Hi All, I'm fairly new to this community, so apologies if already discussed.

I know freeze dried dog food is available, but in the interest of feeding my pup his regular food while on trail, I decided to put his dry food in my dehydrator for a day to see how much weight I could reduce.

The dehydrated food weighed 94% of the original dry food weight. I know this doesn't sound like much, but that is the equivalent of 1 oz per pound. My pup eats about 2 lbs a day, so a savings of 2 oz a day. for a five day trip, that's 10 oz less weight. If you have a dehydrator, I think it's worth it.

I did this now (December) when indoor humidity levels are very low. I live in the midwest, so I would guess that the savings would be much higher in the very humid summer. You must also seal the food bags shut (zip-lock) to keep the food from reabsorbing the ambient moisture.

Any one still use these ? I used to years ago with my hunting dogs

Hi everyone! I’m an MBA student researching how dog owners manage their pets’ safety during outdoor activities like hiking, camping, or traveling.

I’m especially curious about situations where dogs might wander off, what precautions people take, and which tools they currently use.

I put together a short survey to learn more about people’s experiences:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScAyR4s0jTTExqt9rac3bxLDyqzKST5hozjFksDfrLPofD1WQ/viewform

Would really appreciate your input! Happy to hear any experiences in the comments too.

Hello all,

I have been traveling as a backpacker since I am 16 years old. Next year I am taking a year off to travel south america and I would like to share the experience with the most people I can. Show them what is the real backpacking, hostels, camping and etc (With a low budget and a guitar as I am kind of a musician, I also always find a local dog while hiking and chill with them the whole time).

I would like to have some exposure in order to share with the most people but since I have been disconnected from social media I am not really popular on Social Media. If you think this is interesting and want to help me get more exposure on insta "SierraPars" You can also send me a message and tell me if you have great ideas or advice.

Places to go or just support messages. I am not doing this for fame or anything, I have a pretty decent job and life. My only goal is to share the experience and show people that traveling and backpacking is accessible to all. Instead of following random material things on Social media they can enjoy the ride with me and maybe get motivated to do the same.

You can also up vote :)

or down vote :(

Thank you :D

Hello everyone! My husband and I recently got a second dog and are trying to figure out how the tent situation is going to work when out backpacking. It was already pretty cramped with one dog, so I can’t imagine it working with two.

I was considering maybe getting a separate dog tent that they could share and stay in separately? But I’d be worried about bears on the other hand (we hike in the Appalachians). We’ve considered getting a bigger tent, but cost is currently the biggest limiter. A dog tent costs $37 on amazon but a new larger backpacking tent is hundreds…

Would love to have any advice or stories of other backpackers with multiple dogs!! 🐶

I know this hasn’t been out but for little while but I was wondering if anyone has this pack would like to give some insight on pros and cons ? And if you wanted to comment on the stasher snack bag that would be wonderful I’m actually kind of regretting not purchasing a few more items like the coats , the dog bowls the lids they have so may cool products I’m an avid walker and I think we’d benefit from a lot of them so if you have any experience with any of their products please feel free to comment

TIA- that girl and her dogs 🐕

I’m curious how much of a load you all let your dogs carry in their packs. I know the oft cited 20% of body weight max for humans but I generally think dogs are stronger pound for pound. FWIW I’m no where near 20% for myself and would always strive for less with my dog.

Edit: The above is poorly worded so let me clarify, my dog is ~60 lbs and has never carried more than ~2.5lbs I’m not looking to max out his load I was just curious if there was a similiar rule of thumb for dogs like we have for people. I’m a lightweight hiker and continue that theme my dog

Edit: The Internet never fails to disappoint to bring out the best in all of us, I honestly didn’t think this would light such a fire under so many here, literally in ”BACKPACKINGDOGS” sub.

https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/training/teach-dog-wear-backpack/

https://journals.biologists.com/jeb/article/228/17/jeb250524/369163/The-biomechanics-of-working-dog-locomotion-II

Howdy y’all. I’m planning on going back packing for the next year straight. I’ll be going along the PCT making extensive routes around not dog friendly national parks. I’m wondering if anyone else has done this before and what challenges they had to overcome. For Terence I’ve been prepping my GSD 80lbs with 10 lbs of weight on 7 mile walks daily for the last 2 years. I just found a puppy in the woods near Astoria Oregon and the goal is to have her ready by June. She’s 6 months a lab.

What can I do to prepare her. What trails should I avoid? Regarding food we’ll be carrying dehydrated dog food.

I’ve done multiple weeks before but this will be my longest track and I feel like my gal is finally ready to go and think the puppy would be fine as she’s doing the same 7 mile walks through the woods daily as my older gal. Thoughts?

Also regarding finances I run an online business through my laptop and have a Wi-Fi internet device that runs through a solar panel battery system that weighs about 7 lbs in total.

Hi there, I’m planning on getting a Belgian Malinois in the next 6 months and I am specifically looking for a dog that can go camping/back packing and beach trips with me. I’m looking at a lot of mals in my areas between breeders and shelters.

Now I want to be able to properly train recall, even possibly snake training. I have cats at my parents house where I visit often. Would it be better if I got a puppy and raised it from the ground up or is it alright if I looked at a older dog like 2-5 years? I also own a 10yr old German shepherd who can no longer accompany me with out medication :(

Any tips at all for training or information is happily taken.

Edit/update: Thank you everyone who has given me kind information and great recommendations. I believe I will stick with a German Shepherd. I still plan to get my next partner in the next year. Thank you!

From: North Liberty, Iowa To: Badlands NP, Wind Cave NP, Grand Teton NP, Yellowstone NP, Glacier NP, Theodore Roosevelt NP Travelers: 2 adults, driving Dates: August 16 to August 23 (8 days) Purpose: Scenic adventure, sightseeing, chill time, budget-friendly

I'm looking to get a dog soon. I live in Colorado and spend most my time skiing, mountain biking, and hiking. I'd love to get a rescue dog that can follow me, off leash, up and down mountains in both winter and summer. Medium to large size is preferred, as there's lots of wildlife around here.

Planning some hikes with my 2 year old aussie mix and I’ve just realized my AirTag setup will probably be useless out there. Last weekend we were on a trail maybe 3 miles from the nearest road and lost signal on the AirTag for hours and only got updates when we hiked back toward the trailhead.

My pup is usually great off-leash but desert wildlife can be unpredictable. I’m a little paranoid about her chasing something into a wash or getting turned around if we get separated. The whole point of bringing tracking was peace of mind but now I'm second guessing everything. I’m thinking of getting a dedicated gps tracker just in case

I’ve looked around and my main concerns are:

• Need something that still works if my dog gets far enough away that the AirTag signal stops working

• Either good battery life or fast charging. I bring a handy battery pack anywhere I go anyway

• Lightweight enough for a 45lb dog

• Won't get destroyed by sand/heat/water, just anything with weatherproofing really

I’m seeing tractive and fi come up often but people also have their own complaints about them. What’s the better option here? Also curious if anyone's tried those Garmin hunting collars, I know this seems overkill but maybe that's what’s needed for serious wilderness?

Edit: Went with tractive for the more accurate and expansive tracking. Hopefully I never have to use it

Does anyone here have experience flying with dogs in the cabin with you? My partner and I are getting a mini poodle that will be about 11 pounds and 31 cm tall. We are trying to figure out if he will be to big to ride in the airplane cabin with us on our future travels or not. Thanks!

In preparation for summer, I’ve been looking into holistic tick prevention options, outside of monthly tablets/treatments. I used to soak a bandana and spray my dog’s pack with permethrin, however my cat has joined our hiking group and permethrin is toxic to cats. I am aware of peppermint or lavender based solutions but I wanted to see if anyone had other suggestions for their furry friends.

FYI: southeastern US backpacking