The One Piece of Gear I Hope I Never Use on a Hike

There's a piece of gear that lives at the bottom of my pack on every single hike. I've never had to use it. I pray I never do. But it's coming with me every time.

It's an emergency dog carrying sling.

Why I Started Packing One

A couple of years ago, a friend's dog sliced a paw pad open on a sharp rock about 6 km into a backcountry trail. The dog couldn't walk. She weighed 55 lbs. The trail was narrow, rocky, and there was no cell service.

They ended up fashioning a makeshift carry out of a jacket and some trekking pole straps. It took them over three hours to get back to the trailhead. The dog was in pain, the humans were exhausted, and the whole situation was avoidable with one $30–$50 piece of gear.

I ordered a sling the next day.

What an Emergency Dog Sling Actually Is

It's essentially a reinforced fabric harness with padded handles or shoulder straps that lets you carry your dog hands-free (or close to it). Most fold down to the size of a small stuff sack. Some weigh under 300 grams.

They're not designed for casual carrying — this isn't a purse dog situation. They're built for emergencies:

• Paw injuries — cuts, broken nails, burns from hot rock
• Exhaustion or heatstroke — when your dog physically cannot continue
• Snake bites or bee stings — when you need to evacuate quickly
• Joint or ligament injuries — a wrong step on uneven terrain
• Encounters with hazards — porcupine quills, broken glass, unstable ground you need to cross

What to Look For

Not all slings are created equal. Here's what matters:

• Weight capacity — must support your dog's full weight; always check the rating
• Padded shoulder straps — you might be carrying for kilometres, not metres
• Leg openings — keeps your dog secure and prevents sliding
• Compact packed size — if it's bulky, you won't bring it
• Machine washable — trail emergencies are messy

How I Pack It

The sling lives in the very bottom of my hiking pack, underneath everything else. It's in a small stuff sack with two other emergency items:

• The sling itself
• A compact emergency dog bootie set (in case the injury is a paw cut and they can walk with protection)
• A small roll of vet wrap for stabilizing a limb on the trail

The whole kit weighs almost nothing and takes up about as much room as a rolled-up pair of socks.

Practice Before You Need It

This is the part most people skip. Don't wait until your dog is injured and panicking on a mountainside to figure out how the sling works.

At home, on a calm day:

1. Lay it out and study the straps — know which end is front vs. back
2. Practice getting your dog in — lift gently, guide their legs through the openings
3. Walk around the house with them in it — let them (and you) get used to the weight and balance
4. Reward them — treats, praise, keep it positive so they associate the sling with good things

When NOT to Use a Sling

A sling is for getting your dog off the trail and to a vet. It's not a substitute for veterinary care. Don't use it if:

• You suspect a spinal injury — keep the dog as still as possible and call for help
• The dog is actively bleeding heavily — stabilize the bleeding first with pressure and bandaging
• Your dog is too large for you to safely carry — an unstable carry on a steep trail is dangerous for both of you

Know your limits. If the situation is beyond what you can handle alone, stay with your dog and send someone for help.

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The Bottom Line

An emergency dog sling is the hiking equivalent of a fire extinguisher. You buy it hoping you'll never need it. It sits there doing nothing 99% of the time. But the one time you do need it, nothing else will do.

It weighs almost nothing. It costs less than a nice dinner. And it could save your dog's life on the trail.

Pack it. Every time.

See you on the trail — Collin & Gracie 🐾