Haven't tripped with booker yet, but we are going to in just over a week. I haven't decided yet how to carry his food. What do you do?

I'm doing ziplocks of food for each day inside the pouches of my dog's Ruffwear approach pack. Everybody (and every species) needs to carry in all of their own gear in my mind. Lets just hope she doesn't go for an extended swim at the portage.

Does your dog wear a life vest? We have no idea of Booker can swim well, plus our four year old insists that he have a PFD. Seems like if he wears a PFD that means he won't have a doggy backpack (unless we switch it out at portages, which I do not want to do).

I like the idea of the individual baggies.

We bought a pack from Olly Dog. It has a large pocket on both sides of the harness. I usually put food in both sides to balance it out. Double bag the food in plastic zip-locks. There should be enough air trapped in there to provide some flotation if need be.

ziplocks inside a Ruffwear Palisades Pack. Here it is in action... You've got to balance the weight out on each side though or it'll ride on a slant...

I just put the food in ziplock bags and then put that in my food pack. Although that was only on a 4 day trip and I had extra room for it.

I considered having my dog wear a dog pack but opted not to. I don't have the dog wear a PFD but I also didn't want him sitting in the canoe with a pack on him in case we dumped. I didn't like the idea of him swiming with a heavy wet pack pushing him down. Every time you get in the canoe the dog pack should come off and then put it back on at the start of every portage, just kind of a pain in the butt. At least it would have been on the one trip I've taken him on, lots of portages with only short paddles inbetween, I'd have spent an hour a day just dealing with the dog pack, it was easier just to carry his food.

I also just use one or two big ziplock bags. instead of individual bags. Just a little less garbage to keep track of, thats the only real advantage. I'd just package it however it best fits in the packs.

If you haven't had your dog IN the water yet I'd recommend doing it before going on a trip. If by some remote chance you dump you want to make sure the dog can fend for himself. Last thing you want to do is have to rescue a dog your dog while you are trying to deal with all your gear. I'm sure he'll figure it out quickly but its good to make sure he likes the water and can fend for himself if need be.

quote nofish: "If you haven't had your dog IN the water yet I'd recommend doing it before going on a trip. If by some remote chance you dump you want to make sure the dog can fend for himself. Last thing you want to do is have to rescue a dog your dog while you are trying to deal with all your gear. I'm sure he'll figure it out quickly but its good to make sure he likes the water and can fend for himself if need be."

That's why I'm on-board with my four year old and agreeing that he needs a life jacket. I figure if he has the life jacket, I can worry about my kids first (which I would anyway) and then think about him. I don't know that we'll have time to get him actually in the water before we go or not.

Odds are that he'll figure out the swimming thing pretty quickly. At least enough to stay afloat. The only issue might be if you dump and he's tossed into the water without swimming skills developed it might be a rather tramatic experience for him. Odds are very slim that it would happen though.

When you get to camp the first day that would be a good time to go into the water and play with him and see what sort of swimmer he is. In the mean time a life vest isn't a terrible idea for him. Just means you'll probably want to carry his food in your pack then since switching between dog pack and PFD at every portage is a pain.

I'm sure you'll have a blast with him. Having our dog with really adds to the trip.

quote nofish: but I also didn't want him sitting in the canoe with a pack on him in case we dumped. I didn't like the idea of him swiming with a heavy wet pack pushing him down. quote>

I used the pack on Cody when backpacking, but the lucky day I take him to the BWCA, I won't have the pack on him in the canoe. I'll run the line through it like all the other packs, so if we dump it'll stay with the canoe.

our dog carries her food in her pack. food is in 6 little zip lock bags. That way if one bag fails all the food isn't spoiled.

Our last dog (a springer) couldn't swim at all, so he had a doggy pfd. It saved his life a few times to lol.

This dog is a lab.. she can swim just fine

quote FoxRiverRat:

I used the pack on Cody when backpacking, but the lucky day I take him to the BWCA, I won't have the pack on him in the canoe. I'll run the line through it like all the other packs, so if we dump it'll stay with the canoe."

Then do you put the pack on your dog at the start of each portage and then take it off of him at the end of each portage? Depending on the pack and how it attaches seems like too much hassle. For a shorter trip I'd rather just carry the food in my pack and eliminate the step of having to put on/take off the dog pack several times a day.

Perhaps on a longer trip where the weight of the dog food is more and pack space is more limited then i'd have the dog carry his own food as the hassle is probably worth it at that point.

One other thing i'd probably consider before a trip is don't assume your dog will carry a pack with no issues. Most dogs probably will but some dogs will also do anything they can to get the pack off of them. You don't want to find out what type of dog you have when you are already on the trip. Best to find that out at home.

Hi nofish,

I've used the pack for him twice in the Shawnee National Forest in Southern IL. I don't quite trust him enough in the canoe yet. Day trips are one thing, when I have everything I need for 4 days in the canoe with me...that's another story haha.

I would take it on/off at each portage. It take's about 1 minute to get it on him, and less to take it off. It's 3 buckle like clips, 2 under his belly/chest and one across the front of his chest.

What I loved about the Ruffwear Palisades is that it also has 2 built in water bladders :) The trail we were on had long gaps between water sources so we had to stock up when we could.

Cody carried 3 days worth of food (12 cups total). 2 bladders with about a quart of water each, and his ball, toy, and nylabone. It probably weighed 15 - 20 pounds. (He weighs 95)

He handled it like a champ. I hardly think he noticed it was on. He still sprinted, jumped logs, and circled us on the trail for 8 hours straight!

When I first got it, we did a 4 mile jog with some light and fluffy stuff in it. Then I put a load in it similiar to the trip and we did another 4 miles on a different day....

one funny thing, is he never figured out that his body was about 5 inches wider on each side, so he slammed that bag into many trees and bushes while racing up and down the trail :)

I'm sure my dog would do the same. For every mile of trail i walk I think he runs about 6 as he runs ahead and then back to me, and then in a cirlce and then back ahead and back down the trail. Its exhausting to watch.

With my dog being a lean 50 pounds I'm not sure he'd enjoy carrying any extra 20 pounds of food/water. He could do it but I'm sure that he'd notice 50% more weight. Maybe that would be a way to finally get him tired. SO far in 3 years i haven't seen him tired.

quote nofish: "I'm sure my dog would do the same. For every mile of trail i walk I think he runs about 6 as he runs ahead and then back to me, and then in a cirlce and then back ahead and back down the trail. Its exhausting to watch.


With my dog being a lean 50 pounds I'm not sure he'd enjoy carrying any extra 20 pounds of food/water. He could do it but I'm sure that he'd notice 50% more weight. Maybe that would be a way to finally get him tired. SO far in 3 years i haven't seen him tired."

haha, I hear ya. We did 10 miles one day. Cody turned it into 20 for sure :)

Yeah, if you're dog is 50 pounds maybe a 10 pound pack? I've read a healthy dog can handle 20%-33% of it's own weight in a pack. If you dog is under 2.5 years then even less as it's growing.

Cody was tired from that trip, which similar to your dog is NOT an easy thing to achieve.

I used to put my dog's (Dixie) food in her pack. But it was a hassle. I had to work to keep it balanced as she ate and the load would become unbalanced. I put ropes and hammocks in Dixie's pack. It's probably 5-8 lbs of gear.

I stopped packing dry dog food after the one trip that I brought it. It's heavy (Dixie is a 70 lb lab so she needed about 2+ cups each day) and it's a disaster if it gets wet. Now I use my dehydrator and make "patties" out of quinoa, baby food veggies, egg, and ground meat. (buffalo is her favorite) I mix it all, form it into patties, and dehydrate. She eats about 4 patties each day. (2 in the morning, 2 at night) I also buy chicken breasts when they're on sale and cut the meat into strips and dry that to bring for "treats." All of Dixie's food is packed in zip locks in our food pack.

Dixie wears a life jacket on big water, or if it's rough water. At the portage, I just take it off and put her pack on. Her life jacket gets stuff under mine that is zipped to the seat. I've tried a couple different kinds of life jackets. The latest one is the best for Dixie, because it doesn't have "padding" on her belly, which always caused her to be tippy when she tried to lay down.

I also bring a "tie out." (a rope with a carabineer on both ends) I can clip one carabineer to a tree, and the other to her leash. I leave it right by the tent door so she can go out before the rest of us want to get out of the tent. I lost her for 20 hours on Insula, and I won't risk losing her again. Even though she's a highly trained service dog, she's still a dog.

I put her food loose in a dry bag in the food pack.

Sterngirl, did you post about losin her before? If so I remember that story.


We will have his leash along but haven't decided yet about a tie out. Booker is a bit of a nervous dog and always wants to know where we are. But yes...he's a dog.

I like the idea of the dried food. Do you rehydrate it? No time for me to do it this year, but maybe next.

I do have some freeze dried chicken that I can bring for treats. Great idea. Not the cheapest, but I bought a big mountain house can of it on sale and know I'll have extra after I'm done putting our meals together.

Nojobro,

Yes, I've posted about Dixie being lost before... it's in my trip report "Dixie's first BWCAW trip." I think it's day 6. Ugh. She never leaves my side, but in one moment, she must have smelled something, ran off, and got lost. Bring a tie out. Make one with a rope. You never know...

I don't rehydrate the patties. I just break them up and put in her collapsible bowl. I've also used "Honest Kitchen" dog food. (honest kitchen) It's dehydrated and you just add water.

Dixie definitely eats more on trail than she does at home, so I bring more than what I'd give her regularly.

Good luck! Have a great trip! :-)

We package our dog's (Decoy) food in individual vacuumed sealed meals. It is great that the food stays dry and it is easy to make sure you brought enough along. We can't trust Decoy to not swim with her food, so we just carry the food for her. But, now we are highly intrigued by Honest Kitchen's dehydrated food.

I have a Granite Gear nylon food dish that has a drawstring top. It holds maybe 5-6 days worth of food for my dog (50-LB Husky-Shepard mix). For longer trips the rest goes into an old stuff sack. Both go into my pack.

Ziplock baggies - one days food per baggie. The only good reason to hassle with a dog pack is if you are trying to wear the dog out. Otherwise, it eats up too much time on portages. I split out a days worth in the bear vault and the rest with the main food pack.

Definitely go with a life vest for the dog. You want to give them every chance you have.

quote drought: "Ziplock baggies - one days food per baggie. The only good reason to hassle with a dog pack is if you are trying to wear the dog out. Otherwise, it eats up too much time on portages. I split out a days worth in the bear vault and the rest with the main food pack.


Definitely go with a life vest for the dog. You want to give them every chance you have."

What kind of dog pack do you have? you're not the 1st poster in this thread to not want to use a dog pack because of the hassle on the portages. no exaggeration.... 30 seconds and my dog's pack is on

quote FoxRiverRat: "

quote drought: "Ziplock baggies - one days food per baggie. The only good reason to hassle with a dog pack is if you are trying to wear the dog out. Otherwise, it eats up too much time on portages. I split out a days worth in the bear vault and the rest with the main food pack.



Definitely go with a life vest for the dog. You want to give them every chance you have."

What kind of dog pack do you have? you're not the 1st poster in this thread to not want to use a dog pack because of the hassle on the portages. no exaggeration.... 30 seconds and my dog's pack is on"

I have Ruffwear packs (not sure what style) but the time comes not just from putting on the dog pack but also in removing the life jacket. Then you have to find a place to carry the life jacket over the portage (remember keep the loose items to a minimum). Then when you get to the next put in, the dog pack needs to be repacked. It really becomes annoying when going through small lakes and short portages. Also I trip with two dogs so that obviously doubles the effort for me.

I think the dog also factors into how much time it takes to get a pack on him. When i get to a portage my dog instantly wants to start smelling everything and checking things out. Getting him to sit still to put on a pack is going to take may more than 30 seconds.

As long as I have the space for his food and capacity to take on the extra weight in my pack then thats what I'll do just to make everything a little easier at the portage and to reduce the need to keep track of an extra pack.

Even though its probably only a few minutes at most to get a pack on a dog sometimes it just feels like more of a hassle. I like to make things as streamlined as possible even if its just a matter of saving a minute or two.

I picked this up on sale at REI on Memorial Day. I got it for $39! Willow doesn't seem to mind wearing it around the house. I haven't had a chance to use it on a trip yet. I think it will carry all of her food nicely, as well as some milkbones, her bowl, leash, and a ball. It's not waterproof, so her food will be ziplocked or vacuum sealed.

REI Ultra Dog Pack

I wouldn't put my dog in a canoe with a pack on... I wouldn't keep my pack on in the canoe, why would my dog? She will carry her own food, like we do, then we will strap down her pack in the canoe just like we do our own gear. It is an awesome way to lighten the load as long as the pack weight matches the dog's ability.