pack mules

[aladatrot]

Ok Chris, before you have a coronary thinking I am shopping pack mules... This is for research purposes only. I am not going to show up at the house with a string of pack mules, nor am I actively looking for one. I am interested in the idea, not the actual ownership. 

Here's the thread on Pack Mules. I would like to know when they are an advantage and when they are a liability. What all do they haul (for you)? Do they pack in pretty much empty and then pack out loaded with meat and capes? Are they tied hard to your horn, or are you having to lead them the whole way? How do you handle your horse and the mule or pack horse when you get into rough country, canyons, swamp or brush?

Cheers
M

[craig]

mandi
 i have limited experience on packing , but the few times i have packed on my mules was in the mountians, i usaully pack in about 250# on one mule. i have 2 pack saddles, one with hard panierds the other with soft panierds(spelling).
i carry tent clothes and bed rolls in soft paniards, and canned goods and food in the hard paniards.

i have learned this, keep your weight low and even, i use a set of scales to weigh each pack and get them exacly the same weight , i have even added a rock or two to get the weight the same.

i dont tie my pack animal solid, i just drape the lead across the horn or hold it in one hand.
when you get in the rough they will follow you step for step , you just have to watch out for your pack hanging on trees.

we need to get together a group and pack in the mountians next summer and you could get some first hand experince 

[aladatrot]

When you pack into the mountains, I'm guessing you pack in your horse feed too? How does that work?

How long do you typically camp when you pack into the mountains. Does each person have a pack mule?

Cheers
M

ps this is so interesting. I feel like we are playing 20 questions, but you guys are a wealth of knowledge!
m

[craig]

i have only been during the summer, and there is enough grass, my mules wouldnt eat feed if i brought it for them. i just hobble everything i always keep one tied incase i need to go find them but they ussually stay close to camp.

this is a piture of one of my mules hobbled at or base camp (where we parked the trucks)


i have stayed 3 days up to 2 weeks  depending on how long i can be gone from home. 
my goal is to stay for a full month, maybe some day.

yes each person rides one and leads a pack animal.

[aladatrot]

  I need to get through our canyon trip before I can commit to a mountain excursion. I'm pretty sure your type calls my type a tenderfoot...

Okay, so we each have a pack animal. I'm not sure what a pannier is. What I saw was an ebay pack saddle (not a cheap one, but "hand made by a packer for a packer" and there is a waiting time on it so he can build it). It is made of a cottonwood "tree" that looks like a stripped down western saddle tree. There is a contraption on top made of oak X's. Then there is britching, a breast collar, a big blanket, and a crupper if I remember correctly.
Here it is:  http://cgi.ebay.com/Hand-Made-Western-Sawbuck-Pack-Saddle_W0QQitemZ120504001734QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item1c0e9924c6

Each person packs in a tent, bedding, dutch oven, clothes, food, etc. Or does one person carry all the tents, one carries all the food, etc? I guess you chop your firewood for each morning and night. Do you ride from base camp a little further each day, or do you ever return and camp at base camp?

Cheers
M

ps what mountains do you camp in?

[aladatrot]

Figured out what a pannier is. 

If you have Brother and Newby for you and Mrs Loftin, do you just buy a pair of packing mules before your trip, or is this something you keep in your pasture? I'm not sure how much training a pack animal needs to have.

Cheers
M

[dabutcher]

there are a few good outfits in Colorado, Wyoming, and New Mexico that I know of that'll rent you a string of mules and/or horses. 

[craig]

Figured out what a pannier is. 

If you have Brother and Newby for you and Mrs Loftin, do you just buy a pair of packing mules before your trip, or is this something you keep in your pasture? I'm not sure how much training a pack animal needs to have.

Cheers
M

mandi those are the only mules i have if i need another pack animal i just use one of my ranch geldings.

[aladatrot]

So in that instance, would you ride the geldings and pack the mules, or vice versa? I read a website that said mules are far and away the best pack animals. Said they will follow a horse step for step, but a pack horse will sometimes wander back and forth behind the leading horse. They also said the mules carry the load more steadily without lunging and lurching. Have you found this to be true as well?

Pretty cool.
Cheers
M

[lightningh]

So in that instance, would you ride the geldings and pack the mules, or vice versa? I read a website that said mules are far and away the best pack animals. Said they will follow a horse step for step, but a pack horse will sometimes wander back and forth behind the leading horse. They also said the mules carry the load more steadily without lunging and lurching. Have you found this to be true as well?

Pretty cool.
Cheers
M

thats what we do when we run out of riding mules.... We will pack the mules and ride a horse... but you just cant beat a good riding mule in the mountians...

[craig]

i have only packed on my horse mule so , i pack on a horse if we need another pack animal.