A person who weighs 150 pounds (68 kg) will stress over the addition of even a few ounces here or there. Your average sized dog is only about a third the size of a 150 pound person. To a 50 pound (22 kg) dog, those extra few ounces here and there count for three times as much as a percentage of their overall size. If anyone should be hauling the extra weight, it’s the human. 

It is necessary to properly assess whether it is ok for your dog to wear a backpack and how much weight they can safely carry. In this article, we outline a few important considerations to consult with your veterinarian about.

We are excited to be introducing our first product: the Moab Lite doggo daypack. It is the first waterproof, ultralight, and form fitting dog backpack on the market and offers some new features that we believe improve on what is currently offered. Whether you’re new to the trail or a seasoned veteran of wet dogs in a dry tent and skunk blasts at bedtime (not again, Thunder!), we are excited to present a new weapon in the realm of outdoor K9 gear.

Within 4 months, Thunder was virtually indistinguishable from pre-surgery. Now he runs and plays and spins in circles like he used to when he was a little puppy, despite him turning 12 this month! It makes me so happy to see him back to his normal shenanigans. We go on long hikes again through the Swiss Alps, and only at the end of a long day do you notice a cheeky little wobble in his back hips as he still favors his stronger leg. The surgery might have set us back a little, but you can’t put a price on Thunder’s joy and ability to play outside. He’s a mountain dog after all, and it warms my heart to know he is back playing in those mountains he loves.

Some of my favorite memories with Thunder come from our myriad adventures together. Hiking volcanoes in Nicaragua, camping in the Alps, training mustangs in the Teton Wilderness in Wyoming, packing mules through bear country in the Sierras, old cowboy ranches spanning 40,000 acres in Arizona, hidden ruins in the Huayhuash mountains of Peru. The best memories I have with Thunder are of our many epic adventures together. They come from traveling and exploring the great outdoors.

Fortune favors the bold as long as the bold is properly prepared so here are a few less common commands that I have taught my pup. They have proved invaluable over the course of our 12 years hiking and backpacking the back country together in nearly every kind of climate around the globe.