Decker vs. Sawbuck Pack Saddles

Understanding the decker and sawbuck pack saddle differences can help you get better outfitted for your first trip.

In my opinion, packing horses is a little like driving horses; you can’t go in halfway. If you decide you want to start driving horses, you’ll need to get all the harnesses and accessories, the cart, and the horse to pull it all. It’s a lot to commit to right off the bat. Luckily, packing horses doesn’t take quite as much gear as driving. That being said, you still need to get a few things to get started. One of the most fundamental items you’ll have to decide upon is the pack saddle. When you get started on that decision, one of the first things you’ll need to know is the difference between Decker and sawbuck pack saddles.

In all honesty, these days you may be able to get by without a true pack saddle. A few manufacturers are making packing kits that sit on riding saddles. From what I’ve seen, they look like they do an ok job. That being said, there is a reason people developed the pack saddle, and it’s not because they weren’t smart enough to rig a pack to a riding saddle. It’s because pack saddles are built for the job, and they do it well.

In terms of history, the basic sawbuck design is about as traditional as you can get. It has been used for hundreds of years around the world. It’s also the design that Lewis and Clark likely used when they switched to horses on their journey in the early 1800s. In addition to that, mountain men also employed this design as they roamed all over the western US. It wasn’t unit the early 1900s that the first Decker saddles began to appear. They were first created by a packer and blacksmith named O.P. Robinett. Before long, his design caught the eye of two brothers; Bert and John Decker. They saw Robinett’s design, liked it, and began to help him market them in the region of central Idaho. Ever since then, these saddles have been popular mostly on the western side of the Rocky Mountains.

Although history is interesting, it won’t help you understand the differences between the Decker and sawbuck pack saddles. Read along for a brief description of each and watch a video showing their differences.

Sawbuck Saddle

The sawbuck pack saddle is a simple wooden design that has two pieces of wood that cross at the front and the rear of the saddle. To use a sawbuck, you also need a pair of panniers to hang off of each side. Panniers are made of wood, canvas, or modern synthetics, and also have heavy straps attached that carry the loaded panniers. When packing a horse, you hang the panniers off the saddle and then use a lash rope to secure the panniers to the animal. It has a few advantages, the main one being that with a relatively small amount of rope, you can rig up your pack for easy transport. However, if you have an ill-fitting saddle or an ill-put-together pack, you may risk soring your animal.

Here is a video showing how to pack a horse using a sawbuck.

Decker Pack Saddle

The other of the most popular pack saddles is the Decker. An original Decker saddle had two metal rods that served as the bows. When using a Decker saddle, the packer packages the load in a canvas wrapping called a manny. Once packed, the manny gets attached to the saddle using a long lash rope. The Decker’s biggest advantage is that you can pack a wide variety of gear to the saddle and it can be made to fit the back of any horse. The result is what has become known as a more humane saddle. However, an original Decker does use a lot of rope to tie the manty and to fix the manty to the saddle. These days, they do make a hybrid Decker that can have a pannier attached like a sawbuck.

Here is a video showing one way to tie up a manty.

Here is a video demonstrating how to tie a manty onto a Decker saddle.

In the end, both a Decker and a sawbuck pack saddle can be good tools for moving things on your pack animals. Personally, I’ve used sawbucks and modified Decker (a Decker saddle with hooks that resemble a sawbuck) my whole life. Using them, along with panniers and a pack cover, is an easy and efficient way to move camp from one location to another.

Whatever you decide, you’ll also need to learn a variety of hitches that are best suited for each type of saddle. That goes along with getting the lash ropes, panniers, and canvas suited for your style of packing. The extra gear just comes with the territory. As stated earlier on, packing isn’t something you can do in halves. However, once you do buy the gear, it should last you for years to come.