Depending on a dog’s fitness level, age, and breed, they can carry up to 25-30 percent of their body weight in a pack (including the weight of the pack itself).  Because every precious ounce is a consideration when backpacking, we weighed common Ruff Wear trail items so you can figure out exactly what to bring.

If this is what you carry...
...then what should your dog carry?
Item

Size XS

Size S

Size M

Size L
Palisades Pack™

n/a

2 lbs, 1 oz

935g

2 lbs, 4 oz

1.02kg

2 lbs, 4.9 oz

1.05kg
Approach Pack™

13.3 oz

377g

1 lb, .8 oz

476g

1 lb, 2.3 oz

519g

1 lb, 6.6 oz

641g
Bivy Bowl™

n/a

1.3 oz

37g

2 oz

57g

 n/a
Quencher™ Bowl

n/a

n/a

2.3 oz

65g

4.2 oz

119g
Flat Out™ Leash

3.8 oz / 108g
Roamer™ Leash

5.1 oz / 145g
Knot-a-Leash™

5.7 oz / 162g
The Beacon™

1.3 oz / 37g
Highlands Bed™

14 oz / 397g

For a list of suggested items to bring backpacking with your dog, check out our blog entry, “2 days, 10lbs, 10.9oz.”

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  3. Jeff – I’ve found that kibble weighs about 4 oz per cup, and I usually buy the highest quality kibble I can find, which is usually around 500Kcal/cup. My dog is fairly large and when we’re backpacking, he needs about 2,000 Kcal/day, which turns out to be 4 cups, which is 1lb of kibble.

    Instead, you can go with The Honest Kitchen dehydrated dog food. It’s good stuff and takes up less space than kibble, and weighs 1 oz less per cup. The Kcals are about the same as the high end kibble so it ends up being 12 oz, rather than 1 lb, for his daily food.

    I recommend going with either the “Embark” or the “Thrive” as those two products have the highest protein content.

    Good luck!

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