Do you have a backpack rec?

[ArchieSit]

Archie is now about 18 months old and 80 lbs. And the other day I realized that I'm still carrying HIS water when we hike. No more! He needs to pull his weight! Ha.

So what should I look for in a dog backpack? Any recommendations?
thanks,
-e

[xracer4844]

ruffwear approach pack is the best pack on the market in my opinion and fits labs AWESOME. However if all he will carry is water than the singletrak would be fine!

[Jeff]

Ruffwear fan here as well. I have had quite a few different ones the first year and outward hound is the best I have had. They do quality work for a dog back pack. Outward hound was the worst for me. Zipper would hang and split behind the zip and was more of a pain in the butt than anything else. I had a nice one that buckled, I don't remember the brand but it didn't really fit well, he would pee on the back strap around the belly because it wouldn't cinch tight enough to get out of the way but was tight on the big lab chest. He hated wet pee belly and I didn't enjoy taking it off. But once I got outward hound it is durable and strong and never had any issues with it. It's been through mud, sand, water and snow. Zippers always worked fine been going on 2 years now not an issue. Strong enough too that I can pick him up comfortably with the handle on the back as well and he is 90ish lbs.

[MightyThor]

I just got a Ruffwear approach pack for Thor and he tried it out for the first time (empty) on a hike last weekend and did great! It fits him really well and he learned how to maneuver through narrow places with it pretty quickly.

[doubledip1]

Luna wears a Ruffwear single trak pack. We don't go 10+ miles, longest has been 3-4.

[ckfalz]

Ruffwear makes nice packs. Which one depends upon your needs. If for long hikes or hikes in hot weather, the Approach is fine. If for walks in town, short hikes or hikes in not hot areas (not Texas) then the Singletrak will be fine. The Singletrak comes with two half liter bladders and the pouches won't hold more so that's not enough water for a really hot or long hike. I prefer the style of the Singletrak and I have one for my smaller dog but either I or Sam with his bigger pack have to carry additional water for her as the Singletrak just does not hold enough to be really useful as the hydration pack they advertise it as.

Also, depending upon where you hike, bladders may or may not work. My dogs put holes in them by running through the brush so I use bottles for their water

[POPTOP]

Big Archie got a Ruffwear backpack a while ago. It's this one: Ruffwear Approach Dog Pack

Love it.

[ArchieSit]

Thanks! Archie will be adding a Ruffwear pack to his Christmas wish list. On the fence about which one. In theory the smaller one would be fine, except I think I'd still have to carry more water for him. Hmmm....

[POPTOP]

When asking for the same recommendations a while back, it was strongly recommended not to add too much weight at first. Our Archie is 6 years old and I started him out with nothing in the backpack, carrying it all in my backpack. I've slowly added weight, the same amount on each side to let him get used to the feeling.

"Little" Archie is much younger so be sure not to add to much weight. Give his bones and muscles time to fully mature. No reason he can't carry a little weight now and get used wearing it.

[ckfalz]

When asking for the same recommendations a while back, it was strongly recommended not to add too much weight at first. Our Archie is 6 years old and I started him out with nothing in the backpack, carrying it all in my backpack. I've slowly added weight, the same amount on each side to let him get used to the feeling.

"Little" Archie is much younger so be sure not to add to much weight. Give his bones and muscles time to fully mature. No reason he can't carry a little weight now and get used wearing it.

Great advice. Take it slow.