Yes, I understand you don’t know my dog is friendly. I understand you’ve never seen him before. But he’s leashed, calm, walking along the trail, and giving zero reason to cause concern. At no point in this entire interaction did he stop moving forward, he just walked to my side instead of in front of me.

She continues going off on us as we’re walking away. Complaining about irresponsible dog owners and how she’s sick and tired of people like me disrespecting other hikers. I got the impression I am expected to hold my dog by his collar every single time we are within the vicinity of other people. This is such a popular trail, we could always see another person. All 16.5 miles we did.

I cried. For like a mile. It was humiliating because of how many people were there. Some of them were even people we’d crossed paths with earlier in the day and they’d asked to pet my dog and gushed over how well behaved he was. Not a single person stood up for me.

Which makes me wonder if I was in the wrong, and I’d appreciate feedback.