Using Mules to Pack in the Mountains

When it comes to moving items throughout the mountains, there are plenty of different ways that you can get the job done. Some people prefer to stick to the roads, using cars and vans to get the bulk of the stuff across the mountain. Unfortunately, if you are crossing through trails, this usually isn’t the best way to go about doing things. When you aren’t able to use a car or van to get heavy items across a mountain, you might feel at a loss as to what you are supposed to do, especially if you want to go hiking. After all, you can’t necessarily lug massive amounts of stuff with you when you are travelling through the mountains, right? The truth is that there are actually a few different ways that you can do this. One of the most effective ways is by using a mule and mule packs to help carry stuff across the mountain for you. You might be surprised to learn just how much easier a good mule can make the job.

A lot of people do not think highly of mules. In fact, mules are often the subject of insult, being used solely for moving things around and being stubborn animals. A lot of people think of mules as smelly, stubborn creatures that are only good on a farm. However, that is only when a mule is not put to good work. As with most working animals, when that animal is not doing what it has been bred to do, then there’s a good chance that it will be somewhat stubborn. With that being said, when you teach a mule to work with packs and packing saddles, you will find a reliable companion to help you carry your luggage through mountainous terrain with you.

Finding the right packing is going to play a massive role in how effective using a mule is going to be. A good pack saddle may cost a fair amount of money, but a good pack will be able to hold a lot of material and it can withstand the wear and tear of hiking through a mountain. Of course, there is also the matter of working with a mule to get it ready to begin packing things across a mountain. But, first things first, you are going to want to try and find a good mule packing material to get the job done. 

What Equipment Will You Need?

When you are ready to begin your journey as a beginner packer, you will first need to have a good grasp of what to look for to equip your mule with. If you don’t have the right equipment, there’s a good chance that you are not going to have a good time trying to pack all the materials you will need. Generally, you are going to want to pack food and water for both you and the mule. It is also a good idea to bring a first-aid kit with you, in case something happens. Similarly, you should also consider bringing a repair kit for the pack saddle you are looking at. For the mule, you are going to need to have a lead for the mule so that it knows where it needs to go as well as good shoes for its feet. We have a blog dedicated to just that packing essentials.  After all of this, you will then need to begin thinking about what saddle pack would suit your needs best.

Picking Out a Saddle Pack

There is going to be a lot to think about when you are choosing a saddle pack. The most important aspects to consider are going to include the size of the packs (especially compared to the size of the mule you are working with), the material of the pack, and whether or not it will be compatible with a saddle.

The size of the packs really matters when you are going to be away from the resources you need for long periods of time. As one might expect, when you are going to be on a longer hike, you are going to need to carry more supplies with you at once. This often warrants a larger saddle pack so that you can carry everything you and your mule are going to need. As a subset of the size, you will need to think about the size of each section of the packs. Depending on the packs you are looking at, you may have some that have areas for specific goods and materials. For example, this pack has sections on the top of the pack for much bulkier items, such as sleeping bags or tents. The smaller sections of the pack would be better suited to water or food. This is the type of thing you are going to want to pay attention to when you are looking at different saddle packs.

Something else to consider is going to be the material the pack is made from. You will always want to look for packs that are weather-resistant and can withstand the wear and tear of rubbing against the saddle of your mule. Some lower quality materials do not stand up to this at all and may begin wearing down during the first use. High-quality materials will take a much longer time to wear down and reach a breaking point. If you really want to look for the best that you can afford, you may want to consider looking for packs that also have some structure to them. For instance, this pack is designed to have some hard containers in part of the pack. This not only helps to add structure to the pack, but it also ensures that it will stand up more to harsh and inclement weather. If there is anything that you should give a major focus to, then you should pay attention to the material of the pack you are investing in.

Something else to consider is the idea of making sure that your bags are compatible with the saddle you are using. To make things easier on the mule, you almost always attach the packs to a saddle so that the packs themselves are not chafing the mule’s skin. While most packs can fit with standard saddles, especially for pack mules, there are some instances where they do not work out well at all. If you can, you should always try to verify that the packs you are looking at will fit with the saddle you have equipped on your mule. After all, a pack that doesn’t fit on your mule is not going to be a very useful pack at all.

Finally, something else you will want to consider is making sure that you will be able to easily maintain the packs that you are attaching to your mule. Chances are that after you have completed your journey through mountains or plains, you are going to want to clean and wash out the packs you were using so that you can prepare them for the next time you need to use them. This means that you should look for packs that are made from an easily washable material, preferably one that doesn’t need any special treatment before you throw it into the washing machine.

A good example of a low-maintenance pack would be this pack which, once you take out the lining material, you can simply throw into a washing machine and hang it on the line to dry. You could easily get it washed in an afternoon.

These are some of the most important aspects to consider when you are looking for packs and pack saddles. Of course, different people are going to have different needs for their packs, meaning that some of these may not apply as much to you as they do to others. However, if you are just stepping foot into the world of pack mules, you will want to make sure that you know exactly what you are looking for so that you can have the most enjoyable experience possible.

What Else Should You Consider?

Something else that you will need to keep in mind are just some rules of thumb for when you are packing materials onto a mule or a horse. For instance, you are always going to want to make sure that weight is distributed as evenly as possible. While people can often correct their balance to easily accommodate uneven weight in packages, even if it is uncomfortable, mules and horses have a much harder time maintaining their balance. You should always make sure that your packs are evenly balanced in weight so that you are not putting too much stress on the animal carrying your belongings.

Another thing to consider is where you are putting your gear. Many people agree that heavy but smaller pieces of gear should be kept toward the front of the horse or mule so that it can carry the weight better. When the heavier weight is closer to the front quarters of the animal, it will be much easier for it to adapt to that weight and work with it. Small but heavy items can include cameras, water bottles, binoculars, and other pieces of equipment that you can store into horn bags, as they are called. It can also leave more space in the main pack behind the saddle, allowing you to bring more important equipment with you in that pack.

Speaking of making sure that you are not putting too much weight on the horse or mule that you are working with, you are going to want to make sure you follow the rule of thumb in weight management. Generally, you will want to use no more than 20% of the animal’s body weight as a dead load. If you are someone who is experienced with riding horses or mules but are simply getting into adding packs to your ride, you may be able to increase this amount to 30% of the animal’s body weight. Some breeds of animal can inherently carry more than others, and with other breeds, you will simply need to watch and gauge how the animal reacts to the increased weight. Additionally, you will always want to make sure that all the weight of the packs is going to be balanced so that the animal can keep its balance and you can keep riding a straight saddle. For a more indepth look at How much weight a mule can carry and balance check out our blog here.

Ultimately, something you will want to give some thought to is exactly what types of bags you want to look into. Some bags are designed to be kept behind the saddle so that the weight can be distributed more easily and you can store more of your belongings on the animal. Other bags are designed to be smaller and more compact for people who might be lighter travelers and don’t want to overburden the mule or horse they are working with. Some bags, on the contrary, are designed to be heavy duty and are able to hold more than enough materials to be out in the wilderness for a few days. There are bags for the front of the saddle as well for more convenient handling.

These are all of the different types of packs that you will need to choose from when you are first picking out your bags. If you aren’t exactly sure where you should be starting or which bags are the most important, you may want to consider investing in a set of saddlebags so that you can get a little bit of everything. This should help you find your footing in what bags you are going to make the most use out of. If you are going to use a dedicated pack mule and use a pack saddle check out our blog on top packs and panniers.

When all is said and done, learning how to pack these bags, how to choose the right bags for your animal, and learning how to work with pack mules in general is an invaluable skill. If you are into the idea of survival and camping out in the wilderness, whether it is on the mountains or in the plains, knowing how to work with a pack mule is going to make things several times easier. What makes things even better is when you know how to work with these animals, you will also know how to teach others to do the same, further helping out other people who might be interested in the same area as you.