A pack saddle is a specialized piece of equipment designed to distribute the weight of a load evenly across the animal's back without a rider. The two most common pack saddle designs in the American West are the Decker and the sawbuck, each with specific advantages for different packing applications.
The sawbuck pack saddle has two crossed wooden or metal X-frames — called bucks or crossbucks — mounted front and rear on a padded base, with the panniers hanging from hooks or rings on the outside of the frames. The sawbuck is the traditional pack saddle design used throughout the American West and is particularly well suited to hanging rigid panniers or connecting panniers with a bridge. It is widely used in hunting and outfitting operations.
The Decker pack saddle uses a padded ring or half-breed style tree with metal rings at specific points for attaching loads, and it is particularly well suited to carrying awkward or irregularly shaped loads that need to be lashed directly to the saddle rather than hung in panniers. Both pack saddle types must be carefully fitted to the individual animal's back to prevent sores, and proper padding beneath the pack saddle is essential for the animal's comfort during extended packing trips.