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18-417: Historically, the high altitude of the pass and the lack of fodder were responsible for the deaths of countless pack animals while the route was notorious for the trail of bones strewn along the way. There is an almost total absence of vegetation on the approaches to the pass. Travelling south from the pass involved three days' march across the barren Depsang Plains at about 5,300 m (17,400 ft). To

36-637: A front face decorated with Soumak and a plainer flatwoven back. Slits are left along the opening for a rope to close and secure the bag to the pack animal. In bicycling , a saddlebag or seat bag is a bag attached under the saddle or seat . Smaller bags are typically used to hold a few items such as spare inner tubes, puncture repair kit, tools , rain gear , food, first-aid kit , etc. Seat bags are common on touring bicycles , racing bicycles , and cross country mountain bikes . Bags range from tiny to large (over 25 liters). Smaller bags, known as seat bags , wedge packs , or seat packs fit completely under

54-406: A load of up to 360 kilograms (800 lb). In India, the prevention of cruelty rules (1965) limit mules to 200 kilograms (440 lb) and ponies to 70 kilograms (150 lb). Reindeer can carry up to 40 kg (88 lb) for a prolonged period in mountains . Saddlebag Saddlebags are bags that are attached to saddles . In horse riding , saddlebags sit in various positions, on

72-482: Is a working animal used to transport goods or materials by carrying them, usually on its back. Domestic animals of many species are used in this way, among them alpacas , Bactrian camels , donkeys , dromedaries , gayal , goats , horses , llamas , mules , reindeer , water buffaloes and yaks . Traditional pack animals include ungulates such as camels , the domestic yak , reindeer , goats , water buffaloes , and llama , and domesticated members of

90-454: Is carried by the heaviest steers for short periods. Llamas can carry roughly a quarter of their body weight, so an adult male of 200 kilograms (440 lb) can carry some 50 kilograms (110 lb). Loads for equids are disputed. The US Army specifies a maximum of 20 percent of body weight for mules walking up to 32 km (20 mi) a day in mountains, giving a load of up to about 91 kilograms (200 lb). However an 1867 text mentioned

108-530: Is declining, a new market is growing in the tourist expeditions industry in regions such as the High Atlas mountains of Morocco, allowing visitors the comfort of backpacking with animals . The use of pack animals "is considered a valid means of viewing and experiencing" some National Parks in America, subject to guidelines and closed areas. In the 21st century, special forces have received guidance on

126-626: The Trans-Karakoram Tract , but India was not party to that treaty nor any tripoint agreement. The current de facto tripoint is about 100 km west of the pass near Indira Col in the Siachen Muztagh , where the Actual Ground Position Line between Indian and Pakistani forces meets the border with China. Pack animal A pack animal , also known as a sumpter animal or beast of burden ,

144-594: The horse family including horses , donkeys , and mules . Occasionally, dogs can be used to carry small loads. Hauling of goods in wagons with horses and oxen gradually displaced the use of packhorses, which had been important until the Middle Ages , by the sixteenth century. Pack animals may be fitted with pack saddles and may also carry saddlebags . Alternatively, a pair of weighted materials (often placed symmetrically) are called panniers . While traditional usage of pack animals by nomadic tribespeople

162-402: The back, side, or front of the saddle. Most attach to the saddle by straps and ties. They can be made from various materials. Although leather was the traditional material, it is heavier and requires more maintenance than many modern versions. There are several types: Pommel bags (which sit in front of the saddle), traditional paired saddlebags (which lie on the hips of the horse, on either side of

180-498: The cantle), and assorted smaller bags such as a cantle bag (a small tube-like bag that sits just behind the saddle), or a single small saddle bag that may be carried on the off-side (right hand side) of an English saddle . Pannier -style bags are sometimes fitted over a pack saddle used for packing gear on a horse or other pack animal (often, a mule or donkey) rather than for carrying a rider. In Turkish Anatolia, Iran and Baluchistan, saddlebags are traditionally woven in wool, with

198-458: The motorcycle by rudimentary frames enabling the rider to carry documents securely. After hostilities ended, any left-over items including the motorcycles could be obtained from army-surplus depots , particularly after World War II during the 1950s when there was an increase in motorcycle use as a cheap form of transport. Saddlebags also are available as modern motorcycle accessories (similar to western saddlebags described above) to place across

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216-486: The north, the country was somewhat less desolate and involved travellers crossing the relatively easy and lower Suget Dawan (or Suget Pass) before reaching the lush grazing grounds around Shahidullah or Xaidulla in the upper valley of the Karakash River . The pass is in a saddle between two mountains and about 45 metres (148 ft) wide. There is no vegetation or icecap and it is generally free of snow due to

234-502: The pass, and the pass currently remains closed to all traffic. The Karakoram pass falls on the boundary between India's union territory of Ladakh and China's Xinjiang autonomous region. It also plays a major geographic role in the dispute between Pakistan and India over control of the Siachen Glacier area immediately to the southwest of the pass. This area has been under control of India (currently administered as part of

252-485: The saddle. Larger bags which project behind and sideways are usually called saddlebags ; a well-known example is the Carradice Long Flap, for many years a staple of British cycle tourists especially on the weekends. Recumbent bicycles have much larger seats than the saddle of a conventional bicycle, and special bags are available which attach to the seat; these are also called seat bags but are typically

270-438: The size of small touring panniers. On a motorcycle , modern panniers are normally hard-shell cases mounted behind the seat and on either-side of the rear wheel, attached to a framework (which bolts to the motorcycle frame) known as a carrier . Modern panniers are made to be quickly-detachable. Historically, the origins were in military use for despatch riders , where soft, often canvas-type woven material bags were fitted to

288-555: The union territory of Ladakh ) since 1984. This situation arose from the Simla Agreement , signed in 1972 between India and Pakistan, when the treaty failed to specify the last 100 km (60 mi) or so of the cease-fire line from the end of the Line of Control to the border with China. A potential China-India-Pakistan tripoint at Karakoram Pass is referenced in a 1963 boundary treaty between China and Pakistan concerning

306-451: The use of horses, mules, llamas, camels, dogs, and elephants as pack animals. The maximum load for a camel is roughly 300 kg (660 lb). Yaks are loaded differently according to region. In Sichuan, 75 kilograms (165 lb) is carried for 30 km (19 mi) in 6 hours. In Qinghai, at 4,100 m (13,500 ft) altitude, packs of up to 300 kilograms (660 lb) are routinely carried, while up to 390 kilograms (860 lb)

324-465: The winds. Temperatures are low, there are often very high winds, blizzards are frequent, and the extreme altitude often took its toll. In spite of all this, the Karakoram Pass was considered a relatively easy pass due to the gradual ascent on both sides, and lack of summer snow and ice much of the year. Consequently, the pass was open throughout most of the year. There is no motorable road across

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