Mark and Ariadni Eyman’s mixed breed Ganymede enjoys wearing his dog pack. They sent us several beautiful trail photos, but this photo against the tall buildings is lovely too. This is what Mark has to say about his dog’s pack:

Ganymede loves to go on trails with his Banzai pack. It wears him out and he doesn't leave the house without it! We look forward to different hikes and trails and so far have tackled one day hike each week. Thank you for your dedication to providing practical and quality equipment!

Size & Color: Small, Orange

We are now offering our Banzai dog packs in neon pink, a color so bright it can probably be seen from the Moon. The black ballistic fabric characteristic to our Banzai is a prefect accent to the vibrant color. These packs are sure to make you and your dog smile while you are out on the trail together. We plan to continue production of this exclusive color through the end of 2010. (available to our retail customers only)

Size & Color: Pink

Mike Grue sent us this beautiful photo of his mixed breed dog named Chewbacca, along with the following message:

I just wanted to let you know how well your Banzai pack performed for Chewbacca and I on our recent hikes around Mammoth Lakes area. Chewbacca is a 60lbs 1.5 year old shepherd mix who has never worn a pack before. I bought the small size and it fit him so well he didn't even flinch when I put it on. He was in charge of carrying his food and water while we were on the trail and I have to imagine that it gave him a sense of purpose to be carrying his own gear.

He gets excited now whenever he sees me loading up his pack, and I have to admit that not having to carry an extra 10lbs in my own pack makes my trip more enjoyable! I thought you might like to see my favorite photo of Chewey at Convict Lake just south of Mammoth Lakes.

Thanks again,
Mike Grue

Oh, and btw-I was very impressed that a few hours after I ordered the pack on a Sunday, I got an email showing that the item was being shipped the very next morning. Good work!

Size & Color: Small, Red

A roll of special fabric is about to arrive. Once it does we will begin work on our 2010 limited-edition dog pack. This time we will offer an extra color choice to our regular Banzai dog pack selection. Availability will be announced in the next few months, once our stock is built up. Stay tuned...

Leila, a Siberian Husky rescue, has enjoyed the active Pacific Northwest outdoor lifestyle with her owner John Rettig in all four seasons: hiking, backpacking, alpine climbing, and backcountry snowshoeing. He writes:

Up to age six, her endurance usually outlasted even the toughest human in the group – she was always in the lead, always pushing ahead to see what was around the next corner. She has summited Mount Saint Helens, ascended 7,000 vertical feet in six hours, backpacked Northwest wilderness for several days, and traversed higher elevation winter backcountry routes on top of 170” snowpack.

She is seen here at age 10 in her well-used Banzai pack on the PCT in the Mount Hood National Forest, Oregon.

Size & Color: Small, Red

Anna sent us this different view of three Banzai dog packs in action. Hope her photo makes you smile as much as it did us. Anna included the following message:

I just wanted to share a photo my friend and I took recently of our girls wearing their Banzai Wolf Packs on our trip to Saluda, North Carolina. Wearing the red pack is Eve, a 10 1/2 year old Chow mix. Pretty in pink is Kioni, a 2 year old Rhodesian Ridgeback. Posing in purple is Astrid, a 17 month old Central Asian Shepherd. Hope you like!

Anna C. Abney

Size & Color: Red, Pink, Purple

Here is Josh Colgan’s hiking buddy Jackson. They are hiking on the beautiful Falls Trail at Rickett's Glen State Park in North Eastern Pennsylvania. This trail is closed in winter, but advanced hikers and registered ice climbers who are properly equipped may still access the trail. Josh had this to day about Jackson’s Banzai pack.

The pack is still holding up extremely well and we have no issues to report. It’s definitely one of my favorite pieces of hiking gear we use.

Jackson has a previous blog post with more information about Jackson, and this beautiful park.

Size & Color: Large, Orange

Here are Glen Fess’ dogs backpacking in the Sacramento Mountains of central New Mexico. Tapio, the Finnish Spitz, wears one of our Banzai dog packs. Fifteen pound Rowdy, the Schipperke, wears a dog pack from another company. Glen contacted us to check whether we make a pack small enough for the little guy, which we don’t unfortunately. This is what Glen had to say about his packs:

I currently have one of your Banzai packs for my Finnish Spitz (Tapio) and he luvs it!! I'll be getting another in the near future for a Karelian Bear Dog that I hope to get in February, 2010. I also have a Schipperke (Rowdy) that carries a 2 piece Kelty K-9 Sherpa pack since he is too small for any of the Wolf Packs. The Banzai seems to ride much better than the Kelty pack and is much easier to put on and take off.

Take care,
Glen

Size & Color: Small, Red

Some of the members of the Denver Samoyed Association, along with a few of their friends, participated in Denver's very own "9News Parade of Lights". The parade is in it's 35th year with over 35 lighted entries. This club was invited to participate this year, but their trouble was lighting. They decided to sew battery operated Christmas lights on their Wolf Packs. The packs serviced the dogs very well. The Banzai packs were especially handy because the extra pockets provided a place to store the battery pack for the lights. This parade was televised and viewed in person by over 300,000 people! The dogs and their packs were a hit! Thank you Kurt Fehilhauer for providing this fabulous parade photo.

This photo detail shows how Lori Elvera attached the lights to her Banzai dog pack. The batteries were stored inside the outer pocket, while the light strings were wound back and forth across the outer surface of the pack and hand-stitched in place.

Here is Auz Gage's dog Adelae, who is an experienced trial dog. This photo shows the usefulness of the lashpatches we attach to the top of our dog packs. Auz sent us this nice photo, along with the following message:

I can't tell you enough how much I love and use this pack. I'm a relatively avid backpacker and day hiker (as much as a full time student with a full time job can be). Adelae is my Catahoula Leopard Dog and when she sees the pack come out, she just goes crazy! She wears a size small Banzai pack in Orange (I LOVE the color). Also, can I just say how much I love the pockets as well as the lashing option on the top of the pack? Normally Adelae just carries water for day hikes (and my snake hook since I'm a herp hobbyist), but when we're out for the long haul, she carries her own supplies as well as various things lashed to the top of the pack. I must admit, it does add stability when I have a mat tied to the top of the pack. Wolf Packs makes such an excellent product, we have never had any problems with rubbing, soreness or discomfort. Being in Central Florida, we generally stay around here, which means there's a ton of sugar sand, mud and sharp things. We plan on using this pack until it falls apart, and after two years of hard use it doesn't show any signs of wear! I don't know what I would do without it. It's just a great product and I will be a patron for life!

Thanks again for such great products!
Auz & Adelae

Size & Color: Small, Orange

This is Qannik wearing his Banzai dog pack on a glacier pass which accesses the Aiguilles Dorées (golden peaks) in the Alps. His owner, Cédric Undritz, took him on a rockclimbing trip. Here are a few words from Cédric about Qannik and his pack:

I got my dog from a animal rescue center when he was 11months old. He's crossed Husky and Malamute. He came in the center with his two sisters -- the owners couldn't keep them.

Practicing myself mountaineering a lot, he was of course to become our third man! So whilst he's pulling me when ski-touring most part of the winter, he carries parts of our loads when going on mountaineering journeys in the Alps (we live near Chamonix in France), which includes ropes, carabiners and sometimes ice-screws. He often carries over 10 kilos without complaints but even really seems to enjoy his pack; a little bit reticent at the beginning, he knows now we're going to spend our days outdoor when his pack is being prepared, and he gets really enthusiastic at all! Also because he'll have his load on his back only during the approach and the return, and he'll have free time in between, as we are doing our climbing tour in the meantime.

My girlfriend has an 9 year old black Labrador, and he soon will have his own pack also, as he's very strong and also loaded with pure energy. Until then they're both sharing one.

Thanks a lot for this pack and keep making them! Greets from the alps,

Cédric

Size & Color: Medium, Blue

This is Jackson, owned by Joshua Colgan. He is a large mixed breed who was rescued from a bad situation. Now he has a wonderful home and gets to backpack in the beautiful forests of Pennsylvania. This picture was taken on the Falls Trail at Ricketts Glen State Park, elevation 2500 feet. The falls trail is known for the 22 waterfalls that line its 7+ miles. It's a tough, rocky trail, and very slick from the water that sprays on to the trail. Joshua sent us these words about Jackson's dog pack:

I just wanted to let you know that my dog LOVES his Banzai Wolf Pack. He had never worn a dog pack before we got it a few weeks ago, but he is a mixed breed rescue who's parents were both career working dogs and I could tell that he really enjoyed having a job and wearing his Wolf Pack from the moment I put it on. I found out today how well made your packs are and wanted to share my experience with you.

We did a lot of off trail hiking today and since my dog is still getting used to the extra width he needs to fit through obstacles, he is still often brushing (banging) against some of the rocks and trees in our path. I believe that he brushed against something at just the right angle to loosen the top to one of the 40oz bottles enough to allow the bottle to leak at least 20 oz of water all over the compartment it was in (we keep the bottles in the outside compartments in the black part of the pack). I didnt find out about this until we got home from our 4 hour hike (plus the 40 minute drive) and the only reason I found out at all was because I opened the pack to take everything out. The pack never leaked, it retained all the water that spilled, and most importantly, my survival book and map in the inner pocket behind the water bottle were still bone dry! I was unexpectedly and very pleasantly surprised. Thanks so much for making such an awesome product.

Joshua Colgan

Size & Color: Large, Orange

This is a group shot taken during the Samoyed Club of America 2009 National Specialty pack hike in Indiana. Most of the dogs in this picture are wearing one of our Banzai or Reflector dog packs. Kathy Smith, who participated with her dog Rebel, sent us this great photo and these words:

About 20 dogs and their humans hiked 5.08 miles in Eagle Creek Park, which is part of the Indianapolis Parks and Recreation system. With rugged terrain such as steep hills, stairs when the incline was too steep to hike, a marshy area near Lilly Lake and cool vistas such as a bird sanctuary, there was something interesting to see all along the way.

It was wonderful to hike with both new and old friends, and apparently this day we caught the eye of the local university’s cross country running team. They met in the same parking lot to run the trails we were on with our dogs. They asked many questions about our dogs and their packs, and of course offered to pet each of them on every occasion as we saw them on the trail. “How much can they carry?” “Do you do this often?”, they asked.

It was great having the dogs with packs on the trail, as they provided bottled water on our breaks. Rebel wears his pack at home nearly daily, as I walk him in our neighborhood with his Wolf Pack, but you would never know it by comparing it to the others who had newer models. Rebel’s pack has a lot more hair than it did when it was new, but it still looks and functions just as good as if it were brand new.

One fellow hiker in our group had purchased a backpack made by another company a few years ago, and halfway through the hike, it started to tear. She joked, “I doubt this thing would have lasted this long if I had the full 25% of my largest dog’s body weight in it!” By the end of the hike, a major seam had ripped apart four inches!

I discussed this with another hiker who is also a Wolf Packs customer. She and I both commented about the high quality standards of Wolf Packs and how pleased we are with our purchases. The materials chosen for construction are durable and hold up to canine wear and tear, the craftsmanship and love that goes into each one is absolutely amazing and that’s what sets Wolf Packs so far above any of the others on the market today.

Rebel’s backpack is four years old, and I believe he loves his pack more now than he did when I first purchased it for him. In preparing for today’s hike, Rebel was curious as to what I was doing, but once I grabbed his Wolf Pack, the dog knew the day was going to be a fun one, and he immediately started giving me the “Sammy Smile”! Thanks for all that you do and keep up the great work! We’ll keep “field testing” those packs for you!

Anna has been outfitting her dogs with our dog packs for a long time. She just sent us these nice pictures of Eve (left) and Astrid (below). Eve is standing on the summit marker of Tennent Mountain. It is part of the Pisgah Ridge and leads to the Art Loeb and Ivestor Gap.

This is what Anna has to say about her dogs:

Here are some pics of my girls wearing their Banzai packs. Eve, now a 10 year old Chow mix, has the red one and Astrid, a 14 month old Central Asian Shepherd Dog, has the purple one. Eve's pack is nearly as old as she is!

Size & Color: Medium, Red, Purple

This is Adam Varga’s dog Alex. He had an incredible adventure hiking a trail that stretches from New Hampshire to Canada, while toting his share in his Banzai pack. Alex sent us some great photos, as well as this story:

I just wanted to let you know that my dog Alex successfully completed a thruhike of the 162 mile Cohos Trail (along with myself and my girlfriend). The hike took us 15 days to complete. It started at Crawford Notch in New Hampshire and ended at the Canadian border.

Alex's pack held up great. Aside from getting covered in dirt and mud, the pack is still in great shape. Our dog wore it proudly and comfortably.

Size & Color: Small, Orange

This is one of Lori Elvera’s Samoyeds, Kaelin, who is backpacking at Geneva Mountain in Colorado. She is wearing one of the few hot pink Banzai packs we have ever made. This is what Lori had to say about the dog packs she owns:

For years I have been using Banzai dog packs, and have LOVED them! Hiking in the mountains of Colorado we have encountered rugged terrain and the packs have held up exceptionally well through rocks and brush. Laundering them is easy with a quick cold water rinse in the machine and then air dry. The panniers are roomy enough to hold the 2 liter Platypus water packs, plus other essentials for the dogs. I’ve added a metal ring to the black tabs on top of the pack and use a carabineer to hold their water bowl. My girls wear a size small and weigh about 40#. I highly recommend the product. HIKE ON!

Size & Color: Small, Pink

Here are some incredible photos from Oeyvind Bliksvaer of his dog Flekken, hiking in Norway. This is the story to go along with the images...

We had a 4 day hike in one of the Norwegian mountain areas (Jotunheimen) the last week in June. There was still a lot of snow, and much water from the snowmelting. But the Banzai dog pack was perfect, and with good shoes and other equipment, it was perfect.

I am attaching a couple of pictures of Flekken with his pack. It is a perfect fit, and reaches exactly down to his elbows. I had to take the pack off him down the steepest areas where we were balancing down a ridge. Other than that, he was carrying his pack with 4-7 kg all four days, but it was hard on his paws, so if there were to be one more day of hiking, I would have had to put socks on him.
This picture is from Besseggen, which is Norway’s most popular hike. It is a 6-8 hour hike, 13 km long and with a total of more than 1000 mtr elevation. We hiked the opposite way of what is most usual, so we had the climbing downwards. This ridge is the one Henrik Ibsen described in his famous act "Peer Gynt". 35,000 people take this walk each year.

The second picture is in a valley 25 km northwest of Besseggen. We were planing to do a one week hike, but there was not so fun with lots of snow and water, so it was shortened to 4 days.

Size & Color: Medium, Burgundy

This handsome Samoyed is Tacoma. He is one of Lightning’s sons who lives in Washington. His owner, Kevin Silis, is training to climb Mount Rainier in June, 2009. Tacoma is a very lucky boy, as he gets to accompany Kevin on his training hikes.

Kevin took this picture of Tacoma on the Duckabush Trail in the Olympic Mountains (Hood Canal side). It was an eleven-mile trip. Tacoma was carrying eleven pounds in his Banzai dog pack, and Kevin’s pack held 52 pounds.

Size & Color: Medium, Red

This happy girl is Matty, owned by Tom Beach. Tom sent us this cute picture, and had this to say about Matty’s new pack:

As you can tell, Matty loves her new Banzai pack. It fits great and rides well, even up and down very steep mountain trails. Thank you for the outstanding design and workmanship built into this product. It is far superior in both design and workmanship to the previous pack I had purchased from a pet shop. Also, your recommendations and personal attention were a great help. Thanks again for such an excellent product!

Size & Color: Small, Green

This hard working boys is Emmet, and he has a great job. His owner, James Doody, has this to say about Emmet and his useful Banzai.

I bought this pack from you on 9/28/07 and had promised you some pictures of my, then, one-year old black Lab Emmet. The reason you wanted the picture is that you had never heard of the use that Emmet wears his pack: he works on a 100 acre tree farm/nursery and carries such things as burlap, rope, string, staples, staple guns, knives and of course treats in his pack. He loves to work and has about 4-5 other jobs. He will come to any one of us across the field and bring us what we need, this means we old guys (one is 76 years old) don’t have to get up off our knees to get more supplies. He gets two hotdogs for lunch. He was getting one, but wearing the Wolf Pack got him a raise. I’m the guy with the green hat in the picture.

Hope this is of interest to you and sorry it took me 1½ years to send you the picture.

James Doody

Size & Color: Medium, Purple

This is Basco, Deborah Busse’s two-year old Italian Spinone. He lives in Bermuda. Deborah’s camera battery died during this hike, but she sent us this nice picture to show us how nice Basco looks in a royal blue Banzai pack.

Size & Color: Medium, Blue

This is Shadow, owned by Bill Maslen, enjoying a winter day in Canada. Bill sent us this nice picture, along with this message:

On behalf of Shadow (ISSR Shiloh Shepherd) and myself, we want to thank you for the prompt service, delivery and high quality large sized Banzai Wolf Pack we purchased for his 2nd birthday. Our search for a suitable dog pack to fit a dog of his size was well rewarded, and has improved the enjoyment of our long walks together, as he now carries both our water bottles, treats and other "vital" supplies. Have included a few pics of the big guy modeling your product on our most recent hike near our home in Saint-Lazare, QC Canada. Thanks again, and keep up the good work.
 
Bill Maslen & Shadow

Size & Color: Large, Orange

Dexter is enjoying an outing on the shore of a beautiful river in South Carolina. As you can see, his Banzai dog pack is staying put, even during his flying trot. Dexter is a friend of Kioni, and was mentioned in the blog post for her. This lucky boy is owned by Kristen Smith, who sent us the following message:

I wanted to write and tell you how thrilled I was to receive my Wolf Pack so fast!! Dexter was able to use it this week and I have to tell you it didn't budge once. It fit like a dream and I kept the weight so evenly distributed.

I didn't have to adjust at all and this was the first outing! I have never spent better money than on your pack, and I will only regret it was my second pack and not my FIRST!

Thanks so much for being awesome!

Kristen Smith and Dexter

Size & Color: Medium, Blue

Here is Kioni, a Rhodesian Ridgeback owned by Desiree Beauchamp-Jones. Desiree is also the owner of Rapid Response Dog Training in South Carolina. She asked us to make a special Banzai dog pack for Kioni in Hot Pink. This is a snippet from her email to us about Kioni’s new pack:

It fits perfectly. No more stopping every five minutes to readjust the load, and no more sliding off her head when going downhill! No matter what she does to it (and believe me, a one-year-old performance-bred Ridgeback does things no pack should be made to suffer through!) it stays put and keeps the load balanced. It's also not chaffing or rubbing anywhere, even across her ridge where other packs I've tried created issues. The other day she flopped out on her back and had a good roll, pack on and buckled, then jumped up and went racing across the field, with ridiculous puppy acrobatics executed at sighthound speeds. Then she pounced on her Malamute buddy, starting a wrestling match. The pack never budged. My friend with the Malamute promptly decided to order a Wolf Pack for her dog, too. (and she used it for the first time today; it worked beautifully!)

It's also holding up amazingly well... it cleans easily with a wet washcloth, and is showing no signs of wear at all so far.

Size & Color: Medium, Pink

Oeyvind Bliksvaer in Norway enjoys many activities with his dogs. Akela (on the left) wears her Trekker pack while Flekken (which means “spot”) wears a Banzai dog pack. Oeyvind sent us this message about his dog’s packs:

Your dogpack is absolutely the most versatlie packs I have ever used for my dogs. I have had 3 different models before the Wolfpacks. They are sitting very gently on the dogs, but still very firm (they dont move around or slide forward too much).

Size & Color: Medium, Green, Burgundy

This is Nelson, Amy Proctor’s Golden Retriever. Amy sent us this picture and the following message about Nelson’s Banzai pack:

Wolf Packs, I just wanted to thank you for the wonderful dog pack. My dog loves it. It is durable, wears well and it does not rub him. Nelson is a 85 pound golden retriever and he wears the medium pack. I have included a photo of him hiking in Algonquin Canada.
 
Thanks for making good quality dog packs!
 
Amy

Size & Color: Medium, Blue

Joanne Sugden and Alice Lister's beautiful Malamutes Diva and BeBe enjoying an adventure in Malham Cove, part of the Yorkshire Dales in England. This is Diva's first outing in her new forest green Banzai dog pack. Joanne says, "She took to it like a duck to water". Diva carried the lighter items while BeBe (who has more backpacking experience) carried the heavier things. Both the girls enjoy wearing their packs, especially when the refreshments come out!


Malham Cove is an incredible spot. It is quite a way inland, near to the Lake district. The Cove itself is about 70 meters above the valley floor. It is thought that it was formed through a combination of ice, glacial meltwater and underground water. The limestone pavement (as shown in the image to the right) sits on top of the cove, and was probably formed in the most recent Ice Age (about 2 million years ago) when glaciers scraped away surface debris. This exposed the limestone and allowed rainwater to erode the joints leaving deep fissures in the rock. As you can see in the photograph, Diva and BeBe had no trouble picking their way across the rounded rock tops.

This is one of Joanne's favorite hikes with spectacular scenery and views.

Size & Color: Medium, Green

Samoyed Club of America National Specialty often hosts a pack hike. It took place in Carlisle, Pennsylvania in 2002. Lots of fun working events were offered, alongside the conformation show. Our dogs Lightning and Nimbus hiked with nearly 20 other Samoyeds (most of them outfitted with Wolf Packs dog packs) on the Appalachian Trail. Our boys hiked in their royal blue Reflector dog packs, and are pictured on the right. Their brothers, Loki and Draco, are next to them wearing their purple Banzai dog packs.

Size & Color: Small, Medium, Large, Blue, Purple, Green

Steve Gilmore's eight months old wolf hybrid Thor helps carry supplies during their climb up Mount Whitney. The summit can be seen in the distance to the right of Thor. He wears his royal blue Banzai Wolf Packs dog pack.

Size & Color: Large, Blue

Nanook, an Alaskan Malamute belonging to Darryl & Pam Paskett, enjoys hiking in the Australian bush. He uses a royal blue Banzai pack in size medium during his forays. When they're not hiking with Nanook, Darryl & Pam run a business called Dog Packs Australia. This is what Darryl says about their life and future hiking plans:

I live in sunny Perth in Western Australia with my wife Pam, our six month old son Matthew, and our three and a half year old wolf grey Alaskan Malamute. This is a picture of Nanook wearing his Banzai™ dog pack in our back yard. The first time I put the dog pack on Nanook and took him for a walk, he wasn’t sure what was on his back but quickly got used to the extra width and weight. Nanook can easily carry all of our gear (4 Litres of water, dog and people food, collapsible water bowl, first aid kit, keys, mobile phone, etc.), so when we go hiking in the national parks around Perth the only thing we need to carry is Matthew. The next day trip we have planned is to walk a section of the Bibbulmun Track, which winds it’s way from Kalamunda down through the south west of the state to Albany (963km), which passes through some of the most magnificent forests the state has to offer.

Size & Color: Medium, Blue

Linda Guinness and her Scout Troop include Shayla wearing her medium green Banzai dog pack. This lucky Rottweiler gets to tote the scouts' provisions while they explore the beautiful trails of New Zealand together. The Arawa Scout Troop consists partly of Linda (Mum), Antony (12), Sarah (10), Shayla (3).

Linda has sent us some comments (see Shayla's Pack).

Size & Color: Medium, Green

Laura Yee's Dexter is shown on his first outing with his new forest green Banzai dog pack. Laura has some good advice for trail dogs who enjoy swimming while packing:

We've only used it for one backpacking trip so far, but it worked really well for him. He was a little startled when he jumped into the lake for a swim before we were able to take it off for him, but he quickly ran back to the shore before getting too waterlogged! Waterproofing the contents is an absolute necessity for swimmers like labs!!

Size & Color: Medium, Green

Salty accompanies her owner, Brad Gwynn on his unicycle trips. This beautiful and athletic German Shepherd wears a black Banzai dog pack in size medium. This photo was taken along side an unpaved rail trail in Marblehead, MA. it connects Salem, Marblehead and Swampscott. Salty and Brad travel this trail several times a week. Brad says:

Salty and I travel all over southern New England on its many unpaved and mostly unused rail trails, although we usually use the Marblehead one (closest to home). We average about 50 miles a week.

His unicycle is made by Coker Tire. It has a 36" wheel (tire), the largest diameter pneumatic cycle tire in the world. Brad has emailed us some comments (see New Pack).

Size & Color: Medium, Black

A group of friends with Northern-breed dogs gets together for sledding in the winter and now for packing in the summer. The image above shows Phil and Lisa Gravelle & Moira, Conrad, and Hartley Towriss-Smith all hiking with their Samoyeds in the lush Hidden Valley near Craven, Saskatchewan, Canada. They hope to encourage more of their friends to take up packing and join them on the trail.

Eight year old Conrad Smith sits with Buffy who wears a medium teal Banzai pack. Next to him is Moira Towriss-Smith with Kazan in his royal blue Trekker. Hartley Smith is next to Rick (red dog pack) who appears to be howling with delight. Moira told us that Buffy could have used a Small pack for her size, but navigates very well with the medium. The Towriss-Smiths kennel name is Anoka Samoyeds, which is located near Regina, Saskatchewan.

Size & Color: Medium, Red, Blue

Eight year old Conrad Smith hikes with Buffy, his Samoyed, in Hidden Valley near Craven, Saskatchewan in Canada. Buffy wears a size medium teal Banzai pack, although a size small would have fit her nicely also. The weather was perfect for packing and the hills were beautiful with their cover of pink, purple, yellow, orange and blue wildflowers.

Size & Color: Medium, Teal

Thomas Bourgeois' Weimaraner Iggy accompanied him to the 1999 New Orleans Mardi Gras. Iggy wore his orange Banzai dog pack at the event. He also wore some handsome bead necklaces. "He survived and was a hit with his pack." Sure looks like they had fun!


Thomas sent us this email message:

We had over 5 million extra people here in the city and it seemed like everyone of them stopped to ask me about his pack. I was constantly giving out your web address. I'm sure you should get some business out of it. Iggy really enjoys his pack and from day one accepted it like it was the cool thing to wear. I hope all is well and thank you from me and Iggy for making such an incredible product.

Thomas Bourgeois

Size & Color: Medium, Orange

Tom Willcox enjoys hiking with his lovely German Shepherd Casey. She is wears a red Banzai pack and Limited Slip collar. Tom sent us this message about his pack:

I just thought I'd drop you a line to let you know how much I love your pack design -- my GSD Casey loves it! No chafing, rides well, and has a lot of space. Also, after more than a year of use it still looks new!


Here is Casey hiking in the winter conditions of New England. She looks like she really enjoys the outdoors!

Size & Color: Medium, Red

Yukon, a Malamute/Husky mix owned by Vickey and Matt Wong, is pictured here during a trip to Diamond Peak Ski Resort in California. His red Banzai dog pack contains his own food, water, and the potty bags. Vickey tells us that Yukon also had matching color boots in his dog pack which he decided not to wear. As a result got his feet dirty. Yukon loves to run freely (especially in snow), but hates the bath when he gets home.

Size & Color: Large, Red

Louise & Wayne Laub's Rhodesian Ridgeback Bella enjoys her first experience in snow in the spectacular Yosemite region. Here she is relaxing while wearing her orange Banzai dog pack. Louise sent us these Comment about Bella's pack:

Linda and Paul:

We wanted to send you a photo from our road trip, and say thank you for making such a great product! Our Ridgeback, Bella, enjoyed going on hikes with us and we enjoyed being able to bring her with us. At first, she was reluctant to wear the pack (we nicknamed her 'Miss Mule'), but once we started on the trails, she got used to it quickly, and we all had a great time.

Thanks again,

Louise, Wayne and Bella

Size & Color: Medium, Orange

With his luminous blue eyes looking right into the camera, Husky/CattleDog cross Ashiko models his purple Banzai dog pack while on a recent hike.

He is owned and photographed by Rob Pivonka & Michelle Crumrine.

Size & Color: Small, Purple

German Shepherds Zeus and Apollo, owned by Steve Williamson, hike along the shore of Ennerdale Lake in Great Britain. They help during this five day trip by packing gear in their Banzai dog packs. The teal (front) pack is a size medium while the purple pack is a large. Steve emailed us some comments (see comment titled Photos).


This is Apollo wearing his Saddle Bag at the beach for the first time. He was carrying some water bags, food and towels, etc. Steve said, "He knew when he was putting on the SaddleBag in the morning that he was going to the beach or somewhere else that he likes."


Here is Apollo walking back home over the cliffs to Whitehaven. The trip was about 12 miles long.

Size & Color: Medium, Large, Teal, Purple

King, owned by Richard Amezquita, surveys the California coastline near Pacifica. It is said that Gaspar Portola was the first non-native to view the Bay Area from this historic location. King's royal blue Banzai dog pack helps to carry useful items while he is exploring.


King and Noni are hiking on the Sweeny Ridge Trail in San Bruno, CA. This trail takes you up to the Portola Discovery site and let's you gaze at both the Pacific Ocean & the Bay Area at the same time. On clear days the Golden Gate is almost recognizable off in the distance. Notice how Noni is admiring her brother's dog pack.

Size & Color: Large, Blue

Katherine Anderson and Mimbres live in Tucson, Arizona. Mimbres' pack usually encounters spiny cactus, thorny shrubs, and jagged granite boulders. Katherine reports, "it has held up beautifully" during their daily walks. This picture shows Mimbres and her Banzai dog pack in action during a winter vacation to the San Gabriel Mountains in California for some snow play. This is her first introduction to snow. She seems to really love it, as she races around boulders and snow covered logs in her pack.

Katherine says, "Mimbres carries an emergency ID card, an idea I picked up from reading other customers' comments. This is good insurance for our backcountry trail runs, as we usually go alone."

Size & Color: Small, Orange

Laurie McGavran's five year old Siberian Husky Nikki enjoys a hike through a cool meadow in the Jemez Mountains of New Mexico. She is wearing a small orange Banzai pack to help carry the gear. Laurie writes, "It fits well, and she can really help by carrying either water or rain gear."

Kavik rests for a moment on a boulder during a hike on the Pajarito Plateau, New Mexico. He is Laurie's five year old Siberian Husky. Kavik sports a medium orange Banzai pack."

Size & Color: Small, Medium, Orange

Buddy, owned by Charlene LaBelle, author of the book Guide to Backpacking With Your Dog, shows off his forest green Banzai dog pack. Buddy is an Alaskan Malamute bred and shown by Charlene. This picture was taken next to our shop during their visit. Charlene and Buddy have logged many miles with this pack, including an exciting adventure near Devil's Slide in northern California.

Size & Color: Medium, Green

Kodiak, a beautiful red Malamute owned by Gary Michelsen, romps wildly through deep snow while wearing his XLarge teal Banzai dog pack. Kodiak was only one year old when these shots were taken, but already weighed 142 pounds!


Since first purchasing Kody's pack in July '96, it has seen many trail miles. Their adventures include sections of the Marble Mountain Wilderness, Trinity Alps Wilderness, Mammoth Mountain, much of the Eastern Sierra, Cucamonga, and Sheep Mountain Wilderness in the San Gabriel Mountains. These two photos were taken on a trip in the Cucamonga Wilderness, CA.

Size & Color: XLarge, Teal

This is Jim Greenway's Golden Retriever Bonnie at the top of Brasstown Bald (elevation 4,800'), Georgia's highest mountain. Brasstown was too foggy for scenic shots, so Jim photographed Bonnie on the deck of the lookout. She is proudly sporting her orange Banzai dog pack, complete with patches showing some of the miles she's logged.

This photo shows Bonnie sitting near the marker for the Southern Terminus of the Appalachian Trail, located on Springer Mountain (elevation 3,782'). Her dog pack setup includes an ingenious leash created by Jim.

Here is an email message we received about a tornado that Bonnie's pack survived:


Date: Tue, 2 Jul 1996 18:10:01 -0400 (EDT)
From: Jim Greenway
Subject: Testimonial

On Palm Sunday, 1993, a powerful storm system passed through the Southeast, spinning off a number of tornadoes. One tornado traversed my neighborhood and almost leveled my home. Both of my dogs required treatment after their kennel was pretzeled. All but a portion of my house suffered extensive wind and water damage. In digging through my former kitchen, I saw a spot of orange underneath a muck of broken glass and spoiled food from my overturned refrigerator. It turned out to be my Wolf Packs pack. I didn't expect much of it after it was blown through the house and buried under rather smelly garbage. However, the pack was unscathed. A good washing and another coat of seam sealer made it as good as new.

I continue to use the pack, and the tough fabric and manufacturing still serve me in good stead. Last fall, I returned it at the last minute to Wolf Packs for an upgrade before an Appalachian Trail trip. Linda didn't think twice about processing the request and turning it around to me in time.

Ironically, Bonnie and I were bumped out of that trip when Hurricane Opal steamrolled through the southeast three days before my trip. Maybe we could put Linda and The Weather Channel together....

Jim Greenway

Size & Color: Medium, Orange

Trapper relaxes in his red Banzai dog pack during their hike in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. One of the nice features of our designs is that they all allow dogs to lay down and relax while wearing their dog packs. As you can see in the photos, Trapper is resting peacefully after a long hike. He doesn't look like he's aware that his pack is still attached.

We received several email messages about Trapper's pack, which we will share below.


Date: Tue, 19 Mar 1996 20:57:03
From: Geoffrey Blair
Subject: Trapper's new backpack!

Hi Linda -

Can't tell you how pleased we are with Trapper's (our Golden) new pack. We dove right in and bought the top of your line and are glad we did. He is not easy on it and it has been through the toughest of brush, rock, snow and ice without losing a stitch! It's also hard to believe how much better he walks / runs with it over the last pack he had (from another manufacturer). It sort of just hung on him, hitting his elbows and shifting forward whenever descending a mountain.

Your pack is terrific. Thanks for all your help on the phone just before we ordered it.

Geoff and Fran Blair (Bloom)

*****
Date: Sat, 22 Jan 2000 18:42:46 -0500
From: Geoff Blair
Subject: Our Banzai
Hi Linda -

Was looking at your new site (new to us anyway). It's great.

In doing so, I saw that we had bought Trapper's pack almost four years ago. Trapper has somewhat retired from the arduous hiking and our new addition Summit is taking over, WITH the four year old Banzai! Not a stitch has broken...not a tear in the cloth. Trapper has climbed 39 of New Hampshire's 4,000 footers with his Banzai...through narrow rock openings, under low blow downs, through ice arches, and has been swimming with it on virtually every hike and the Banzai keeps on ticking! I can't say enough for the overall quality. It was certainly worth the few dollars over what was certain to be a far inferior product!

Hope things are well with you. Looks like the company is in a steady growth mode!

Take care,
Geoff Blair

Size & Color: Medium, Red

This is our Kiba modeling her royal blue Banzai dog pack. Like all northern breed canines, she really enjoys the snow. Here she was romping through elbow deep powder, often stopping to poke her long nose deep into the snow in search of hidden treasures.

This photo was shot was during one of our many outings in deep snow. Kiba was a blur of action, which made it rather hard to photograph her. As you can see, her Banzai dog pack stayed put even while she bounced through the deep snow.

Size & Color: Medium, Blue