First overnight backpack with my dog this weekend, here is what i learned the hard way

Did my first proper overnight with our 4yo aussie mix Soren up in the Cascades. We've done plenty of long day hikes but never camped together and i wanted to share what worked and what didnt because i was googling stuff like crazy beforehand and the threads i found were either super gear-bro or just outdated.

The pack situation was the biggest thing. I bought him a Ruffwear approach pack two weeks ago and we did short loaded hikes around the neighborhood, but i didnt fully load it until day of. Big mistake. He was tired way faster than usual and i ended up redistributing weight to my pack around mile 4. Lesson learned, do real conditioning hikes with the actual weight you'll carry, not 60% of it.

Sleep was the unexpected win. I was worried hed be restless or want to bark at every sound but he passed out at like 8pm next to me in the tent and barely moved until 6am. Better sleep than at home honestly. Also the camp shoes for him were unnecessary, his pads were totally fine. Bringing pad balm was smart though, used it the next morning before we hiked out.

Anyway happy to answer questions if anyone is thinking about doing this. The look on his face when we got to the lake was worth all the prep, that alone was the trip.