Dog Packs

[shaggy9876]

Can anyone recommend a good dog pack manufacturer?
We've been through three packs for our three year old lab and can't get a good fit.
If anyone knows of any shops that offer proper fitting, that would be appreciated as well.

Thanks in Advance

 

[Butch79]

Don't know if you've tried this brand, but my guy (90 pounds) has one by an outfit called Granite Gear. We picked it up at an Eastern Mountain store about five years ago. A bit pricey, but not too tricky to adjust (with just a little practise), fits him fine and seems pretty durable.

Happy trails --
Uncle Butch

 

[audrey]

Ours is a Wenaha (bought about 13 years ago). It fit our first Lab fine, I haven't tried it on the new puppy yet.

We did have one problem - grit had collected under the pack and rubbed her flank raw before we realized it, so she got to finish the trip without having to carry anything.

 

[ripple]

My dog has an Outward Hound pack. It's a nice pack. The main pack clips off the harness so it could be taken off when taking a break w/o having to take the whole thing off. It has padding at all the buckles so not to rub his skin raw, and a spot that holds the leash. The straps adjust pretty easily. I had another brand forget which it was, but this one is much nicer. He has had it for 2 years and many miles and no problems. There are a lot on ebay, new and used.

 

[chomp]

I'll second the vote on the Granite Gear packs. I had one for my dog, and it was very durable and fit well even with an unbalanced load. Also, Granite Gear is a fantastic company.

Quick story - at Trail Days this year, a couple of current AT thru-hikers had their backpacks stolen - they lost everything. A couple of friends of mine went around to all the gear people at Trail Days asking if they could help out. Of everyone there, Granite Gear stepped up. They offered free backpacks for both of them, and if we raised some money, they would do more.

Long story short, we raised about $250, so Granite Gear outfitted with EVERYTHING. Bag, pack, tent, sleeping pads, stoves, etc... Obviously, they had to go to other gear people to put everything together since they don't make all those items, but bottom line, they went way above and beyond to help out a couple of hikers.

 

[Dugan]

I've had a Wenaha standard that is now on its third dog. I can't find the manufacturer. The below link is has links to two types: the standard, and the explorer. The bags on the explorer can be removed from the harness (handy for stream crossings). Both have a layer of cotton that is next to the dog. A thin layer of foam is sandwiched between the cotton and the packs, but you still need to pack carefully.
http://www.mainely-dogs.com/summergear.html

Although I have not seen or used one, the Ruff Wear packs look good too. The harness style that attaches the packs to the dog is a little more like a sledding harness. I don't know how effective this innovation is, since the weight is suspended from the dog's back, rather than being dragged from behind.
http://www.ruffwear.com/s.nl/sc.2/category.13/it.A/id.705/.f

To fit packs, you should put the pack on the dog few inches "upfur" of the withers (the bump between the neck and the back). Pull the pack "downfur" to its proper position, which is usually an inch or two behind the withers. This will help eliminate possible discomfort from fur being disarranged. The straps should be fastened about an inch loose of snug. The main strap to be concerned with is the rear abdomen strap, if the pack has one. It's usually positioned a little further back than the rib cage, thus there is less protection for internal organs. A good vet should be able to help you with fitting the straps properly.

Couple of things to keep in mind: keep the packs balanced, otherwise they can become lopsided and throw off your dog's balanced. Check for chafing. Be careful of what you pack where, such that nothing will be jabbing your dog in the ribs. Also, if your dog hikes off lead, you might not want to have them carry the car keys!

 

[audrey]

Oh yes, what Dugan said about balance and tuning: one morning I tightened the sternum strap too much and Clio couldn't walk without whimpering - it took 10 minutes to figure out the problem.

 

[Dugan]

As Audrey's example points out, it's important to check the straps for fit every time the packs go on. For the furry dogs, get your fingers in there to feel the fit, the fur can be deceiving; to check for chafing, part the fur to look for reddened or irritated skin.

Is there any advice specific to short or sparsely coated dogs?

Thought of one thing I don't like about our Wenehas. The packs are attached to basically a length of cloth which runs over the dog's back and about halfway down his sides. Part of the pack bags themselves hang lower than the cloth on the sides, about down to his elbows. Sometimes a stick or branch can get up and under the pack bag and the dog can get hung up a little.

 

[bobmak]

I used to backpack with a 100 lb. female shephard named Skye; she passed away about 7 years ago of cancer. We used to go out for 3-5 day trips and she would carry her own food and foam mat. She used a Wenaha Explorer II . This has a separate harness that attaches to the dog like a vest; the pack attaches to the harness via velcro and a cinch strap. This is a great and very stable pack for a large dog. Lots of miles on it and it still looks good.

Chica is about 45 lbs and she uses a Granite Gear Ruffrider. She uses the smal size and this is big enough for about 3 days of food; I carry her pad. As Chomp says, Granite gear makes great stuff. This pack has seen about 30 trips including rolling in mud and running through brush with no appreciable signs of wear.

I don't think you could go wrong with either brand.

 

[bbluee]

I have been looking for a lighter dog pack for my dog. I've used a Ruffwear pack for her for years and it's held up well. But it weighs over 26 oz empty. So I took a couple of medium Sea to Summit Dry sacks and sewed them onto the harness from the Ruffwear pack and saved my dog over 15 oz. Her total pack weight has been a little over 5 lbs in the past, so this is a significant savings.

The Ruffwear pack had a velcro-off option, so I just pulled off the main pack and used the harness to attach the dry bags to.

The slippery fabric goes right thru overgrown trails, packs easier and is waterproof when the dog fords streams. Durability seems to be good.

She does look a little like the Starship Enterprise but doesn't seem to mind since her pack was almost a pound lighter (that's 20% to her).

 

[keepin' on]

Kelty

I tried a Kelty "Chuckwagon" Pack for my 85lb. lab. Bad fit regardless of what size I tried. It seems as though the rear straps are in an awkward place. A very loose and "floppy" fit. Not pleased at all.

Kudos to REI. They paid for shipping for 3 returns and didn't squak at all!

 

[Waumbek]

I'm looking for a new dog pack for a 70-lb. dog right now. I like Granite Gear products in general but GG pack I saw today (don't know the model name) worried me because the under-abdomen strap buckle did not have its own padding. It is padded by a tab on one of the pannier, and that tab just didn't look big enough to prevent the plastic buckle from making contact with the skin. I like the idea of a harness set-up to which the bags attach. Has anyone ever had trouble with the bags detaching if the dog runs off-trail?

 

[bbluee]

Off trail dogs

Yes, I did find that my dog would lose her pack in the brush. As time went on, it seemed like maybe she was doing it on purpose even. In any case it was a worry. She never dumped it over a cliff, but she could have.

The pack I made used the old harness from Ruffwear. I totally attached the new bags to it. The easy off velcro seemed like a good idea at the time I originally purchased it, but it's really not that hard to just unlatch the (3) buckles. BTW those buckles have never bothered my dog as far as chaffing or rubbing. It's a nice design that way.

 

[Dugan]

Waumbek: I know of two people who consistently and frequently used the Weneha version with removable pack bags (the Explorer II?) for several years. I don't recall either ever complaining about the packs detaching from the harness. Both did off trail stuff, but I don't think any bushwhacking through heavy growth.

When (if) my current Weneha dog pack wears out, my next would be the Weneha with the removable pack bags.

As for buckle padding, usually something can be rigged, if you're not happy with what's there. If you wanted more specific advice, I'd need to see the buckle.

 

[Periwinkle]

I trained my golden with a Mountainsmith pack, like so:

http://www.moosejaw.com/moosejaw/product.asp?dept_id=10138&pf_id=10018222&ad_id=OvertureProducts

Nicely made, with removable paddling for the straps. In our brief experience, the pack performed very well. Unfortunately, the dog didn't....

My experience is a cautionary tale: We trained during the winter on easy trails to get the golden used to the pack. First trip out in the spring at the first jump/step, he bailed. After a few more tries further on, I realized I hadn't trained him to jump up with the pack on. Duh! Rather than forcing the issue and risking making the dog miserable or worse, having him injured, I ended up tagging the Mountainsmith onto my pack. Even worse, after this trip I discovered the dog had hip dysplasia -- he was banned from tough trails and carrying extra weight. Fortunately, a kind VFTT'er offered to buy the pack from me for his puppy. I hope he's having happy trails with it!

 

[Dugan]

As the previous example points out, I can't emphasize the importance of familiarizing your dog with new equipment before an actual hike. With Dugan four-legs, the first time he had the pack on was in the living room with no straps buckled. We kept it on about a minute, all the while praising and hand feeding little bits of meat. We gradually increased the time and moving around, all the while making sure it was fun and rewarding. It was about a month later that he went for his first (very short) walk with empty packs.

The key is keep it gradual, make it rewarding, and make it fun.

 

[Waumbek]

I've got a trip coming up soon, need the dog pack, so I bit the bullet and braved N. Conway shopping today. I looked at another Granite Gear and an Outward Hound pack. Both had unpadded abdomen buckles or that other plastic part the name of which I don't know (it takes up the extra webbing). One of the corners on one of these unpadded plastic buckles was sharp to the touch. Then I looked at Ragged Mountain's own brand-name dog packs. There were two versions; they looked alike but each had a different plastic under buckle. On one version, the padding, once again, did not cushion the entire buckle, but on the other it did, very nicely. Eureka. Just in time, too.
This pack does not have a lot of bells and whistles, but I think it will do the job in terms of comfort and fit. I may have to put some grommet holes in the panniers to release water. No big deal. Been there , done that before. And there are no compression straps on the sides for smaller loads on the trip out. That makes it a lighter pack but I'll have to see whether I'll need to jerry-rig something for that feature too. Another good feature: $37.50. Now it's time to do some acclimation to the pack, then we're outta here in a few days....By the time my dog is ready, hopefully the soupy weather will be gone.