What Kind of Pack?

There's nothing like having llamas out on the trail.  There are only two pack systems that I use, approve of,and sell. One is the Ollie Pack and the other is the Timberline Pack.

For hunting purposes, I would definitely recommend the Timberline pack system. The Mauzes, who designed it with consultations with me many years ago, are also hunters and their pack works very well for that. The saddle's wooden frame allows one to lash objects to it besides carrying things in the panniers. The support boads are hinged and padded so they conform to the slope of the llama's back. One does need a good saddle pad under this system, of course. One of my volunteer projects with the Forest Service involved carrying 12" x 2" x 5 ft boards for building a bridge. Each board weighed 20 lbs. So each of the llamas carried four, two on each side, lashed to the Timberline pack frame.

For our general hiking purposes, I most often use the Ollie pack system. The panniers are easy to load, and the saddle, which is made of soft leather, rests quite easily on the llama's back.

You can see pictures of the packs (saddles and panniers), saddle pads, trail halters and other packing essentials in our Web catalog.

I hope all this helps. Contact us if you're interested in participating in a pack clinic, or maybe a day or lunch hike!