Some of the members of the Denver Samoyed Association, along with a few of their friends, participated in Denver's very own "9News Parade of Lights". The parade is in it's 35th year with over 35 lighted entries. This club was invited to participate this year, but their trouble was lighting. They decided to sew battery operated Christmas lights on their Wolf Packs. The packs serviced the dogs very well. The Banzai packs were especially handy because the extra pockets provided a place to store the battery pack for the lights. This parade was televised and viewed in person by over 300,000 people! The dogs and their packs were a hit! Thank you Kurt Fehilhauer for providing this fabulous parade photo.

This photo detail shows how Lori Elvera attached the lights to her Banzai dog pack. The batteries were stored inside the outer pocket, while the light strings were wound back and forth across the outer surface of the pack and hand-stitched in place.

This is a group shot taken during the Samoyed Club of America 2009 National Specialty pack hike in Indiana. Most of the dogs in this picture are wearing one of our Banzai or Reflector dog packs. Kathy Smith, who participated with her dog Rebel, sent us this great photo and these words:

About 20 dogs and their humans hiked 5.08 miles in Eagle Creek Park, which is part of the Indianapolis Parks and Recreation system. With rugged terrain such as steep hills, stairs when the incline was too steep to hike, a marshy area near Lilly Lake and cool vistas such as a bird sanctuary, there was something interesting to see all along the way.

It was wonderful to hike with both new and old friends, and apparently this day we caught the eye of the local university’s cross country running team. They met in the same parking lot to run the trails we were on with our dogs. They asked many questions about our dogs and their packs, and of course offered to pet each of them on every occasion as we saw them on the trail. “How much can they carry?” “Do you do this often?”, they asked.

It was great having the dogs with packs on the trail, as they provided bottled water on our breaks. Rebel wears his pack at home nearly daily, as I walk him in our neighborhood with his Wolf Pack, but you would never know it by comparing it to the others who had newer models. Rebel’s pack has a lot more hair than it did when it was new, but it still looks and functions just as good as if it were brand new.

One fellow hiker in our group had purchased a backpack made by another company a few years ago, and halfway through the hike, it started to tear. She joked, “I doubt this thing would have lasted this long if I had the full 25% of my largest dog’s body weight in it!” By the end of the hike, a major seam had ripped apart four inches!

I discussed this with another hiker who is also a Wolf Packs customer. She and I both commented about the high quality standards of Wolf Packs and how pleased we are with our purchases. The materials chosen for construction are durable and hold up to canine wear and tear, the craftsmanship and love that goes into each one is absolutely amazing and that’s what sets Wolf Packs so far above any of the others on the market today.

Rebel’s backpack is four years old, and I believe he loves his pack more now than he did when I first purchased it for him. In preparing for today’s hike, Rebel was curious as to what I was doing, but once I grabbed his Wolf Pack, the dog knew the day was going to be a fun one, and he immediately started giving me the “Sammy Smile”! Thanks for all that you do and keep up the great work! We’ll keep “field testing” those packs for you!

This is one of Lori Elvera’s Samoyeds, Kaelin, who is backpacking at Geneva Mountain in Colorado. She is wearing one of the few hot pink Banzai packs we have ever made. This is what Lori had to say about the dog packs she owns:

For years I have been using Banzai dog packs, and have LOVED them! Hiking in the mountains of Colorado we have encountered rugged terrain and the packs have held up exceptionally well through rocks and brush. Laundering them is easy with a quick cold water rinse in the machine and then air dry. The panniers are roomy enough to hold the 2 liter Platypus water packs, plus other essentials for the dogs. I’ve added a metal ring to the black tabs on top of the pack and use a carabineer to hold their water bowl. My girls wear a size small and weigh about 40#. I highly recommend the product. HIKE ON!

Size & Color: Small, Pink

This handsome Samoyed is Tacoma. He is one of Lightning’s sons who lives in Washington. His owner, Kevin Silis, is training to climb Mount Rainier in June, 2009. Tacoma is a very lucky boy, as he gets to accompany Kevin on his training hikes.

Kevin took this picture of Tacoma on the Duckabush Trail in the Olympic Mountains (Hood Canal side). It was an eleven-mile trip. Tacoma was carrying eleven pounds in his Banzai dog pack, and Kevin’s pack held 52 pounds.

Size & Color: Medium, Red

Our brand new packs are ready! This is Lightning, modeling our rugged limited-edition Native dog pack. We think we’ve designed something really special, and hope that you agree. Matching Native collars are also available.

These products will only be offered through the end of 2009, or slightly longer.

Size & Color: Medium

Samoyeds Reef, Fierce, and their owner Diana Steele joined in an event for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) by participating in a fund-raising walk. Their team raised the most money. The dogs were very popular and looked sharp as they wore their ID Capes. Fierce has his head turned so that you can't see his cape in this picture. Diana is almost hidden behind his tail. This picture was taken after the walk, and as you can see, it was a hot day. They'll be doing this again in May 2009.


Here is a close-up of Reef wearing his ID Cape.

Size & Color: Medium, Red

Lightning (right) and Nimbus (left) love to hike with us. We hiked to the summit of Mount Ashland in July, and were pleasantly surprised to find banks of sun hardened snow on the northern face. Our boys carried water bottles, water bowls, a few spare booties, first aid supplies, a spare leash, and dog biscuits in their Reflector dog packs. We customized their packs by having our Wolf Packs logo embroidered on to the sides. These boys are an important part of our small kennel, Pacific Crest Samoyeds.

Size & Color: Medium, Blue

Samoyed Club of America National Specialty often hosts a pack hike. It took place in Carlisle, Pennsylvania in 2002. Lots of fun working events were offered, alongside the conformation show. Our dogs Lightning and Nimbus hiked with nearly 20 other Samoyeds (most of them outfitted with Wolf Packs dog packs) on the Appalachian Trail. Our boys hiked in their royal blue Reflector dog packs, and are pictured on the right. Their brothers, Loki and Draco, are next to them wearing their purple Banzai dog packs.

Size & Color: Small, Medium, Large, Blue, Purple, Green

We went on a great backpack trip into Mountain Lakes Wilderness in Oregon. The rugged trail system into this ancient caldera was spectacular. This region shares the geologic history of Crater Lake, but instead of forming a bowl, glaciers cut away several sides of this crater and left behind many small lakes.

Nimbus (right) and Lightning (left) carried 25% of their body weight in their Reflector dog packs. Nimbus' load included one of his favorite stuffed toys, and both of the boys carried water, their food, treats, dog boots, first aid items, and other necessities.

Size & Color: Medium, Blue

Shea is a 7 month old youngster owned by Lynée & Tim Miller. She is pictured relaxing on a park bench, happily poising for her picture. Her royal blue Saddle Bag compliments her beautiful white coat. Even though she has not finished growing, she will be able to wear this pack throughout her lifetime. Lynée and Tim wrote the following about Shea's pack:

We have really enjoyed being able to go on longer street hikes, pounded much concrete until we reach our beloved beach. Shea and I thank you for your great product and look forward to purchasing more stuff from you in the future. There is no pack at REI that compares to this wonderful light weight pack you have made for our 7 month old daughter!!! LOVE YOU GUYS!!!!

Size & Color: Blue

Our mascot Lightning began to do serious backpacking when he was about 15 months old. We are shown here resting atop Hobart Bluff in the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument. Tranquil Hobart Lake is 680 feet below us. The town of Ashland, city of Medford, and the Rogue Valley spread out beyond into the distance.


Lightning and Linda are pictured resting on a fallen tree along the Pacific Crest Trail in southern Oregon. His loaded Reflector dog pack weighs over 12 pounds, which is ¼ of his bodyweight. We hiked five miles on this outing, following a nearly seven mile hike on the previous day (which was National Trails Day, June 2nd, 2001).

Size & Color: Medium, Blue

Therapy dog and trail dog Sophie enjoys a beautiful view from her resting spot in the Peak District National Park in the United Kingdom. When she's not making therapy visits, she frequently hikes with her owners Don & Deb Ayers. Her Saddle Bag has our "Ask to Pet Me - I'm Friendly", and "Therapy Dog" patches attached to it. Her pack looks darker than it actually is, probably due to the contrast between her beautiful white coat and the royal blue color of the pack.

Size & Color: Blue

A group of friends with Northern-breed dogs gets together for sledding in the winter and now for packing in the summer. The image above shows Phil and Lisa Gravelle & Moira, Conrad, and Hartley Towriss-Smith all hiking with their Samoyeds in the lush Hidden Valley near Craven, Saskatchewan, Canada. They hope to encourage more of their friends to take up packing and join them on the trail.

Eight year old Conrad Smith sits with Buffy who wears a medium teal Banzai pack. Next to him is Moira Towriss-Smith with Kazan in his royal blue Trekker. Hartley Smith is next to Rick (red dog pack) who appears to be howling with delight. Moira told us that Buffy could have used a Small pack for her size, but navigates very well with the medium. The Towriss-Smiths kennel name is Anoka Samoyeds, which is located near Regina, Saskatchewan.

Size & Color: Medium, Red, Blue

Colleen and Marty Hovind hike among the wildflowers with their lovely Siberian Huskies P.J. and Mitchell. Both are using their burgundy Trekker dog packs. Colleen and Marty Hovind's kennel is Heirborn Siberians, located in Craven, Saskatchewan.


Mufasa (burgundy Trekker), Taiyna, and Tundra (black Trekker) hike with owners Phil and Lisa Gravelle. Phil, Lisa, and one year old Santana Gravelle hike among a beautiful display of spring wildflowers with their three Samoyeds. Mufasa wears a burgundy Trekker, while Taiyna and Tundra both use black Trekker dog packs, all size medium. Phil and Lisa operate Philisa Samoyeds in Lumsden, Saskatchewan.

This group organized an order for all seven dog packs together into one order, so we gave her a discount for the group. Hopefully this helped with import fees and shipping costs to Canada. You might be interested to read her comments about her dog's packs.

Size & Color: Medium, Burgundy, Red, Black

Eight year old Conrad Smith hikes with Buffy, his Samoyed, in Hidden Valley near Craven, Saskatchewan in Canada. Buffy wears a size medium teal Banzai pack, although a size small would have fit her nicely also. The weather was perfect for packing and the hills were beautiful with their cover of pink, purple, yellow, orange and blue wildflowers.

Size & Color: Medium, Teal

Expedition Samoyeds show off their custom embroidered Reflector dog packs while hiking in Yosemite National Park.

Size & Color: Medium, Red

Sheldon Pineo's Samoyed Ice models his royal blue Trekker dog pack. His owner says, "Ice goes nuts!! when I pull the bags out. He gets so excited that it's difficult at times to put the bags on! I love my pack. It gets used quite a bit of use."

Size & Color: Large, Blue

These two beautiful Samoyeds, owned by Kelvin Lem, send holiday cheer in their red Reflector dog pack (front dog) and red ID Cape (rear dog). They are Australian natives, thus seldom see a 'white Christmas'.

You might be interested in reading Kelvin's comments (see The Boys Go Nuts!) about his dogs' equipment.

Size & Color: Medium, Red

While hiking in Hanging Rock State Park in North Carolina, Laika, a beautiful Samoyed owned by Ricq Pattay, puts her purple Trekker Wolf Packs dog pack to the test.

Size & Color: Small, Purple

Nikita, owned by Greg Newell of Expedition Samoyeds, models his Reflector and dog booties while his owners ski in the Sierra Nevada mountains. Greg has some comments (see Testimonial) about our products.

Size & Color: Medium, Red