Indeed. Like people, dogs need gradual conditioning, especially for enduring long-distance weight-bearing.

Gidget has done a lot of pack hiking, walks at least a few miles a day, every day, on sidewalks so her paw pads are toughened and she does a lot of bikejoring (6-10 miles at a time) so she probably starts out ahead of other dogs. But she's six years old, has thick fur (blessing in winter, problem in summer -- especially on pavement) and veterinary care would likely not be accessible on such a trek.

I would take extra care with her on such a journey. No pack. That's why I have a bike trailer for dogs -- so she can walk as much as she can and she can ride when tired or injured.

Something I should do is get her comfortable with wearing booties. I have a couple sets for her to avoid ice buildup in her paws when it snows. But she does not like them, at all, and acts hobbled when forced to wear them. Booties could be a lifesaver for a dog doing miles a day on pavement.

Anyone who wants to seriously prepare for bugging out should have a bike and bike trailer. Even if you start out evacuating in a vehicle -- that bike and trailer could be priceless backup. There are bike racks for every kind of vehicle and bike trailers fold down, come apart and can be used for storage in the vehicle.

I use the bike dog trailer at campgrounds for hauling firewood and bags of ice. It's rated to carry 100 pounds (Croozer dog trailer). You'll note at their website that they also carry dedicated cargo trailers.

http://www.croozerdesigns.com/

Also have a Burley "Nomad" cargo trailer with cargo rack:

http://www.burley.com/

This is a great thread, harkening back to others' observations on ETS that a survival basic is being in good physical condition at the outset of a crisis.

Indeed. I've heard pretty much the same thing even from people who were very much used to hiking long distance with a heavy pack.

It seems everyone has a pretty specific limit as to how much weight they can "comfortably" handle on a longer-term basis. 40% of bodyweight seems to be a fairly useful estimate for a fit man (and usually a little less for women).

Once you get past that point you can still haul a heavier load but it will take a toll on your muscles and bone structure. Carrying even a very heavy load may be doable for a while if the weight is distributed properly but unless you're extremely fit and motivated, you'll have a hard time doing it on consecutive days. Little point in pushing yourself too hard if you're too shot to be able to make a decent shelter at the end of the day or gather sufficient firewood.

That sounds right to me.

I would add that when bushwhacking through deadfall or detouring around endless bogs, 1 mph is about the best you can plan on.

As was mentioned before, walking distance is more accurately measured in hours than miles.

Worst case if I had to leave and driving was out I'd put the rack back on my bike and ride out. Limiting myself to a modest 10 mph on flats, slower going uphill, faster going down the other side; 50 miles a day is not out of the question. There's still the issue of water. A bike will just take me farther into the desert before I drop from dehydration.

+1

Everyone should keep in mind that when we carry a pack, the weight is applied to the spine vertically, and with a better packs, applied more directly to the hips.

With a dog, basically you are bending its spine among other things.

Most people would consider it dangerous and potentially painful to have a jouncing load on their spine.

-john

This would be my rule of thumb as well. Travel speed is highly related to terrain.

-john

Thanks Ian, I had completely forgotten about it and it is one that does give a reasonable estimate for most cases.

That's been my experience as well. For an average (non conditioned) person, about 3-3.5 miles an hour is a fairly comfortable walking pace on even level ground with no load. When hiking on more difficult terrrain, heavy load, or if there are any hills, the speed drops dramatcially. I usually estimate an hour/mile for any group with more than a few people, unless all of them are well conditioned. That includes rest breaks, snack breaks, lunch, photo ops, etc. On shorter hikes, maybe less that 5 miles, it's probably a faster, but as the hike gets longer the speed have usually averaged around 1mph. This is a very relaxed, comfortable pace for most people. If pushed, they can do maybe 2-2.5 mph, but not for very long.

When backpacking, we used to feel 2 mph was a nice pace to average.

For those that say they will never bug out, let me bring up this little story. Seems in World War One there was a French farmer who watched his farm change nationality many times and in the course of said things watched his worldly possessions pulverised by artillery.
So when the war ended, he was disgusted with humanity and decided to relocate to a remote South Pacific location and run a rubber plantation.
The name of this island was Guadalcanal