Rooney's Gear

Rooney's Gear List

Everything a Weimaraner needs to hike long distance.

Update: Now that our hike is complete, I went through and added my comments about each piece of gear, noted in Red. If you have any questions or are planning a long-distance hike and would like to talk through dog gear, please feel free to reach out!

Granite Gear Long Howl Dog Pack (19 oz)

Credit: http://www.granitegearstore.com/

I love this pack because it has a harness that is separate from the saddlebags. This size pack works for Rooney because he's carrying dehydrated food, but it might be a bit small if you're carrying full week of regular dry food.
This pack held up really well, but was a bit small for a long distance hike if you are planning to have your dog carry all of his/her own food. We carried some of Rooney's food so the size worked for us, but it meant we (Serial & I) each had 1-3 lbs extra at any given time.

Granite Gear Endurance Dog Boots (3 oz)

Credit: http://www.granitegearstore.com

I really like the snug fit of these and the higher ankle, which would keep snow and crud out of the boot.
Ha, it's almost laughable now that we thought we could get Rooney to wear boots. We ended up ditching these early on and just using a paw wax called Mushers Secret.

Sea to Summit X-Bowl (2.8 oz)

Credit: http://www.seatosummit.com/

This bowl is great because it packs down flat and can be squeezed into Rooney's pack easily. It's fairly easy to clean and has served us well on the trail so far.
We ended up using a different bowl because this one was kind of difficult to clean several times a day. We used the Orikaso plate for Rooney's food and water.

Only Natural Pet Easy Raw Dehydrated (32 oz / week)

Credit: http://www.petco.com/

We did a lot of research on dog food and ultimately decided to ship dehydrated food up the trail. It's lighter (8lbs of dehydrated makes 52 lbs of food!) and he has been on a partially raw diet for awhile now. We'll also be supplementing this with raw meat, pb and other snacks when we're in towns. It's not cheap, but it's worth it to us.
This food is great for day hikes or weekend getaways, but for a thru-hike it's simply not enough food for a dog. Rooney was hungry and we ended up having to carry more than we planned which meant it was more expensive. It was much more convenient & economical to carry dry commercial food with olive oil on the trail and then let Rooney eat anything and everything in towns.

Ruff Wear Roamer Leash (0 oz for Rooney)

Credit: http://www.ruffwear.com

I LOVE this leash. It's perfect for running and hiking. It's elastic so it absorbs the shock when Rooney pulls, it has a one-hand clip and it hooks around your waist so it's hands-free. This comes in handy when you need to leash him to a tree or outside the store too.
This leash was fantastic and very durable. The only issue we had was when the plastic clip broke off, but we called Ruff Wear and they sent a replacement leash to us on the trail at no cost. They were really helpful.

Sea to Summit Ultra-Sil Pack Cover (2 oz)

Credit: http://www.seatosummit.com

We picked this pack cover up in an XS and it fits Rooney's pack just right. The elastic in the pack cover is snug and it fits right around the saddlebags.
I was really happy to have this on the rainy days. It kept Rooney and his pack dry. Plus it looked adorable on him.

The Tick Key (.1 oz)

Credit: http://www.tickkey.com/

Anyone who's ever taken a tick off their pet knows that it can be a pain. This little tool makes it much easier and minimizes the chance of us leaving the tick's head in the skin, a common problem with tweezers.
We found about 10-20 ticks a day on Rooney, but we rarely used the tick key. We mostly used tweezers or our hands if they hadn't attached yet.

Figure 8 LED Carabiner (.5 oz)

Credit: http://www.campingsurvival.com

Rooney is a grey pup so when it gets dark out, he kind of disappears from sight. This helps us keep an eye on him.
Very necessary for nights at camp.

Coghlan's Snake Bite Kit (1 oz)

Credit: http://www.coghlans.com

I know this is overkill, but I'm a worrier. For an ounce, it buys me peace of mind for my dog.
I never followed through with this plan and thankfully Rooney was never bit by a snake. We came across snakes several times, but Rooney didn't really seem to care.