So far I've only hiked and camped in forest behind our house with the burros. I have a two-horse trailer, but no tow vehicle right now. But the burros are ready for a longer trip out, and so am I.

My burros, "Lewis" and "Clark", are "Sicilian donkeys" . They're tiny, often call "Miniature Donkeys". They're only about 36" high at the shoulder and they weigh around 400 lbs, so you could say that they are really "Ultralight" Pack Animals".

I load them with about 50 lbs (including their 10 lb pack saddle, so about 40 lbs of gear). Some people say they can carry more, I've read from 25% to 45% of their body weight, but I limit it at around 10-15% right now.

I was actually looking into the latest ultralight backpacking gear and techniques when it occurred to me that I might look into how the old timers managed to go so far with so much more weight than I was carrying. I found that Burros played a big part in that.

When I found the "Mini" burro I knew I found the perfect pack animal to combine modern lightweight backpacking gear with. This is what I've been working on with my burros.

I've made my own pack saddles and harness rigging, and I use a pair of JanSport daypacks for "Panniers" (saddle bags). This set up can use some refining, but it's working better than I'd expected for my first crack at it.

I load them with the same gear I backpack with and take them mostly off trail bushwhacking around the forest.

I can tell you that they love it. They come running when they see a halter in my hand and stick their noses right into it. They stand patiently when I put their saddle and pack on and follow me as far as I will take them.

They get a little anxious when I tie them up to a line or tree, but they're still young and need more time out with me to get used to that.

I am actually a little surprised that I am pretty much alone in using the Sicilian donkey for backpacking. I don't find much on it when I look for it. I guess I just have to get Lewis and Clark out on the trails for it to catch on