Chat
01-07-2019, 09:10 AM
Hello and welcome! I have experience with the Sopris Rookie saddle. The Lumbar saddle seemed like overkill for my needs, and you really do need a full-sized goat of at least 200 lbs. to have a long enough back for that saddle. The snaps and buckles on the Lumbar are heavier duty than the Rookie, but I'm not sure what else is different that gives it more load bearing capacity. It's been too long since I've compared the two side-by-side. I'm not sure why the straps on the Lumbar saddle cost so much. I'm guessing they have more padding or something, but I've found that with goats the padding is not necessary. In fact, it tends to grab hair.
I've been wondering if I could improve the Sopris saddle by inserting some lengths of ABS pipe into the center of each foam bar for a little more rigidity and load-bearing strength while still maintaining the flex in the tree that makes the Sopris such a great fit for any goat. I wonder if having that bit of extra rigidity would also help keep the saddle in place better. Sopris saddles have a tendency to slide off one side if the load gets unbalanced (which can happen any time a goat bumps one pannier on a log or rock). They improve as they break in, but new saddles can be a real pain about sliding off and it makes me wonder if the trees aren't just a little too flexible.
I wish Clay Zimmerman were on these forums. He has a lot of experience with the Sopris packs. If you're on Facebook you may be able to contact him there.
I've been wondering if I could improve the Sopris saddle by inserting some lengths of ABS pipe into the center of each foam bar for a little more rigidity and load-bearing strength while still maintaining the flex in the tree that makes the Sopris such a great fit for any goat. I wonder if having that bit of extra rigidity would also help keep the saddle in place better. Sopris saddles have a tendency to slide off one side if the load gets unbalanced (which can happen any time a goat bumps one pannier on a log or rock). They improve as they break in, but new saddles can be a real pain about sliding off and it makes me wonder if the trees aren't just a little too flexible.
I wish Clay Zimmerman were on these forums. He has a lot of experience with the Sopris packs. If you're on Facebook you may be able to contact him there.