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Types of Dog Sled Equipment

There are almost as many different types of dog sled equipment as there are different types of dogs that can be used to pull a sled. Obviously the most noticeable piece of equipment required for dog sledding is the sled itself but in many ways the sled is one of the least important pieces of equipment that a dog sled team needs. Gang lines and harnesses are at the forefront of the minds of almost every experienced musher because without these two pieces of equipment the sled team and the sled will be going nowhere quickly. The harness is what is used to allow a musher to harness the power of the dog and apply it to the pulling of a sled. Each individual harness is attached to the runners by gangline, allowing each dog to literally pull its own weight.
In addition to these two pieces of equipment most sled mushers would be lost without the small metal caribiners that hold all of this line together. The dogs themselves also use a few different types of equipment, ranging from booties to keep their feet warm while running to insulated vests that protect them from the cold and help displace the weight of the harness. The types of dog sled equipment you use will also depend on the type of trip you will be taking. A short trip requires less equipment than a planned long trip where you might have to spend one or more night in the wilderness on your own. In case anything happens to your sled or any of your other equipment it is a good idea to always keep a decent set of tools on your sled at all times. It’s kind of like not leaving home without that emergency roadside bag you have stuffed into the bag of your car next to your spare tire.
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