Packing Equipment RSS
New Mexico Bull Elk
Pannier Load Balancing Tips and Tricks
Many skills are required to properly haul loads with equines. Knowledge of proper lashings and hitches seems to be a lost art. I've seen some crazy stuff when it comes to inexperienced people tying down loads. Whether it’s a box hitch, diamond hitch or squaw hitch, folks who regularly pack with broom tails will always have their favorite method. An old packer once commented about the controversy of which hitch is best: "If you get from the trailhead to camp without losing any packing gear or injuring humans or your animals, then you probably did something right." Although this has...
Introducing the Cody Pack -- A Compact, Versatile Day Pack
I had an idea to build a pack that would mount on my panniers and double as both a large side pouch and a small day pack. Whenever I design a new product, I always keep simplicity in mind. It has been my experience that some of the best made outdoor gear is overbuilt, not over-designed. When I finished the prototype I was satisfied that this pouch/day pack would stand up to anything the backcountry could throw at it. There was only one problem: what should I name it? I have four children -- three sons and a daughter. All...
"Donkeys Walk Too Slowly!"
I read a post recently on a donkey/pack mule online forum where a commenter listed various reasons why he did not care to use donkeys as pack animals. Among other things, one of the reasons he cited was that “donkeys walk too slowly.” Huh, I thought. That’s interesting. I don’t know where he would come up with that idea. First of all, on average, a donkey walks about the same speed as a man. Of course, there are factors like the weight of the load (and how it’s adjusted), the terrain, the weather, and in some cases, the animal’s mood which...
Good Donkey!
A few years ago, I was elk hunting in the backcountry. I had seen a nice bull elk the previous afternoon along the edge of a large meadow about 1½ miles from camp. Rather than hike up and hunt in the black timber where he’d gone, I decided to ride the donkeys a little farther in, high-line them and hunt from there. I left camp around 3:00 in the afternoon, rode about three miles, and tied up the donkeys. I had the rest of the afternoon to hunt so I headed out on foot. I saw a few elk but...
