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

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

Colleen and Marty Hovind hike among the wildflowers with their lovely Siberian Huskies P.J. and Mitchell. Both are using their burgundy Trekker dog packs. Colleen and Marty Hovind's kennel is Heirborn Siberians, located in Craven, Saskatchewan.


Mufasa (burgundy Trekker), Taiyna, and Tundra (black Trekker) hike with owners Phil and Lisa Gravelle. Phil, Lisa, and one year old Santana Gravelle hike among a beautiful display of spring wildflowers with their three Samoyeds. Mufasa wears a burgundy Trekker, while Taiyna and Tundra both use black Trekker dog packs, all size medium. Phil and Lisa operate Philisa Samoyeds in Lumsden, Saskatchewan.

This group organized an order for all seven dog packs together into one order, so we gave her a discount for the group. Hopefully this helped with import fees and shipping costs to Canada. You might be interested to read her comments about her dog's packs.

Size & Color: Medium, Burgundy, Red, Black

Zion, a Rottweiler owned by Shan Do, wears his medium teal Trekker pack while exploring the wilderness. They live in Canada, but enjoy visits to New England as well. This photograph was taken on the way to Mount Marcy in the Adirondacks of New York.

You might enjoy Shan's comments (see Received The Pack) about Zion's pack.

Size & Color: Medium, Teal

Glen Millar's handsome two year old Labrador Retriever Keg goes everywhere with him. They live in New Zealand, where the 'tramping' is dynamic. This photo shows them at 1,510 meters above sea level in the Tararuas mountain range. Keg wears a size medium camouflage Trekker dog pack. Glen tells us that Keg's pack is filled with these items: a cooker & spare fuel; a fly sheet for both of them to sleep under; a small pan for frying on; Keg's food (dog biscuits and dog roll); 1 liter of water; Keg's leash.


Keg is crossing one of New Zealand's famous swing bridges. Glen says, "This photo was taken down lower at river level in the bush and you can see one of our famous swing bridges and believe me they really swing. I taught Keg from young to cross these and although it is a long way down he has no troubles walking over them. I have to take his pack off though at this point as the bridge is to narrow."


Here Keg is enjoying his first winter adventure. He especially liked to roll around in the white stuff, although biting at it proved fun too.

You might be interested in reading some of Glen's other comments (see Photos) about Keg's dog pack.

Size & Color: Medium, Camouflage

Both of these handsome Alaskan Malamute brothers are owned by Elaine Burroughs and Laura Wade of the United Kingdom. Both dogs are involved in sled dog racing, and it sounds like they are a natural team. Here is Nanuk, a black & white Malamute, wearing his royal blue Trekker dog pack during his first pack trip in Wales.


Perching himself on a rock, wolf grey & white Sunka enjoys the rugged Welsh coastline. Like his brother, we wears a royal blue Trekker pack.

You might enjoy Elaine and Laura's comments (see Photos Of Our Dogs) about their dog's packs.

Size & Color: Medium, Blue

This is an email we received from Sally's owner:

Well, with about 750 miles of backpacking behind us now, I guess I can make an objective assessment of Sally's Trekker Wolf Pack. In a word, I'm very pleased. This puppy (the Wolf Pack, not Sally) is tough as nails, and has held up under all conditions. I like these zippers (I added string pulls though - just one on each side, which makes getting into the bags and closing them much easier on the trail). I like the fact too, that the Wolf Pack can be cinched up higher on the dog's shoulders, where a canine is more comfortable carrying a pack than when the saddle bags are flopping down around their bellies, or under their bellies, as is the case with many of the cheaply made dog packs I see on the trails. Don't buy cheap dog packs!! Wolf Packs are a well made American product and deserves a hearty endorsement.

Tom Sweetnam (and Sally the Wonderdog)
Eureka, CA

Size & Color: Small, Green

Czar is a German Shepherd who lives and works in Australia. He belongs to Creese Syred, and is a trainee Search and Rescue dog. Creese often takes him to local shops, where the butcher puts Czar's food in the Trekker dog pack. When this photo was taken, Czar's pack held yummy chicken wings.

Czar is wearing his ID Cape which he uses for Search & Rescue training. Creese has written "IF LOST OR FOUND PLEASE OPEN" above the pocket. The pocket holds a card that reads: "If you find this dog, please don't be scared. Give him some fresh water and call (his phone number or vet's number). He is a member of the German Shepherd Dog League Australia, and N.S.W. Tracking & Rescue Dog Club."

Creese and Czar walking home from town. It looks like this T-shirt has found a good home.

Size & Color: Medium, Orange

Sheldon Pineo's Samoyed Ice models his royal blue Trekker dog pack. His owner says, "Ice goes nuts!! when I pull the bags out. He gets so excited that it's difficult at times to put the bags on! I love my pack. It gets used quite a bit of use."

Size & Color: Large, Blue

Blazer, owned by Barbara & Jeff Thompson, prepares to hike a section of the Pacific Crest Trail with his friends. To help the humans, he totes his share of the load in a Trekker dog pack. Their hike went from just beyond the southern corner of Crater Lake National Park to a small lake about 50 miles to the South. Barbara & Jeff described some beautiful autumn foliage and very little foot traffic.

You might enjoy reading Jeff's message (see Blazer's Trekker).

Size & Color: Medium, Teal

Blaze, owned by Jennifer Tucker, helps carry some gear with his burgundy Trekker dog pack. This picture was taken during a cycling trip on Kukopf Island (Rhine River), in Germany. The trip was about 12 kilometers with Blaze happily carrying his water, a Frisbee, and snacks for everyone! Jennifer sent us this nice message about Blaze's pack:

"Blaze, our crazy ten month old male Golden Retreiver, has had his very snazzy Trekker dog pack for a couple of months now. It took a bit of getting used to. At first he looked at me like I was mad and refused to move. Somehow the pack seriously affected the use of Blazes legs even when being enticed by a biscuit! But then all of a sudden voila! He could walk again, all be it a little off balance but he managed :)

Now Blaze wonders what all the fuss was about. As soon as it's on and I give him the all clear, he's off - no stopping him! Well in just one afternoon Blaze managed to prove Wolf Packs correct. While he's wearing it he can walk, run, sit, lay down and even 'Oh boy there goes a squirrel, it's running through the bushes, I don't care come on let's chase it!' He gets even more attention from people when he wears his pack. We often hear comments like, "Look at the dog, he's so cute!"

Thank you Wolf Packs for such a great product.

Jenny and Blaze
Germany"

Size & Color: Medium, Burgundy

Sherry Simmons' Kiska and Nika explore the Misty Moon Trail in the Big Horns, Wyoming. These two beautiful dogs are sisters. They both wear Trekker dog packs to carry their gear. Sherry has this to say about her packs:

On our big trip to the mountains of Wyoming and Montana, my dogs Kiska and Nika wore Trekker dog packs, in burgundy and royal blue with matching collars and collapsible dog bowls.

The dogs had no trouble adjusting to their packs. They appear to be comfortable and well-fitted. As we hiked on the various trails on our trip, the packs proved strong and durable. They dried quickly, and cleaned off easily by brushing when the mud dried. The dogs had no places where the straps rubbed or created sore spots, something I watched for and was pleased not to find. Because the dogs were just one year old, I did not fill the packs with heavy equipment, but our experience was that the packs did not slide around (we hiked in some steep places, both up and down), and the dogs had no problem running around and cavorting with packs on as well as off. They also were able to sit and lay down comfortably in their packs.

The dogs and I both love these packs and we had a great time on our trip.

Here the sisters are hiking the Clay Butte Trail in the Beartooth range, Wyoming. The view is to the Absorkas in the south, still cloaked with snow. If you look at the photograph carefully you will see that Sherry has attached both dogs to one leash. This gives her more control and allows the dogs to travel with less danger of tangling.

With their dog packs removed for the evening, Kiska & Nika enjoy a beautiful sunset from Sheep Mountain in the Big Horn range. Sherry says, "They are terrific hiking partners!"

Size & Color: Small, Burgundy, Teal

While hiking in Hanging Rock State Park in North Carolina, Laika, a beautiful Samoyed owned by Ricq Pattay, puts her purple Trekker Wolf Packs dog pack to the test.

Size & Color: Small, Purple

Date: Wed, 15 May 1996 11:04:09 -1000
From:Ken Severin
Subject: Pack is Here!
The pack arrived and indeed looks and fits well. I'm glad we went with the medium instead of the large! Haven't had a real workout yet, but hopefully this weekend. Pingo seems to think that the pack is "just another one of those strange things they keep making me do."

Thanks again.

Ken Severin

This paragraph was later added by the author to further explain the preceeding message:

I ordered a purple Trekker pack for our Akita, Pingo, but was unsure of the size, as Pingo was right on the dividing line between a medium and a large. Linda answered my questions quickly via email, and even had the pack ready to go while she was waiting for the credit card number to arrive via snail mail. I also really appreciate Linda taking the time to ship by Parcel Post rather than UPS, a considerable savings when shipping to Alaska!

Size & Color: Medium, Purple

Forest Godsey's Leslie Ann shows that even fine boned greyhounds have what it takes to help carry the load. This photo shows her hiking in her red Trekker dog pack on a trail close to Forest's home. The photo below shows a different view in a local park.

Forest has two dogs, both outfitted with our dog packs. He says, "All I have to do is get their packs out of the closet and the dogs get excited. They associate the packs with fun! I honestly think my dogs enjoy walks more when I put their packs on them and make them carry something. If I've been careless and not put their packs in the closet, my Lab will bring me his pack instead of his leash to indicate it's time for a walk."

You might enjoy reading Forest's comments (see Keeping Cool) about how Leslie Ann stays cool with her dog pack.

Size & Color: Small, Red

This is our Kiba about to leap from a fallen log on Mount San Gorgonio, CA. She is about eight feet above the ground. Her jump was successful, but to avoid such incidents we now always keep our dogs on-leash when we wander from our property. This keeps dogs from frightening other pack animals and wildlife that may also be using the trail, as well as people who are afraid of dogs. Many public land administrations now ban dogs from trails, due to off-leash problems.

Kiba's Trekker pack was loaded with our cook stove, cooking pans and tools, first-aid essentials, my rain gear, the truck keys, all of her food and water, and the water filter. In all, about 15 pounds of gear. On the way back down the mountain it was also containing a good quantity of trash found along the trail.

Size & Color: Medium, Teal