Backpacking

Backpacking is one of the most enjoyable activities you can do together with your Malamute - or any other breed of dog for that matter. Backpacking is not just for big dogs - you can get backpacks in all sizes. Backpacking titles such as the Working Pack Dog (WPD), require the dog to carry 30% of their body weight over at least two trips on natural terrain, such as hiking trails or cross country. The distance travelled must be either a total of 30 miles including one overnight campout, or 40 miles, with each trip a minimum of 10 miles. In these photos, Kira and Chief are only carrying about 15% of their body weight.
It is important to get a good quality backpack. A poorly constructed pack will fall apart after only a trip or two. The packs we have are the Explorer II packs from Wenaha. These packs are not only tough but they have a separate saddle and removable pack which makes it easy to take off the pack when you stop for a rest.
Backpacking can be a day activity, a very energetic one or two hour walk, or an overnight camping adventure. Good backpacks will allow you to tie on your sleeping bag, tent, and so forth (the Explorer II packs have D-rings along either side at the top of the pack and also come with a couple of straps for this purpose).
In these photos you can see that we have returned from a trip as opposed to just starting out. You can tell this because firstly those paws are covered in mud, and secondly because those tongues are absolutely huge and the dogs have obviously been exerting themselves!

If we are just backpacking for fun, I usually fill the backpacks with bags of rice. I have a number of different sized bags of rice (1, 2, and 5 KG) and use these to make up whatever total weight I want. Rice is good as it moulds itself well to the shape of the dog's body. Sand works well too. Another useful thing to carry is water in a wine cask bag. Of course you should make sure the pack is evenly balanced. Note that the leashes attach to the back of the pack. You can't tell in these photos (because of all the fur!) but the saddles are built like harnesses with adjustable straps (with padding under the Fastex or quick-release clips) that go in front of the chest (near the breastbone, and underneath the dog (at the chest and the stomach). The pack should ride over the dog's shoulders, not the back. A pack that is too small or too big will cause a lot of problems. Most packs come in XS, S, M, and L sizes. Kira and Chief use medium-sized packs.
One very important command I use when backpacking is "Behind!". I use this when walking down very steep or rocky paths because I need to go slowly and I have no wish to be pulled down by Malamutes who are capable of bounding down much faster than I can. Conversely when going uphill, it is sometimes nice to get a bit of a pull from a dog in front (only if the leash is attached to the pack not the collar). Backpacking leashes are usually much longer than normal 6' walking leashes. 10' is about the minimum - you need the extra length when traversing a variety of terrain.
Backpacking at night is also a lot of fun. I have a Petzl headlamp on my head and Kira and Chief each wear a red strobe light on their collar. These are just tail lights for bicycles and use two AAA batteries. I am also contemplating the idea of mounting some lights on their packs (one on either side) to really light up the trail.
An excellent introduction to backpacking is the book A Guide to Backpacking With Your Dog by Charlene G. LaBelle.