Decker pack saddles

[karelian]

I'm looking for the D rings on a decker pack saddle old style or new. Does anyone know of a manufacturer or just someone who sells them? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Lou

[grumpyguy]

I'm looking for the D rings on a decker pack saddle old style or new. Does anyone know of a manufacturer or just someone who sells them? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Lou

Try looking up Boise Foundry on Google, they sell a wide variety of saddlery hardware including decker parts. Also there are some of the better pack saddle shops like Difanis Backcountry. (Also with a site online.) Most are helpful. I have seen most deckers setup with "rings" rather than "dees." I am curious as to why one would prefer dees over the rings though both would certainly work.

[karelian]

Thanks, I'll try Boise Foundry I forgot about them.There is also Bork Saddlery Hardware however they have no website. As far as D's or C's we're on the same sheet of music actually, Difani's refers to them as arches. How about the rings that connect the trees that the panniers hang from. Thanks,Lou

[grumpyguy]

Lou,

I know Boise Foundry sells the arches that the panniers hang on in a few styles. They also have the decker hooks to simplify loading the panniers to the arches. (I highly recommend them.) I was under the impression that you were looking for the rigging rings (Sometimes called "dees," "dee rings" or "rings." ) that hold the decker rig to the pack animal. I thought I might let you know the arches are heated and bent to adjust for fit. It's easy to do but takes a heating tip on a welding outfit. I have used plumbers torches with mapp gas but they are not quite hot enough to get the arch to bend easily. (With an assistant, welding gloves. a bench vise and the proper amount of leverage it can done, as long as you don't object to getting a few burns.) Packers will use plain white flour, sprinkle it on the animal's back and bend the arches until the tree bars fit properly on the back. (When you set the saddle on the animal and take it off again you can see where the flour sticks.) On occasion a tree bar will need to be rasped down in areas to finish the fit. There is often times more variation in mule conformation than you average horses, plus with a pack saddle the animal hauls dead wieght which shifts and unlike a rider does not balance it's self. Fit becomes paramount or you will sore your pack animal very quickly and with mules in particular sour dispositions develop rapidly from the painful experience.

Just food for thought. Western Horseman had a great artical on this a few years back with nice photos for illustration. (I'm old so a few years is subjective.) Sorry I don't recall the name of the artical.

Good Luck and Enjoy!