Just getting started

I finally bought a place with room for horses! It's been years since I've had horses or packed and all I have left is a decker pack saddle and cooler bags so I'm pretty much buying all new gear and tack. I'm looking for some must have items you guys have found and for things to stay away from thanks

Sent from my SM-N915V using Tapatalk

if you can find biothane breetching or breast collars they wont rub or rot or wear out. i had an amish harness maker make mine and they are super.

good advice rayporter

I've had great luck with the lightweight cordura saddles. Like most lightweight gear, not as durable, but sure nice to use

http://www.rokslide.com/tips-tactics/horse-packin/215-lightweight-cordura-saddle-review

Your must haves are all going to be on personal preference. If you are using them to pack the decker is a top item. And you can pack elk out either 1/2 a time by draping a 1/2 over the decker. Or using bags you can quarter and pack 1/2 a time that way as well. If using alforcus bags you can quarter and pack them out that way as well. Make sure your weights on each side are equal or your decker will slip.

dusty, there are probably a bunch of guys that could write a book to respond to your thread. Are you thinking about any type of gear in particular you want advice on? It can get kind of endless, but I'd love to answer any specifics you're looking at.

The one general piece of advice I can give rides on what Robby mentioned and plays on the fact that it sounds like you have packed in years past. Don't discount some of the new, lighter gear out there! I use a bunch of cordura saddles and they are just as safe, reliable, and comfortable. They may not be as good as a $3,000 custom saddle, but I'd rather see them roll down the hill. Not sure on durability yet, but a lot of times with tack average durability can be a lifetime. They are a lot lighter, which is nice. I also continue to integrate in some composite (almost like a super sturdy fiberglass) sawbucks. Same thing goes, light weight and accomplish the mission. I actually think they are more durable than wood saw bucks. My one caveat is that I still use leather latigos and leather on other "break essential" tack. Some of the synthetic strapping is so sturdy it can be a problem in big wrecks.

The modern hard panniers and newer iron cloth panniers should also not be overlooked. Contrary to what a traditionalist will tell you, this stuff is now up to speed! If I was packing the same gear all the time, I would run 70% hard panniers and 30% soft panniers, and wouldn't manty a load if my life depended on it. packing blasphemy! Huge improvements on camp organization with more hard panniers.

On the camp gear end, packers have been the huge benefactors of this ultralight movement over the past decade. Gear that use to be the lightest and therefore most expensive, is now considered midteir and is cheap. Not to mention huge engineering improvements on the durability end. Cast iron and other heavy materials were the only alternative. The areas of most improvement are cook stoves, cots, camp tables, cookware, utensils, tools (axes, saws, etc...), showers (yeah, I said it) and lanterns. I wouldn't buy any of these items out of an old outfitting rig. I'd go straight to cabelas camping section.

What's the same? The people at Davis tent are still the best around and a wall tent is the best for longterm exposure. A lash rope is still a lash rope, a heavy wood burning stove is still the best when it gets shitty, and a mule still smells a whole hell of a lot better than a llama.

LOL, I wouldn't use a hard pannier if you gave it to me. I mantied everything.

I love Deckers. Never used the lighter weight stuff, mine are all leather. I bought a tree and a side of harness leather and built my own saddle for quite a bit less than a new one, don't know if you could still do it and save money or not.

Check out Riley Stoves in Townsend MT for good packing stoves. Mine has seen the bad end of a few wrecks and still works great.

Jason, I think on deckers your strategy of build-your-own is probably still a huge savings. I heavily use them myself because its what I have but it is a constant maintenance issue because new ones are so expensive. If anyone gives you hard panniers, I'll leave an open offer of $55 per set to you

I've ridden a Cordura saddle (used pretty hard) for 19 yrs. and it's held up well. Sure is nice to hoist because of the light weight.

Thanks guys I know it was a broad question I was just looking for things I might not have thought of looking at. Are you guys using canvas tents or the synthetic?

Sent from my SM-N915V using Tapatalk

these adjustable s are what i went to. bought the tree and added the rigging of leather myself. when i found the biothane i changed over. biothane can be found on line but not many places carry it. plus it does not sew well. you have to rivet it.

http://www.custompackrigging.com/index.php?id=11

this is a side pull i rebuilt with beta biothane



cordura has not been an option in the past, but it is rapidly moving to the forefront because of the weight. Marilyn can barely get a 34 lb saddle hoisted on a 15-1 pony and she has been looking for less weight. it is that or quit climbing on.

I used a canvas wall tent and a wood stove. I now rely on a backpack and lightweight gear. Looking back, in terms of ultimate flexibility and efficiency, I'd do a lightweight setup with minimal horses. Of course, all that said it sure is nice to sit in the wall tent drinking whiskey while it's dumping snow outside.

If you do build a saddle, it's easy. Just take your time laying out the pieces on the side of leather so that you have all of your long straps where they need to be. Don't want to find out your quarter straps are a foot too short. I've never worked with biothane but riveting straps is as easy as it gets. You should have rivets and a rivet set in your field repair kit anyways, along with a stitching all and leather punch.

dusty208 said:

Thanks guys I know it was a broad question I was just looking for things I might not have thought of looking at. Are you guys using canvas tents or the synthetic?

Sent from my SM-N915V using Tapatalk

Click to expand...

Canvas on cut pole frames is unstoppable, but canvas is heavy and cutting your own frames can vary a lot on where you are hunting (right size trees, etc...). I have used a couple synthetic cabelas type of outfitter tents. They are easy to get setup and seem to hold up. However, for long term exposure and heavy (3+ft snow) I can't trust them yet. Might be mental.

hope that helps.

i should clarify that by hard to sew i mean a machine wont sew it. you can carefully sew biothane with an awl. i did not rivet the headstall or reins above. hobbles and breechings are better with rivets- but only rivets and burrs work.

Jason makes a good point in that as lighter weight gear has came along, i too have embraced it. if i can carry it all on my back i have no trouble packing it on one animal. of course now days i can hardly carry a daypack.

Outfitters Supply is my goto for general tack.
Our favorite panniers are the brown iron cloth ones like mentioned above.

Those and some oiled/waxed canvas manty tarps and we can pack just about anything. Never have cared for hard boxes, but some do. Aside from a kitchen box, we just stuff and go.

I also second the recommendation on the nylon harness gear, that stuff wears like iron and doesn't mold or need the care like leather tack does. For pack saddle ropes I like 3/8" solid braid poly.... 25ft on each side, seems like a lot buy it's amazing how fast you use it up when top packing.

For camp gear Camp-Time roll-a-tables and chairs are our goto. Tent: Beckel 14x14 Eena TT tipi and Kni-Co take down stove for a 4-season shelter. Propane stove, Centry double tie single mantle lanterns & 1 lb bottles and a alum nesting kettle kit, non-stick skillet and some plastic plates & utensils round out kitchen gear.

For picketing the animals; a high line set, and a couple long ropes for ground pickering to drag logs are useful for grazing.... oh and hobbles. And a 4D hot wire setup has its uses too.

Anyway, lots of other things as well but these are some things that come to mind.
Hunt'nFish

I understanding people wanting to use nylon or other no breakable materials for their riggin for longevity. I personally am a leather guy cause there are times when I want the leather to break so the pack can be released from my animal. Replacing some leather is a lot cheaper to me then replacing my high quality horses. I have seen horses get in situations where if straps didn't break they would have broke legs or flat fallen off the side of the mtn.