Well-bred and well-trained llamas can make exceptional backcountry packing companions. Here is a bit of basic information on what's involved in packing with llamas. Some of this information is excerpted from the fourth edition of my book Packing With Llamas, published by Pine Grove Publishing in 1999. For more details on how to best enjoy llama packing I recommend consulting this book as well as one or more of the references noted below.
General Background - Equipment for llama packing - Backcountry travel with llamas - Purchasing a pack llama
For thousands of years llamas were bred to transport loads up and down the rugged mountains of South America. Their size, nature, and packing heritage make them outstanding pack animal for those who enjoy a lighter load on their back and an intelligent four-legged trail companion.
Llamas are totally adapted to mountain travel. It possesses a unique foot consisting of two tough, fleshy pads with a curved toenail at the end of each one. No shoes are necessary to protect this remarkably durable foot, though llama owners must provide occasional toenail trimming. These feet, combined with a natural grace and agility, allow llamas to travel through rugged terrain where other pack animals might have more difficulty.
The sharp eyesight and hearing of llamas, along with their alertness, lead them often to spot wildlife and other travelers on the trail well before their human companions.
Their size - an average pack llama weighs between three and four hundred pounds - is very manageable and not usually intimidating to beginners. Because llamas are limited to loads that seldom exceed one hundred pounds - not more than fifty pounds on each side - people need not possess mighty muscles to handle packing chores.
The calm nature of well-trained, experienced llamas on the trail makes them safe for hikers of all ages to handle. When startled they may take a short defensive jump and then stop to assess the situation.
Llamas' low cost of maintenance and ease of care allow them to find homes with people of all means and levels of experience.
Under the handling of an educated trainer most llamas learn packing tasks quickly and use good sense when encountering obstacles. Their intelligence is complemented by their curiosity and the keen interest they show in new surroundings.The way they meet a hiker at eye level makes them genuine trail companions.
Llamas are quite easy on the environment making them excellent pack animals for more fragile wilderness environments. Their unobtrusive dung pellets are virtually odorless, resembling those of elk and deer. They rarely kill the plants they eat, preferring to nibble a morsel here and a bite there. Studies by the US Forest Service have shown that llama footprints leave less impact than Vibram-soled hiking boots, and certainly less than the tracks of heavier, hoofed pack animals.
Here's a list of the basic essential gear for llama packing:
Llamas require halters and pack saddles designed specifically for them, because they are shaped differently from mules or burros. Since llamas are smaller and their loads weigh less than those of equine pack stock, their pack equipment is lighter in weight and construction.
Llama pack systems consist of a saddle, secured by two cinches, and two pack bags, often called panniers, that are attached with straps or buckles. A more elaborate system may hold the saddle on the llama more securely by using additional straps: a breast collar and either a rump strap, called a britchin', or a crupper that fits under the tail. It's essential to learn how a saddle should fit on a llama, then select a saddle system that works for your llama and for the type of packing you'll do. Consult the pack equipment resources below for more information.
Sources of llama packing equipment
The following companies sell quality llama packing equipment and sometimes a lot more online. I've worked with gear from these folks for years and they merit patronage. There are other manufacturers of llama related equipment as a quick search on Google.com will reveal. Inclusion in this list is meant to be an endorsement, exclusion is not meant to infer the opposite.
Backcountry travel with llamas
In general, a fit, well-trained adult pack llama can carry between 60-100 pounds five to twelve miles a day. The training and condition of the llama as well at the type of trail you'll travel has direct bearing on the amount of weight and the distance you should expect your llama to work with.
Techniques for packing llamas are simple and easy to master once you learn the principles of saddling and balancing loads. Most llama packs are designed for quick loading, and do not require complex knots or hitches.
Llamas may be led individually or in a string of two or more. An average pace on a moderately-graded trail is from 2 to 2 1/2 miles per hour, including short stops along the way.
In camp, llamas require minimal care. Move their pickets to new feeding areas twice a day, offer them water regularly and a small ration of supplemental feed (processed hay pellets are commonly used) morning and evening when they're not in a lush mountain meadow, and they are quite content. While llamas are members of the camel family, they do require fresh water daily, and on hot days will drink quite a lot. In areas where grass is abundant in camp and along the trail, llamas only need a small ration (less than a pound) of pelleted feed as a reward for a day's work (and for returning to you if they get loose). A ten or fifteen foot nylon line attached to a screw-in picket stake (the type sold at pet stores) is a customary way of putting a llama out to graze in camp or during a mid-day break. Llamas should be introduced to the picket line system at home first, under observation, and usually quickly learn to negotiate the line if they become tangled.
Low-impact camping with llamas involves dispersing dung piles when leaving an area, watering llamas using a collapsible bucket, and keeping them away from open water such as streams, springs and lakes. Any supplemental feed should be processed to avoid introducing weed or non-native seeds. Wool groomed from the llamas should be burned or packed out for the same reason. Llamas can damage small trees and the bark of larger ones, so they should not be tied to trees for long periods, nor should they be staked where they can eat or become tangled on small trees for shrubs.
Various agencies (State and National Forest Service, Park Service, Bureau of Land Management departments) have a variety of regulations regarding pack stock use on public lands. Be sure to check with the office administering the area where you'll be packing to determine what, if any, rules and regulations apply to pack llamas.
Llamas are being bred and sold all across the United States, Canada, and in Europe as well. If you intend to use your llama for packing I strongly urge you to purchase from a breeder or trainer who breeds for packers and who has hands-on experience in packing with llamas.
There are numerous resources out there to help you evaluate your potential packer. An entire chapter in Packing With Llamas is devoted to the subject. Remember, not every llama is fit for packing. Buyers must be educated and aware of what they're looking for and how to determine those qualities in the llamas they evaluate for purchase.
Here are some ideas and resources:
And a few guidelines to consider:
Packing With Llamas,
fourth edition --------- Ordering
Information
In 1989 I wrote the first edition of Packing With Llamas as a way of getting information out to those people interested in exploring the backcountry with a llama to lighten their load. Since that first edition I've learned even more from my trail and training experiences (sixteen years and counting), and feel that the fourth edition offers readers a very comprehensive resource on all aspects of llama packing. I'm not alone. Many other experienced llama packers and trainers have leant their knowledge and support to my efforts including Charlie Hackbarth, Bobra Goldsmith, Marty McGee Bennett, Jay Rais, Gwen Ingram and Noel McRae. I appreciate their encouragement and I thank them.
Here's an outline of the fourth edition of Packing With Llamas by chapters. It's over 250 pages and full of illustrations, plans for constructing your own pack bags and other nifty llama gear, recipes for interesting camp cuisine and a checklist for llama buyers (thanks, Gwen). If you're interested in purchasing your very own copy you can contact your local bookseller (always a good first choice), me via email (you'll pay for postage), or Amazon.com (you'll pay for postage there, too). Retail price: $19.95.
Chapter One: Why Pack With Llamas? Introducing the llama, Who Packs With Llamas, Llamas and other pack animals compared, Purposes of the book
Chapter Two: Selecting A Pack Llama Shopping philosophies, Sexual preferences, Age, Build, Hands-on evaluation, Personality, Training, The wool factor, Health, How many llamas?, Some other considerations, Llama relationships
Chapter Three: Feeding and Health Care What to feed llamas, Feeding a herd, On the trail, Health care, Grooming for packing
Chapter Four: Llamacommodations Fencing, Shelter, Keeping males together
Chapter Five: Transportation Vehicles How many can you haul?, Safety, Weather concerns, Other details
Chapter Six: Equipment for Llama Packing Llama pack systems, Choosing and fitting a pack saddle, Attachments, Panniers, Additional equipment, Bells for free-grazing llamas
Chapter Seven: Training Your Pack Llama General guidelines, Catching and haltering, Leading, Tying up your llama, Handling feet, Kushing, Loading in a vehicle, Negotiating obstacles, Introducing pack equipment, Carrying loads
Chapter Eight: Before You Go Conditioning your llama, How much can a llama carry?, An ounce of prevention, How far can they go? Route planning, Planning a trip on public lands
Chapter Nine: Hitting the Trail Packing up, Stringing them out, Trail behavior, Balking on the trail, Encountering obstacles, Weathering the storm, Very hot weather, Rest stops, Meeting horses on the trail
Chapter Ten: In Camp Free grazing, Layover days, Lost llamas, Unwanted visitors, When you get home, Some musings on the low-impact aspects of llamas
Chapter Eleven: The Backcountry Kitchen Menu planning, Food preparation at home, Packing the kitchen
Chapter Twelve: Backcountry Llama First Aid First Aid Kit, Preparing for potential problems, Foot injuries, Saddle sores, Sprains and fractures, Heat exhaustion, Eye injuries, Plant poisoning, Snake bite, Ticks, Other problems
Chapter Thirteen: Starting a Commercial Pack Business How you'll make money, How you'll spend money, Permits licenses and insurance, Marketing, A few other ideas
If you'd like your own copy of Packing With Llamas you may contact your local book seller or use our order form for mailing your request.
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