Man's best friend can get even more walk-friendly with his own set of doggy-compatible panniers allowing him to carry his own food, water and shelter. Yep, it's a dog's life. Dave Mycroft reports.
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Palisades II Dog Panniers
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Price:
£74.95
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Weight: 988 grammes
(medium)
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Features:
Easy to detatch, spider-web harness, hydration bladders, abrasion resistant
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Top of the range dog panniers, well designed with plenty of storage
Slightly expensive, hydration bladders could be improved
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The Concept – If a dog’s really a man’s best friend then why not let him help carry the load?
In these days of ultra-light kit your dog can lend a hand by carrying his own kit. The American manufacturers of this dog pack reckon a dog can carry up to a third of his own weight if properly loaded and adjusted – though the UK suppliers
Canine Spirit recommend up to a quarter of the dogs body weight. As with humans you may need to build up to this percentage according to the fitness of your dog.
Features The Palisades II pack is designed by dog owners for dog owners and it really shows. Available in small, medium and large the system is based around a “Spider-Web harness which is easily adjustable to fit pretty much any breed of dog from Spaniels upwards. The pack simply clips to the harness using three side release buckles, and then you adjust the internal compression straps for a good fit. To remove the pack during breaks simply release the three buckles. The three point buckle system also overcomes the long standing problem of how to make the panniers secure and balanced, and eliminates the problem of the pack sliding to one side.
The main part of the Palisades II is made from tough durable 1680 denier ballistic nylon, which gives good abrasion resistance – necessary when scrambling up rock strewn paths. The combination of the compression straps and harness help keep the load high and stable, and the low profile means your dog still has freedom of movement. The pack’s centre of gravity has been designed to help your dogs mobility, and a handle is integrated into the system to allow for lifting the dog over styles or obstacles.
When it comes to pockets you’re really spoilt for choice – with a wide array of “self-repairing” zip closure pockets placed just where you need them. The outer pockets come with a series of retaining straps and mesh pockets, to hold objects in place, and the larger pockets are big enough to carry pretty much anything your animal needs over a multi day walk.
Like we said, the filling is Primaloft and shell and liner are a
very fine micro-rip stop nylon.
In Action We’ve been testing the Palisades II for about a year now, and are seriously impressed! Nowadays the dogs take the packs whether they’re going on a lightweight weekend trek or a single day walk. There’s plenty of room inside the pack for the essentials, and the weight certainly doesn’t seem to bother the dogs. An average pack load would include; coat, towel, 2 litres water, fold up bowl, food pouches or bags, biscuits, treats and scoop bags. Of course it’s also important to be able to release the panniers from the harness while taking a break, and again the three point clipping system makes this simple.
Space was never going to be a problem with the Palisades II. Even with the kit above inside there’s still plenty of room for more if you need it, and the temptation to let your pet help you out with your own load is hard to resist. In practise we’ve found it works best if you get your dog used to wearing the harness alone on walks at first, and then introduce the pack once they’re happy with the harness on. Once your dog’s used to wearing the pack the biggest problem is stopping them walking into objects like walls and lamp posts, having forgotten they’re considerably wider with the pack on.
The hydration bladders were the only let down with the Palisades II. They’re similar to the bladders used in wine boxes, but for some strange reason are extremely oversized. You’re supposed to fill the bladders with them in their pockets, but this can be difficult without getting the panniers themselves wet. Emptying the bladders is also a problem as they must have four times the capacity of the pocket that holds them making it easy to get water stuck in the folds and creases. We found the best solution was to replace the bladders with Platypus 1 litre hosers with closure caps.
There’s no reason why a dog can’t carry its own coat and food, and if you’re looking at going lightweight and taking your dog with you there’s probably no better product on the market. The Palisades II are well designed in tough durable material and have more than enough room for your pets needs for several days.
The packs are quick and easy to remove during rest breaks, while leaving the harness attached. If you replace the hydration bladders with something smaller like a Platypus, and treat the nylon with Nikwax to waterproof it you’ll have the ultimate dog pack. Letting your canine friend carry his own kit will save you 5-6 kilos of pack weight and it makes a great conversation starter on the hills.
For a smaller dog, such as a Terrier or Jack Russell, the Palisades is too big, but Canine Spirit also supply an alternative in the Approach Pack (From £39.95, available in 5 sizes).
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Performance
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Value
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Pushed for time:
A well designed system that lets your dog carry his own kit in total comfort while saving you precious kilos.
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