everytime i want to give something (or if im over incumbered ) to lydia i just think to myself "better give this to my packmule"

Lydia's my main-meatshield.

Come to think of it, all of my companions are.

LOL!!!!!!

I'm not too fond of Companions. They just get in the way. I put them on the same level at insects. Usually call them something of that category.

I don't use Companions... they always run in and wreck my carefully formulated strategies...

Lackie or Stooge.

they do come in super handy when in battle and also carrying you heavy load.

see, they just get in the way for me.

I play on Legendary and plan out boss fights very carefully. I have a Mod that lets me set bear Traps, so a Strategy I use often is "Okay, set my Bear Trap here and I will hit him with my arrow for the sneak bonus... as soon as he hits my bear trap I will summon a Familiar with my Staff over there... I will then go up on that ledge, and fire a few more shots.. because he is focusing on the Familiar, I can probably get two more Shots in before he detects me..."

If I have a Follower, he justs gets in the way and the 5-10 minutes I spent planning the fight are as wasted as the time I tried to go to a bar and ended up in an Estate Auction...

to each his own, i play the vanilla game and i use companions to help me in battle plus carry my heavy some i keep or sell.

I call the Steadfast Dwemer Spider "Kettle", and My Mages have "Frosty" the Frost Atronach. I do not really use any Followers on most of My characters.

'Roggi Bear' for Roggi-Knotbeard, 'Skittles' for J'zargo and 'Wenceslaus II' for the frost atronach (in loving memory of my Frost Atronach Familiar from Oblivion, Wenceslaus the First)

Everyone else is usually referred to as their names, 'Tibbins,' or 'dude.'

I just call Lydia "Packhorse." Though when she's being exceptionally annoying she gets another name that starts with B.

These days, though, I usually just have followers for a short time then either make them a Steward or tell them to wait in an Inn then "forget" to retrieve them.

Depends on my character if I have companions or not. If I'm just exploring I'll pack one around simply to play the role of packmule as you said, otherwise I usually have one along at the beginning of the game to avoid me dying over and over again, then they are my hero! ^^

Due to censorship regulations of the forum, I am unable to display the names of any of my followers.