Dog Pack/Harness

COSA

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Apr 29, 2012
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216
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WY
Trying to decide between a pack or a harness for taking my pooch with me; Is this just another gimmick or are these worthwile? Also looks to be quite the price range - Any experiences/suggestions?
 
Joined
Jul 10, 2012
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2,804
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eatonvile, wa
i like the approach pack. its slimmer and rides higher than most.
its a worthwhile thing to me as a dog whos in shape can carry 20-25% of his body weight. thats 24 lbs in scouts case. in other words, he carries his food and my beer.
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jlsteel

FNG
Joined
Nov 1, 2012
Messages
73
Location
B.C.
My lab wears the ruffwear palisades pack when we backpack. the harness holds the pack in place pretty good but still needs a bit of proper weight distribution to have it sit level. She carries all her food and water on her own plus some of our gear. The pack is detachable from the harness so when we are at camp its a couple of clips and she is free from the pack. The pack is on the pricey side but we have been very happy with it.
 

bbrown

WKR
Joined
Mar 9, 2012
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2,940
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Laporte - CO
A buddy has one of the ruffwear brand packs for his red heeler but not sure which model. Works well to carry her food but it can be hard to get it to balance. Tried getting her to pack in a couple bottles of whiskey for a summer fishing trip. We thought we were so smart until she went for a swim and about sunk with the extra weight.

Funny story - another buddy took his notoriously "free spirited" (AKA I will do as I damn well please) husky for a hike and decided stashing his wallet, cell phone, car keys and a few other things in the dogs pack was a good idea. Yup she took off and came strolling back a couple hours minus her pack - still makes me laugh just thinking about it. He was just lucky he stumbled upon some nice people's camp and they gave him a ride back to town.
 

husky390

WKR
Joined
Aug 21, 2013
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1,054
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Colorado
I use an old REI adventure dog pack for my GSP. It works pretty well but you definitely need to balance the load but I can pack it with her water and food. Just like we need conditioning to wear a pack, dogs need it to.
 

charvey9

WKR
Joined
Jan 26, 2014
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1,685
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Hamilton, MT
Depends on the dog. I have one that will wear anything, even a cone, with pride like it is some trophy for his prowess in squirrel chasing and pillow humping. My other dog bucks like a bronco if you even try to dry him off with a towel. We hunt in some rocky places, so I once wanted to try dog boots. It was the funniest thing I've ever seen on 4 feet. Wish I had it on video.

Just have to be careful about how much weight you pack on.
 
Joined
Oct 28, 2013
Messages
86
Location
Houston, Alaska
The pack we had for our dog worked well on flat ground or when going up hill. But it would slip off her when going down hill. There needed to be some sort of strap around the back to prevent that.
 
Joined
Jun 10, 2012
Messages
598
Location
NorCal
I have one if you're interested...got it at REI. My GSP loved the dang thing and when we went to the lake, he packed his own gear.
 

MattB

WKR
Joined
Sep 29, 2012
Messages
5,743
The first time you use it, check the dog periodically. I had one once for my GSP and it wore him raw - like bloody raw - on the points of his shoulders.
 

trk3263

WKR
Joined
Feb 26, 2012
Messages
421
Location
America
Subscribing to this thread I have been looking for a pack for my Lab for a while but like you so any options and reviews are all over the place so hard to make the purchase.
 
OP
C

COSA

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Apr 29, 2012
Messages
216
Location
WY
Thanks for the responses, looks like the ruffwear approach has recieved the best reviews here and elsewhere. Also like that it comes in orange as one of my dogs is mostly black/pointed ears and could possibly get mistaken for a wolf. Thanks for the offers - my 2 dogs are a border collie/aussi mix (32 lbs) and an aussie (55-60 lbs)?
 

ssliger

WKR
Joined
Jun 20, 2013
Messages
476
Location
Laramie Wy
Thanks for the responses, looks like the ruffwear approach has recieved the best reviews here and elsewhere. Also like that it comes in orange as one of my dogs is mostly black/pointed ears and could possibly get mistaken for a wolf. Thanks for the offers - my 2 dogs are a border collie/aussi mix (32 lbs) and an aussie (55-60 lbs)?
Mine would fit your dogs, I am pretty sure mine is an XL. My lab was a solid 90lbs. Good luck on your search.
 
Joined
Jul 10, 2012
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eatonvile, wa
i should add i also have 2 other packs and be wary of packs that stick out wide(youll get clipped in the back of the knees) and packs that hang below their body's "midline." my dogs (100lb shepherds) have deep chests and can get away with deeper packs but they still dont work very well. the load is hard to keep from swinging as it wants to all sag to the bottom. these packs have been retired for all but my biggest dog and he only carries light, bulky stuff in it.
 

mtmiller

WKR
Joined
May 20, 2012
Messages
731
Location
Montana
GuNR has a Mountain Smith, but it rubbed him raw under his front legs. I just removed the strap, but it will now slide off down steep inclines. Still works, but I need to upgrade.



A friend gifted me his old pack. I like how it rides, but it is too small to carry much beer.

 
Joined
Mar 28, 2013
Messages
384
Location
Kalispell, MT
I have had two different ones. My dog loved them. It was almost like a leash to some dogs. When he would see me carrying it he would run to me and beg to go on a hike. Fit is key to them tough. Both packs i have owned (wehena and granite gear) have been bomb proof. As stated above.... Dont put anything in them electronic or valuable. My dog loves to find water and while they shed some rain, there's not much help for a dunk.

I use it for him t o carry his water bowl and food. Some snacks and a little water(for both me and him sometimes :). Balance is also key. A few well placed rocks do the trick well.

I like it because it wears his energy down a little faster.

PS. I have one in the classifieds now.
 
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