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05-11-2018, 08:30 PM
(This post was last modified: 05-11-2018, 08:31 PM by Kat.)
Promised to post a pic of the white Sopris, Charlie was extremely accommodating in working with me on the material. I appreciate his willingness to work on this immensely. Ended up by going with a 5 oz dyneema composite (i.e. cuben fiber) material. I am going to tape the seams with CF tape as best I can before using it on my goat, still waiting for the tape I ordered from Zpack to show up.
Saddle weighs exactly 70 oz = 4.375 lb, the CF tape will add an ounce or so.
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Is the Rookie system made for shorter bodies? My 3 year old Ober is turning out to be very small compared to the monster Obers I have had. He is only 10 inches from the back of his shoulder blade to his last rib. The paddles on saddles I own go several inches past his ribs covering a lot of his body. Is the Rookie a lighter weight system or made for smaller animals?
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Interestingly enough, I was just working on my Rookie Lite, taping the seams (didn't get enough tape, grrr....) Your question is probably best sent to Charlie at Sopris, but I can tell you that the length of the cylinders is a bit over 14". You might be interested in the Warnke kid trainer saddle for him instead.
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The kid trainer looks a little light weight for extended packing. This Ober will likely be 160 or 170 lbs meaning he could pack some weight but I want the saddle to fit his shorter box like body. Thanks for the measurement of the cylinders.
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05-28-2018, 05:24 AM
(This post was last modified: 05-28-2018, 05:33 AM by Kat.)
Gotcha. I did email about the Kid Trainer saddle back in January, and I was told "these are ideally sized for goats approximately 100-170lbs." But the panniers may be too small for your packing needs - the saddle does measure 10" long tho.
Also, for the Rookie Lite - maybe it's OK that it extends farther along the back since they're softer cylinders - question for Sopris!
I did pull the foam cylinders out on my new saddle to tape the seams inside, I suppose it's possible to cut the foam a bit shorter but I wouldn't think anywhere close to 4" shorter, maybe 1". (It's 2 layers foam + a plastic tube and 2 foam end caps on one end.) I bought a stiffer slightly narrower diameter foam cylinder yesterday and cut a 13.5" piece off to test with, have been having thoughts of substituting it for lighter loads - would save close to another 1/2 pound weight.
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(05-27-2018, 07:29 PM)IdahoNancy Wrote: The kid trainer looks a little light weight for extended packing. This Ober will likely be 160 or 170 lbs meaning he could pack some weight but I want the saddle to fit his shorter box like body. Thanks for the measurement of the cylinders.
What is Blaze's measurement for the saddle fit area?
Goatberries Happen!
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It is difficult to measure because I am not really sure where the saddle paddle is suppose to stop. He is 33 inches withers to base of tail. My alpine Dodge is not much longer. I tied them both up, pulled the saddle out of the pocket pad, and tried it on them both. I wanted to compare the fit to see where the paddles fell on their bodies. There was not much difference. I think Blazer is a little shorter in every direction. At age 3 I am hoping he's got a little more growth coming. I moved the paddles up one notch on the top cross piece. This narrowed the fit and I think it is going to work.
I am hoping someone brings a Rookie to the Rendy next month so I can look at it.
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05-29-2018, 07:41 AM
(This post was last modified: 05-29-2018, 07:41 AM by Nanno.)
I'll be brining my Rookie pack and I don't mind a bit if you want to try it on Blazer.
Since you can move the panels on the crossbucks, it sounds like you're using Northwest composite saddles right now. The composite saddles are longer than traditional wooden saddles. Have you tried a normal wooden saddle on Blazer?
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The composite saddles are great for my larger goats but Blazer may need an old fashion wooden saddle. I would like to try the Rookie at the Rendy, thanks.
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