Without the trusty pack animal, things get pretty lonely (not to mention the birds that keep giving me the winger). Tsar has always been my companion on my extended trapline outings.
...But it gets old carrying around all of his supplies....
... he does it himself now.
After trying several different brands of dog packs some field use yeilded alot of complexities which limited not only the animal, but also the pack itself.
1. current dog packs rely on a lower center of gravity to avoid imbalance shifting.
2. dog packs limit the front legs movement of the animal by creating friction points on the elbow/shoulder area
3. They allow overstuffing beyond safe weight carrying ability of the animal (no more than 30% of the animals body weight)
4. items can shift inside of the packs which create a 'dead-weight' effect.
5. average brand-name pack weight was around .75 kg (~1 lb. 8 oz.)
so, with my trusty gingher scissors, some spectra thread, and a couple of yards of 1000 denier PVC coated ballistic and 200 dn ripstop, we set out to experiment with the ultimate pak dog paks.
With all the shortcomings of the aforementioned paks, we decided to create a pack which would balance itself, ride higher on the sides, have compression straps, weigh less, and be field repairable (i.e.- no zippers, velcro, glue, etc)
A top down view of the packs. The top compression straps with arno/ladder-lock buckles allow the pack to be raised or lowered depending on the volume of objects within the carrying area. If improperly balanced, the buckles allow the pack's underside straps to tighten on the opposite side. As much as a 1/2 kg weight indifference will still keep the pack in the most comfortable position for the animal.
The yellow material is 200 denier ripstop non-coated polyester. It's breathable, and quickly wicks moisture from the animal. The low denier also reduces friction with the animal's fur and "not-so-furry" area's. Because my dog also pulls sled (or pulka, rather), i left front straps closed on the pack to allow passthrough of the harness. The 1000 denier cordura is EXTREMELY abrasion resistant and water proof. For river a stream crossings, the bottom cordura seam has to button eyelet drain holes to allow excess water to drain.
The fully loaded 'teardrop' design. Note the compression straps at the top allow rasing or lowering the sides to accomodate the rate of travel for the animal. We hike fast; and he easily doubles the amount of miles we cover in a day. All rounded edges on the pack reduces snagging (something commonly associated with squared off bags)
The backside of the pack shows how slipcords and 'cord-nuts' replace the top entry versions of other packs.. with a rear entry version that eliminates zippers.. and more complicated sealing systems (velcro is nice.. but it wears out after repeated use) the lighter weight material stays supple even when wet and frozen.
The pack unloaded and pulled up high. Total weight for the pack in this state comes to ~1/4 kg or 6 oz. There is nothing on the market which even comes close to this weight. Ideally, why should the animal carry the extra weight associated with overbuilt neoprene reinforced paks?
Yeah! (he speaks)... this is lightweight! notice how the pack rides above the shoulders, stays close to the animal for better balance, and doesn't flop around?
If the pack is not fully loaded, the weight can be shifted to the front of the pack which places the weight over the shoulders of the animal instead of the senter of the back. This reduces stress and possible injury.
As for some other special touches
-all seams are bar tacked at the high stress areas, and the bar-tacks are coated with a friction reducing vinyl dip
-the yellow back suspension area has a breathable layer underneath a polyester fleece layer to keep warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer.
-the pack cinches are made from old recycled shoestrings
-entire pack cost (prototype 3): ~$18.00 USD
-total fabrication time:
prototype 1 - 4 hrs.
prototype 2 - 3.5 hrs.
prototype 3 - 3.5 hrs.
-total testing time: 1400+ hrs.
So, if you pack with a pet (these can be made for horses, mules, goats, and even chickens too!), take a few measurements, invest a small amount of cash... make the bushytailcraft pack for your critter.
I would be more than happy to send patterns, discuss idea's, and answer any questions.
Cheers
edispilff
...But it gets old carrying around all of his supplies....
... he does it himself now.
After trying several different brands of dog packs some field use yeilded alot of complexities which limited not only the animal, but also the pack itself.
1. current dog packs rely on a lower center of gravity to avoid imbalance shifting.
2. dog packs limit the front legs movement of the animal by creating friction points on the elbow/shoulder area
3. They allow overstuffing beyond safe weight carrying ability of the animal (no more than 30% of the animals body weight)
4. items can shift inside of the packs which create a 'dead-weight' effect.
5. average brand-name pack weight was around .75 kg (~1 lb. 8 oz.)
so, with my trusty gingher scissors, some spectra thread, and a couple of yards of 1000 denier PVC coated ballistic and 200 dn ripstop, we set out to experiment with the ultimate pak dog paks.
With all the shortcomings of the aforementioned paks, we decided to create a pack which would balance itself, ride higher on the sides, have compression straps, weigh less, and be field repairable (i.e.- no zippers, velcro, glue, etc)
A top down view of the packs. The top compression straps with arno/ladder-lock buckles allow the pack to be raised or lowered depending on the volume of objects within the carrying area. If improperly balanced, the buckles allow the pack's underside straps to tighten on the opposite side. As much as a 1/2 kg weight indifference will still keep the pack in the most comfortable position for the animal.
The yellow material is 200 denier ripstop non-coated polyester. It's breathable, and quickly wicks moisture from the animal. The low denier also reduces friction with the animal's fur and "not-so-furry" area's. Because my dog also pulls sled (or pulka, rather), i left front straps closed on the pack to allow passthrough of the harness. The 1000 denier cordura is EXTREMELY abrasion resistant and water proof. For river a stream crossings, the bottom cordura seam has to button eyelet drain holes to allow excess water to drain.
The fully loaded 'teardrop' design. Note the compression straps at the top allow rasing or lowering the sides to accomodate the rate of travel for the animal. We hike fast; and he easily doubles the amount of miles we cover in a day. All rounded edges on the pack reduces snagging (something commonly associated with squared off bags)
The backside of the pack shows how slipcords and 'cord-nuts' replace the top entry versions of other packs.. with a rear entry version that eliminates zippers.. and more complicated sealing systems (velcro is nice.. but it wears out after repeated use) the lighter weight material stays supple even when wet and frozen.
The pack unloaded and pulled up high. Total weight for the pack in this state comes to ~1/4 kg or 6 oz. There is nothing on the market which even comes close to this weight. Ideally, why should the animal carry the extra weight associated with overbuilt neoprene reinforced paks?
Yeah! (he speaks)... this is lightweight! notice how the pack rides above the shoulders, stays close to the animal for better balance, and doesn't flop around?
If the pack is not fully loaded, the weight can be shifted to the front of the pack which places the weight over the shoulders of the animal instead of the senter of the back. This reduces stress and possible injury.
As for some other special touches
-all seams are bar tacked at the high stress areas, and the bar-tacks are coated with a friction reducing vinyl dip
-the yellow back suspension area has a breathable layer underneath a polyester fleece layer to keep warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer.
-the pack cinches are made from old recycled shoestrings
-entire pack cost (prototype 3): ~$18.00 USD
-total fabrication time:
prototype 1 - 4 hrs.
prototype 2 - 3.5 hrs.
prototype 3 - 3.5 hrs.
-total testing time: 1400+ hrs.
So, if you pack with a pet (these can be made for horses, mules, goats, and even chickens too!), take a few measurements, invest a small amount of cash... make the bushytailcraft pack for your critter.
I would be more than happy to send patterns, discuss idea's, and answer any questions.
Cheers
edispilff
