Well I hike with dogs that are not good off-leash either with the exception of Killer (who we usually keep on a leash anyway because he likes to chase squirrels/birds/etc.). Generally I use a retractible leash. I wouldn't use a 15/20ft nylon leash there are too many things for it to get tangled in, that would just drive me nuts. I use retractibles enough that I'm pretty fast at getting the leash back in close if we run into anything along the trail. I always shorten the leash if we are passing people. It's nice to stand off to the side to let people pass on narrow hiking trails if you have a dog especially. I only use the all tape (like this http://www.petco.com/product/105136/...t=OnSiteSearch) type of retractibles not the one that is a string, they are studier and less likely to rope burn you, at least I think so. I'd get one that was made for a dog bigger than him and make sure that the collar you are using is sturdy, like a leather one. I've never had a problem with them. Just get good at retracting it back in fast, you have to kind of put your arm forward and click it, pull some in, and repeat until you've pulled it in tighter. I like retractibles also because I can put the dog in a sit/stay and get far enough away so that I can take a pic of the dog with the background too and still hold onto the leash. Its hard to do that with a regular leash, though I still end up hiking them with a 6 ft nylon leash sometimes. The nylon leash is easier to hold onto so if you don't want him to go exploring too much I'd just use a nylon leash....but not a long one unless you are in a very open area. I guess I am picturing my hiking trails which are usually densely packed with brush/trees it would be getting stuck in everything if they veered off the trail to explore at all. When I use retractibles I'm varying the length of the leash frequently based on the conditions of the trail/amount of people around.

If I am going on a long hike I use dog backpacks so they can pack their own water/food. For shorter hikes I don't use them. All of my dogs (haven't tried it with Killer yet) hike fine with the backpacks on. In my backpacks I have collapsible bowls, the nice ones made of material. For shorter hikes I have some little plastic collapsible bowls that fit in my camera bag, like these http://www.petco.com/product/10862/P...t=OnSiteSearch I also keep booties, poop bags, and a pet first aid kit in my backpacks. I know a lot of the hikes I go on well enough to know if I need to bring water for the dogs or not...some of them follow streams so I just let the dogs drink out of the stream...be sure to find out of the water near you is okay for him to drink, my dogs have never been sick from drinking from mountain streams/waterfalls.

Also I never hike alone, and I don't count the dogs as not being alone. I never hike without another person with me. I just hear of too many bad stories...plus I'm a clutz and the dog isn't going to call 911 or go for help for me, knowing how huskies are they'd just run off.

Oh and the harness is a good idea, if he did happen to get lose its much easier to grab a dog with a harness on. I generally use harnesses unless I'm using the backpacks because they don't really work together. My dogs tend to pull worse with a harness on but I do think its safer.