Dogs and tents

Going on a backpacking trip with my new dog this spring. Dog weighs around 60lbs. Should i buy a particular tent? Im worried about the dogs nails tearing up the tent floor. Any advice about backpacking with a dog would be much appreciated. I am an experienced tent camper and have been back packing a few times. Probably going to Dolly Sods in West Virginia. Did some day hikes there, beautiful.

First, keep your dog's claws cut short. I trim my dog's claws twice a month. Frequent trimming makes the "quick" recede more so you can cut them a little shorter each time.

Second, if you haven't already, crate train your dog. Use plenty of rewards and keep the crate times short at first. Your dog will soon regard his crate as a place of security. It's also the best place to leave your dog when you have to go somewhere for a few hours--you can be sure your house and its contents will still be intact when you return! This training will transfer to the tent--my dog regards my tent as HIS (!) crate, so he settles down and stays quiet.

I do make every effort to keep my dog's feet off my air mattress and my expensive down sleeping bag, but I don't worry about the tent floor (there's always duct tape). Even for the two years I had a SMD Lunar Solo with the lightweight floor (30D silnylon), I never had any holes from the dog's claws. (Ask phat--he bought the tent from me and is still finding dog hairs in it!)

I don't suggest going away from the tent with the dog inside; once he realizes you're not there, he is liable to panic and start clawing--most likely through the netting door!

Searching (see the sticky post at the top of the "General Discussion" section) will find lots of past posts on backpacking with dogs. Most, of course, with cute puppy pictures!

If you hike far enough, the dog will settle right down and sleep, he's tired. Unless you have one that has to constantly see you or need to know where you are. With young dogs, I had more issues after I got home, laying the bag or pad out to dry and the dog deciding it was now a chew toy. Enjoy, nothing like a wet nose to the face in the morning.

I have a short Thermarest Ridgerest that I make my dog pack in for herself. She has learned to sleep and stay on the pad and I haven't had any damage to the floors of the tent's that I own.

My dog took to the tent right away. He is happy anyplace I am. Never worried about the tent floor. So far the tent has been used mostly for car camping. For wilderness trips I have been using a tarp set up lean-to fashion. Rebel comes and goes as he pleases but he never goes far. I never worry about him running off. He does have a habit of collecting sticks and piling them up. One morning I slept in and awoke to find a huge pile of wood right beside me. Too bad there was a fire ban at the time. Not everyone has a dog that voluntarily fetches firewood

Howie

I don't use a tent, so not a problem. I usually just make sure her line will reach and let her under the tarp. Then she can decide where she wants to sleep. I bring a pad for her, but she has never slept on it. She prefers the snow or grass.

I also never cut her nails. I would if I had to though. I have found that if she runs a couple times a week in the neighborhood for a couple miles each time, that the concrete and asphalt wear the nails down and keep them short.

A former trail companion loved the tent. It went up first when we made camp and he immediately went inside and napped while we set up the rest of the camp.

To protect the floor we used one of the heavier space blankets,Coleman brand, I think. It was more than sufficient to protect the floor from the 60lb Samoyed. It was heavy but then, the Sam carried it...as well as the tent and all his 'stuff'.

That good boy is long gone but last week we picked up the successor to his successor...our fourth in a nearly 40-year history of Sams. The new little guy has another 16 months or so before he starts packing but my eyes water at the thought...

FB

p.s. that space blanket is now being used as an underliner to the puppys nighttime bed...more than 25 years after his predecessor slept on it on the trail. Talk about heritage!

Replying to my own post above:

The 'space blanket' is actually a, "Thermos All Weather Sportsman's Blanket." Heavy, water proof material with a strong weave and aluminzed/thermal reflecting on one side. Big enough to cover most of the floor of an Eureka 4-person Timberline tent.

FB

Good stuff here but I would put emphasis on what Hiker Duane said. A dog that has been exercised will settle down easily. So you have that going for you. If you have the dog carry a load for you, that will be even better. My dog is rowdy in the bush but good in the tent. Has been since her first trip at 7 months age.

sk

Hi,

I hike with my dog, but don't backpack with her, so I won't offer you any advice there.

I'm from WV, but I haven't backpacked in Dolly Sods yet, but you are correct - it is beautiful! (There's also some great XC Skiing in that area when there is enough snow!)

Have fun and be safe!

Good choice, Dolly Sods.

I have a 125 pound chocolate lab named Tater that loves being on the trail. As someone else noted, concrete and asphalt are the best for nail maintainence, a daily walk keeps them trimmed down. I have a bell on my walking stick and I hang one on Tater so we both know where we're at. At the end of the day Tater is tired enough that he just goes inside the tent and crashes. A few times I've left him outside, wildlife would get him on the chase then I'd lay awake worrying about him getting lost. Tie him up outside the tent and he just barks all night. In the tent he just sleeps. His nails have never damaged the tent. Water dogs with webed toes will bring in plenty of mud so I bring a small wisk broom to sweep out in the morning. Out in the wild he does take on a new aroma that can get intense in the tent. I do not take Tater on long trips of more than a couple days even though he's good company.

I would think a 125 lb. dog is going to have more "aroma" than a 60 - 70 lb. dog. I never allow a dog to bark more than once or twice, just me, but more than that takes away the experience for others if they are around. I've been fortunate that my dogs were never barkers. My Yellow Lab X would alert me with a bark when bears were around, that was it.

I put a comb and two "Handiwipe" towels (they dry so much faster than the expensive pack towels) in my dog's pack and groom him at night just before retiring. This removes most of the mud and dirt as well as a lot of loose dog hair and any ticks that might be crawling around. The towels (after rinsing if they're muddy) are a multiple use item--I use them to wipe off condensation inside the tent. My dog loves the grooming, too! It keeps his skin in condition, especially under the pack and harness.

I haven't noticed any new "aroma" except the normal "wet dog" odor when it's been raining or Hysson has been wading. Of course I try to make sure he doesn't roll in anything aromatic!

I suspect, or at least hope, that those of you who backpack where skunks may be wandering around in the evening are extra careful to keep your dog leashed or tied up! I'm thinking of a night in central Pennsylvania where I nearly tripped over one on the way to the "facilities"!

Re: Aroma
I haven't had my Vizsla in a tent yet but y'all have reminded me of one of the claims to fame of the continental gun dog breeds (skcreidc may be able to attest to this). Those are some gassy dogs. This is something I had failed to take into consideration but we'll see what happens.

Perhaps a change of diet is in order? For many dogs, the premium foods work better because there is less bulk and hopefully, less gas. That depends on the individual dog, though. Despite the price per bag, premium dog food isn't really more expensive than the standard supermarket food because you feed that much less--and there's less to scoop at the other end, too. That also makes these foods better for backpacking. If he's already on premium food, try another kind to see if it works better. Ask your vet for suggestions.

If you're changing the dog's diet, do it gradually--start with maybe 1/4 cup of new food mixed with the old, increasing the proportion of the new over about 10 days. With my dog, when he's had reactions to food, it has taken about 2 months on the new food before he starts upchucking it. If I were going to change his diet now (which I won't, because he's doing fine), I'd do it several months before a backpacking trip.

He's on premium food. We've tried several different kinds. My wife works at a vet clinic so we have access to everything there is out there. From other people who I've known who have owned Vs, GSPs, DDs, etc. they are known for being gassy. It's really not too bad and he often gives warning through his body language before he lets one go.

I have hiked with my dog (springer spaniel) on occasion, (I don't take him out on most of my trips which are in grizzly country where he would be a liability) In my case I was hammocking, with a big tarp over my hammock, so what I ended up is having an extra piece of blue foam pad, he was very happy to curl up on this underneath my hammock. The only gotcha being I also use my blue foam "butt padd" as my standing pad to get out of my hammock and put my feet on. Mudge ended up snuggled up right where that was, so getting up in the morning I swung my feet out of the hammock onto dog, then had to get him to move before I could get out of the hammock!

Yup, like horses, they can have intestinal issues. We went through a lot of different, cheap and expensive, dog foods to get where we are today. Ended up on the expensive end, but the stools are generally firm. In general, I thought my labs were worse gassy wise. With Tica, I only have trouble if she has been doing extensive browsing on her own; and then...stand back!

Really, even those moments "pass"...its when they shoulder dip into something dead on trail that the smell really gets to me. Dr. Bronners just doesn't cut it.

sk

Mine loves to do that as well. He has a knack for finding the nastiest stuff out in the field and coming back into the house smelling like death.

My second platitude of the day: A leash prevents many of those problems.

My dog was never off lead when hiking/backpacking...even before I moved to grizzly country.

That's a good, if not mandatory by regulation, practice. It's good for other hikers, it's good for wildlife, it's good for other domestic animals (dogs, horses, llamas, etc., on the trail). Most of all, it's good for the dog. It keeps him/her out of harm's way.

Here, there are multiple stories every year of dogs drowning, mauled by wildlife or other dogs, or being caught in off-trail traps. While other areas may not have all these threats there are threats and risks none the less. And I, for one, didn't take that risk with my beloved companion and I won't with my new friend.

FB

I agree.

Every year at least one or two dogs go over a cliff in the Columbia River Gorge and are killed. The dog gets too close to the edge on the Eagle Creek Trail and the edge crumbles, or he gets running around up on something like Angel's Rest (very cliffy place) and goes over. Keeping the dog on a leash (required in the Gorge, although too many people disregard the law) will keep him from getting too close to the edge or running around.

There are so many loose dogs on the Eagle Creek Trail that I rarely hike it any more. Loose dog going after my dog on leash on cliffside trails has led to some really hairy situations, where only by the grace of God did Hysson and I escape going over!

Hysson is occasionally off-leash, but I make him walk on the trail behind me on those occasions so I can grab him if someone else comes along. He is also extremely good about coming to heel on such occasions.

Unfortunately people don't realise that their dog is at risk running off leash. I hear some "My dog has a right to run free", and thats the dog that gets hit by a car. I nearly killed a huge German shepard once while backpacking - a city dog with his misstress that he was protecting
Jim

About a month ago my kids and dog and I went for a short hike on the Barton Creek Greenbelt in Austin. There are signs everywhere directing folks to keep their dogs on leash. There were more dogs off leash than on and most of them were pretty well behaved. I didn't let mine off leash. We were on a pretty narrow trail when this French Bulldog or maybe Boston Terrier came bouncing up the trail. No parents in sight anywhere. He was jumping up and down and bouncing off my kids. My dog was heeling really well considering but finally he had had enough and looked at me and then grabbed the other dog ever so gently around the neck. He didn't bite down or growl or anything just grabbed hold. That other dog got really still and at that moment his parents came around the bend in the trail. "Oh theys just deciding who's terreetory this is, that's how dogs do" And they walked on down the trail with their dog. Too many people believe that the rules apply to everyone but themselves.

So much great information on here! I will always use a leash. I think if this dog becomes very predictable about coming when called for a long period of time I may let her off leash for a short run. Not sure, gotta feel her out first. And definantly inside the tent, I've got a pad for her to sleep on and am shopping for a back pack for her so we can start training her to carry her food. I'm stoked! Looking at Ruffwear Pallisades back pack.

My Rebel likes to sleep with his teddy bear. When we go backpacking overnight I strap Teddy to his pack. I figure that would allay any illusions a person may have about him being ferocious.

One thing I have found is that there are some people out there that seem to think it is cruel to make a dog wear a backpack. Most folks think it is a good idea so he can carry his own water and such, but it seems not everyone sees it that way. I overheard one lady say “what a shame”.

Howie

I for one don't find the normal doggy aroma offensive. Normal, I say. Now if they find something exciting to roll in, that's another story!

Good idea. I'm gonna take her turtle that she sleeps with and maybe it will help her be comfortable. As far as a backpack, smart energetic and working dogs enjoy having a a job. Carrying her food and such gives her something to do. We'll build up slowly on walks and hikes. Empty pack the first few times, very light weight building up to the amount she needs for out backpacking trip. I think shes gonna love it.

Many of us, me included, anthropomorphize and project our own attitudes onto our canine companions. I'll bet that lady needs a better fitting pack....

I know my dogs in the past, after a day or two, associate their pack with "we're moving, let's go!". Funny, in the AM, when I'm packed up and about to go, if I even get close to their pack, they are right over there, waiting to be saddled up. Come on Dad!

Mine has the identical reaction. Of course, my eyes brighten when I reach for my pack, too.

My Hysson starts jumping up and down and barking when he sees his pack!

Too funny. Due to my work situation, I can't have a dog since Pooch passed on seven years ago. I know the last couple years, it just isn't the same without him.

You guys brought back some good memories. It was hard for my friend to stand still long enough for the pack to be put on...

FB

I finally bought a pack for Kaya. I bought it at the same time I got her a pulling harness (Christmas present). She isn't convinces she likes it yet. I make sure and put it on her every time we go out for a walk or something, even if it is empty. That way she associates the pack with walking/running/hiking.

So what kind of pack did you get FinallyME? And, as a side note, are you a Bob Marley fan (Kaya)?


Speaking of fun with dogs, last night my sleep was interrupted about every 2 hours as my dog squeaked that she wanted to go outside where she threw up and had bouts of diarrhea. This usually means she found something nasty to eat in the back yard. She had been acting lethargic in the evening. To take it easy on her this morning, I took her to a REALLY BIG dog park where you can essentially be alone. She finally got it all out this morning...then started acting bossy to other dogs coming up to her (I can sniff you but you can't sniff me, marking over other dogs spots). Back to normal.

sk 4 cups of coffee and a dose of sarcasm then I am ready to get started



Taking this thread to new directions...

My dog barfed in my tent once when I couldn't get the zipper open in time. She was pretty frantic to get out but just couldn't hold it. One day she barfed up a blue kitchen sponge that someone left laying around after doing dishes. A few days later there was a dog dropping in the yard with blue sponge in it. I have to be relly careful taking her near campsites because people who car camp will leave anything laying around from broken glass to Macdonalds food wrappers. Mostly where I walk my dog is by one of the local streams and where do people go to car camp? Where I walk my dog. Did I mention that she loves to eat paper with food smells on it? All of our garbage cans have lids as shes like a racoon that way. When the dog droppings in the yard are full of paper I know I have a
leak" somewhere.
Jim

Yikes! Passing a blue sponge...you mean the scrubbing sided ones? Talk about a colon cleanse! Your lucky your dog didn't get a blockage. We have a friend who's husky eats tennis balls. She has had 2 operations for blockages.

Hey Jim(shaw)! Have you gotten any snow, or has it been rain snow mix?

sk

sk
we got about 1/2 inch of snow in town last night with little else predicted. Its been really warm - hit 54 degrees 2 days ago and the ground thawed enough to get some plants into the new garden.

Mt Bachelor got 3 inches in last 12 hours, 5 in last 72 with over 6 feet of base. Thats 2300 feet above my house, but now I live ten miles from the old house, it will take me 45 mintes to be on a skilift at the downhill area.

Yep passed a sponge, but it wasn't the plastic scratchy kind, just plain blue. She was a bit lethargic, probably had soap in it. I have considered a muzzle, and I wonder if it would prevent her from eating garbage? Why can't people with a vehicle carry away their garbage?

Soapbox on : The worst messiest campsites with jars and cans of stuff left behind in the wilderness are ALL from horse campers. No one else has the resources to get that garbage that far in. Soapbox off.
Jim

Stay on the box! There are too many people using the back country for anybody to be a slob. The sloppy few are going to ruin it for everybody else in their group.

I'm hoping you and da FOOT have a good snow trip (and post pics of your setups).

sk

When I car camp I take a trash bag with me and pick up all the junk I find around my spot as soon as I start to make camp. And I take all of my own trash home with me since its usually next to nothing. I car camp a lot on the LBJ Grasslands near one of the horse trails and you're right, Jim, there is usually more garbage in those types of areas. But its only 20 minutes away and makes for a convenient last minute camping spot. We just gotta watch out for the horse manure.

I got her one from Black Ice. I bought it the same time as her harness. It has a separate harness and bag like the Ruff Wear Palisades, except for half the price. For her name, I got her when she was 4 years old. I didn't think I should change her name and confuse her.

Sounds like a deal to me. It is so easy to drop a lot of money on "specialty" items. I tried a lot of different booties with Tica. Some as much as $45 a set of 4 and nothing worked until I found these solid piece leather ones. (I returned everything else). They were $12 for four and now I make slightly modified ones for a buck or so. Great for when she tears her feet up (and its dry).

sk

About the pack, which model did you get? Ruca is a fairly lean pitt at 58 lbs. I cant decide which size and am hoping for some feed back from you on the fit. She's tall and long I'm not sure if the small will be ok. Your thoughts are much appreciated. Tried to upload a pic, although I am technologically savvy, I can't figure it out!

Call Black Ice up. Phone Number is on their web site. I got Tica's harness through them; they seem real nice.

sk

I got the explorer II medium. My dog is 70 lbs and it fits her perfectly. Of course, they are experienced with malamutes, so the pack was made for them. I would call them up about what size to get. They will probably ask you to measure the dog. Of course, you have to call them anyways to order, so.....

Getting back into camping with the wife and two weasel-dogs later next month. Growing up with "real" dogs, it was a blast camping with them. Unfortunately, the current dogs are a ten pound chihuahua and a twenty pound terrier, so it's rather unlikely that they'll be able to carry anything!

You could always try to rig up something out of two small baggies and some duct tape. (If you try this, do NOT apply duct tape directly to dog). Theoretically, it could carry its own food for a couple days.

sk

advise in general.

-buy him a Ruffwear Palisades pack. best dog pack I've ever had and it has it's own hydration bladders!

-bring a sleeping pad for him

-Keep up on Tick Checks. all the ticks from Cody ended up on me by morning

-bring a bone for him to chew during downtime at camp

-get a glow in the dark collar for night time. otherwise all you'll see is his eyes glowing

haha the teddy bear cracks me up!

My dog is a working line German Shepherd. working line shepherds are supposed to have a job. herding, protection, Search and rescue etc.. for them to be truely happy.

my trainer said having Cody wear a pack and lug his own food will most certainly be viewed by him as a job and hence a great thing for both of us...not sure that that applies to any other dogs, but thought i'd throw it out there



haha

I haven't had a chance to read through this tread in it's entirety yet and I'm sure you got lots of great advice so far but I'd thought I chime in w/ two cents anyway.

My pup comes along w/ me every time I head for the trail as long as I'm not visiting a restrictive park. As far as being inside the tent, he hasn't been much of an issue. He does have long nails(I leave them long so he has a better grip climbing steep terrain) but our tent is so snug that once it has two bags in it there isn't much tent floor exposed. If he's particularly dirty, I put down a small pack towel in the vetibule and he's pretty happy w/ it. He's only 35lbs so he fits well.

I bought him an REI dog pack last year and it's worked out fairly well. W/ this he can carry both of his collapsible food and water bowls and about 5 days food. The pack isn't close to waterproof so keeping the food in a couple of 2 liter Sea To Summit dry sacks is what I've had to do. Ziplocks just weren't cutting it. After a jump into water, shake and roll in the dirt, the bags would bust open.
Also the pack would have to have balanced loads in each side. The straps like to slip when wet and soon the pack would dip to one side. I'm sure this is uncomfortable.

You might want to get little booties as well. After a long day for the pooch on rough terrain, unconditioned pads will become raw and irritated. My pup would show reluctance w/ these at first but I'd slip them on later on in the day only when I had to. The REI ones could be a little finicky too so you'd have to keep an eye on them. They might fall off if not put on correctly.

And last, rattlesnakes are always a concern on hot days in rocky areas. If you have a particularly rambunctious or inquisitive pooch you may want to keep them on leash in these conditions. There is a rattlesnake "vaccine" but it basically only works to slow down the effects of venom long enough to get them to a vet. Unlike most snake bite regarding people, they're most certainly a death sentence for dogs. And if you're out far enough, a vet is out of the question.

I think in Virgina you guys have Cotton Mouths? Maybe Water Moccasins? Either one, both are worse than rattlesnakes.

I'll betcha this is the kind of person who has a yap dog and who refers to it as her baby. She cannot imagine that a dog would have a job to do, and certainly not her precious baby doggiekins.

And what really sucks is that IME this type of ankle biter is a very spoiled dog with atrocious behavior.

A big "Thank You" to those of you who take the time to train your dogs and who give your dogs the opportunity to come along with you on hiking trips. Dogs are too great to be kept in a pen all the time, and too great to be left untrained. If only people would realize it's a whole lot like raising kids...

I too have trouble keeping his pack evenly balanced. I try to alternate taking a little water from each side, but still the pack soon starts to lower on one side or the other. I keep working on the problem.

Never though about rattlesnakes. We are supposed to have lots of them around here but I have never come across one.

Howie

Which pack does your pup use?
I only have experience w/ the older REI Adventure Dog pack. As long as I unload each side evenly and keep the nylon straps tight and dry it's usually fine. But he has a lot of energy and only 3 legs. So a lot of running around and at a lopsided gait at that make it a little difficult. I'm thinking of fastening a snap in the strap past the buckle to keep it from slipping even after it's wet.

Yeah, rattlesnakes are fairly prominent down here and even more so in the dry desert areas. I too, see them rarely if at all but have heard some scary stories including $1200+ vet bills and, the worst possible out come.

Kinda scary.

The pack we use is Outward Hound. It seems comfortable on him. I think the problem is that he is a large but skinny dog and no matter how I tighten the straps there isn't enough friction to keep the pack from sliding one way or the other. It doesn't seem to be a big deal though. Sometimes I just let it go off center and don't worry about it. I have thought about adding some sheepskin under the straps. My wife is handy in that department and so it could be possible. But would it help?

Howie

The sheepskin will help only until it gets dirty. That being said, we used to use sheepskin pads on the cinch (girth) of horse saddles, on the front flank (behind the elbow, the bottom shoulder joint) where the skin is otherwise prone to get sores. Fleece, though, is a lot easier to wash out. Hysson's pack came with fleece sleeves on both girth straps.

Hysson, in my avatar, is modeling an older model Ruffwear Palisades. I love this pack because the pack bags detach from the harness. This makes it much easier to remove the pack bags when we stop. I can carry the pack bags and use the harness to assist Hysson on really bad stretches or when fording deeper streams. Hysson loves it, too, judging from his eager barks when I bring it out!

The Ruffwear Palisades is also less prone to tipping than the first pack I bought, the Kelty Sherpa. The Kelty pack has the bags higher up on the dog's back instead of hanging down on the sides. I find that balancing the pack by lifting each side works fine. If the pack should start tipping to one side, I either move a small item or adjust the water.

The Palisades is a pricey pack, though; watch for sales. I was lucky enough to get a closeout price on an older model. At that point I was looking for a pack that would hold 7-8 days' dog kibble, and (as can be seen from the picture) the pack bags are quite spacious. The newer model has smaller pack bags.

Disclaimer: no personal experience, but I've read some rave reviews on Wolfpacks

We got the Outward Hound on sale for about $15.00. They sell for about $75.00 here normally. It has worked very well so far, and it does detach easily from the harness for rest stops. It has some padding under the buckles too. Rebel seems to like the pack, and it doesn't seem to leave any sore spots.

Howie

I use a pack that separates from the harness/vest. Once I got the harness fitted I don't have any problems keeping the pack upright.

I took my dog out on a horseback ride with his pack. I didn't put too much in it because I knew he would be running a lot, but I wanted to see how the pack would really do. We rode for about 13 miles. My dog kept right up with us running back and forth, jumping over logs and around bushes and trees and not once did I have to get down to adjust his pack. Everyone I was with was surprised how well the pack stayed on.

Which pack are you using?

I use the Traverse Ridge base vest and Wasatch Pack that were done by Trail Pet. The guy I got it from only does them for custom orders for now, but it's a great bag and I highly recommend it. If you're interested in one PM me and I'll get you his contact info.

Dogs are part of the reason why I use a tarp. I use an old Golite Lair 2, which is just a tarp with a closed off end. I hike with 3 labs and each carries his/her bedroll. I don't worry about tears in the floor obviously but I do have to keep the smelly buggers from snuggling up with me at night (they like to lay against my down quilt).

I take my dog backpakcing all the time. She is a 15 year old sheperd husky mix. She used to sleep in the tent, but two years ago I switched to a hammock. Now she sleeps under the hammock and tarp on a thermarest that I, unfortunately, pack in for her. She has a tendency to scratch the floor prior to laying down and will do it several times throughout the night.The tent floor was never damaged as a result, but I would ask her to stop...lol! If you think it could be a problem, try some non-insulated, light dog booties for when your dog when he/she is in the tent.

Figured I would resurrect an old thread.

I take my dog (Dexter) with me everywhere because he is my service dog. When I first started taking him backpacking/camping, I would tarp it. I found that Dexter would get up to patrol every couple of hours, which would wake me up. Having him in a tent allows both of us to sleep.

I keep the floor of my tent in good condition by placing his bedding right inside the door, about even with my shoulder when I lay down. He must wait until I have entered the tent and am ready for him to come in. He is not allowed in there unless it is time for sleep, and he knows to go directly to his bed and curl up for a good nights rest.

He humps a Ruffwear Approach pack, which is at times a bit too small to accommodate all of the gear he needs to carry. I will have to look into getting him a larger pack soon.