# backpack and harness questions



## balakai (Feb 9, 2005)

My BF and I jog together. Well, we start out together, but he is faster than me so he ends up jogging a little further and loops around at the end to meet me. India has jogged with us twice. We have decided that she needs a backpack to carry poop bags, keys, phone, etc. Not too much weight, just a few things.

Which backpacks do y'all recommend? 

Also, she wears an Easy Walk harness when we jog. Will fitting the backpack over the harness be an issue?

~Kristin


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## AbbyK9 (Oct 11, 2005)

Here's my article on dog packs - maybe you will find it helpful. 
( Abby K-9 )

As far as the Easy Walk harness goes, that's a very good question. Many of the good packs have Y-front harnesses that would cover your Easy Walk harness, so you might not be able to use it along with the pack.


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## GSDElsa (Jul 22, 2009)

If you only need it for a few things, the new RuffWear SingleTrak pack would be perfect. If you search it, you will find my excess review of it to this point. I still have to put up pictures and the multi-day review, but you'll get the point!


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

I have Sense-ation harnesses, which also have a front hook attachment. I've never tried using it at the same time as my Ruffwear Approach packs, but I can try it for you. I don't see why you wouldn't be able to still use it, but as Chris said, the Y strap on the chest would probably at least partly cover where the leash attaches to the harness. I assume that she wears the Easy Walk because of pulling? There is a back attachment for a leash on my packs, (and probably most if not all other brands too), but that may not be a great option if she's a puller. I just attach the leash to their collar when I use my packs. 

As far as which pack to get, I really, really like the Ruffwear packs. The Approach is very well made, with nice features, and can carry plenty of stuff. The Palisades pack has a separate harness that can be used alone, and the packs (which are larger than those on the Approach) detach, so you can take them off while leaving the harness on the dog, a handy option, but it's also quite a bit more expensive than the Approach. I believe it comes with water bladders, which the Approach does not, but flexible







Platypus bottles work great. I can get a one liter bottle in each side with room for plenty more stuff.

If you want an even smaller, more streamlined pack, Ruffwear just came out with a new style called the Singletrak: Singletrak Pack? It's pricey, but it comes with two 1/2 liter Platypus bottles, which mitigates about $16 of the cost vs buying them separately. GSDElsa here on the board just got a Singletrak and apparently you can't get a whole lot else in the packs besides the water bottles, but if you only need space for a few small items and 1 liter of water is enough for everybody, this would be a great option. Probably not enough for a weekend of backpacking, but perfect for jogging with your dog. 

The best price I've found for the Approach and Palisades packs are at http://www.arcatapet.com/sresult.cfm They have the Palisades for $93.49 (retail is $125), and the Approach for $59.49 (retail is around $75), with very reasonable shipping charges. Both packs are easily sized by measuring around the girth of your dog - there are several inches of overlap between sizes, so if you want the smallest bags and the least amount of excess strapping, go with the smaller size. Keefer has a girth of 33" and wears a medium, Halo has a girth of 26" and wears a small.

Here's a picture of Halo in her pack where you can see the Y at the front:


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## GSDSunshine (Sep 7, 2009)

I second the Approach pack. Koda just got his a few weeks ago and it was easy to get the right, size and easy to put it on. If you will only use it for carry small things like keys, and poo bags, I would look at the smaller one.... If I wanted to load this baby up I totally could, I was intersted when I first got it and was able to carry 2 liters of water, a hand towel, my keys, an extra collar, and extra long leash, poop bags, cell phone, camera, snakc for Koda (hotdogs) and snack for me (protein bar, and banana). Since he wasn't used to the weight yet he only carried the light stuff, but it fit everything! And If she isn't a puller, then the click in the back should work perfectly.


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## Miss Molly May (Feb 19, 2010)

We walk Molly with a halti (I think it is pretty well the same as your easy walk harness not sure?) and a Rough wear backpack and have no problems.


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## balakai (Feb 9, 2005)

The Halti goes on the head, not the body like the Easy Walk.

I think I've solved my problem--most packs seem way too big for our needs and would interfere with the harness; thanks to AbbyK9 I found the Har-Vest and am waiting on pricing/ordering info from the creator:

Har-Vest ? Power Steering for the Well Dressed Dog. | A Better Pet LLC

~Kristin


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

I think Halti is making a front hook harness now too. 

That's a nifty little pack!


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## GSDElsa (Jul 22, 2009)

I tell ya, take a look at the SingleTrak
http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/equipment-how-use-where-find/134026-singletrak-has-arrived.html

Just because the Har-Vest looks like it might be a little shifty if you're using it for running. They shift around a LOT when they are full speed ahead.

The Y strap in front makes a huge difference. And the price is worth it. I really think this thing is bomb proof. And does not budge a smidgen.


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## Chicagocanine (Aug 7, 2008)

If you want a front-attach I've been told you can attach a leash to the front of this harness: Freedom Design USA - Products They also sell pouches to make it into a backpack. It has a Y-front so it won't shift around as much as the type with a strap across the front of the chest.

The Har-vest seems like it might shift around a lot while running and could rub on the dog or shift to the side and become uncomfortable. Personally for running I'd opt for the Ruffwear Singletrak which is made for running with a dog and has a Y-front so it is more comfortable and not likely to shift if not perfectly balanced.

I have put a Sense-ation harness on Bianca underneath her Ruffwear Palisades pack (has the same base harness design as the Singletrak.) 
It worked once I figured out where it should sit underneath and where to hook the leash, but the pack did limit it a bit so it did not work quite as well as it normally would. I usually use a head collar now though.


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## balakai (Feb 9, 2005)

Wow, I can't believe the prices on some of these packs! I heard back from the woman who created the Har-Vest and it's $80 plus shipping and tax. The Ruffwear SingleTrack is $90 plus shipping and the Approach is $75 plus shipping.

I didn't expect backpacks to be quite so expensive.

~Kristin


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## Rex (Mar 30, 2009)

We use the new SingleTrak and love it. We needed a little backpack for the same purpose- running. And it works great! We got the orange/grey one and it looks great too... Definitely worth the money. It sits on Rex' back like a second skin. 

You don't even need a harness/collar with this pack- you can just attach the leash on the little ring on top of the backpack. That depends on your dog though, how well he listens and how much "control" you need over him.


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

balakai said:


> Wow, I can't believe the prices on some of these packs! I heard back from the woman who created the Har-Vest and it's $80 plus shipping and tax. The Ruffwear SingleTrack is $90 plus shipping and the Approach is $75 plus shipping.
> 
> I didn't expect backpacks to be quite so expensive.
> 
> ~Kristin


I haven't seen the Singletrak discounted anywhere yet, but it just came out on 4/1, which is probably why. I posted a link in my earlier post where you can get an Approach for $59.49. I think I paid about $3 for shipping, but I'm local. Even if it's more to send it all the way across the country, it would still be significantly less than the retail price. 

I agree that it's a lot of money, but they really are extremely well made, they're VERY nice packs. IMO it's well worth it for the quality, and I expect mine to last for many, many years.


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## GSDSunshine (Sep 7, 2009)

i think i paid $8 for shipping.... same price though... And i bought other things to weigh down the package so may have been cheeper, and I am all the way across the country


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## EmilyK0429 (Dec 6, 2009)

****'s Sporting goods has the Approach pack for $59.99 and if you spend $69 you can get free shipping.


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## balakai (Feb 9, 2005)

Most of the backpacks seem so big--things will be bouncing around inside as India trots along.

From a design standpoint, the Ruffwear Singletrack seems like it would best fit our needs. For those of you who have the Singletrack, how much can you fit in the pack if you also fill the water bladders?

I wish it came in different colors, but I was thinking about getting the new gecko Lupine collar for India--then her collar and pack would more or less match.

Lupine® - Large Dog Products

~Kristin


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## balakai (Feb 9, 2005)

Ruff Wear SingleTrack Dog Pack - FREE SHIPPING at Altrec.com

RuffWear SingleTrack for $71.89, free shipping. Great deal! Think I might splurge, especially as the shoes I ordered for myself have been discontinued and are not available anywhere in my size, so I've got a few extra bucks. Guess that I will spend it on the dogs, as usual! 

~Kristin


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## AbbyK9 (Oct 11, 2005)

If you want a relatively large pack that doesn't break the bank, I would recommend the Kelty K-9 Chuckwagon. It's a very well made pack - it's the one I had before getting the Approach - and can be had for less than $50, including shipping, if you look online.

If you want a minimal pack where the saddle bags themselves are not much bigger than on the Har-Vest, the Wolfpacks Saddle Bags are nice. They come in three color choices and have a reflective stripe. At $47, they're not cheap, though.

If you want something where you can customize the pockets to anything you want or need, you might want to look at Signature K-9s Extreme Duty harness - Extreme Duty Harness It will take ANY style military MOLLE-compatible pouch. They make some really neat MOLLE gear, including water bottle holders, large pouches, etc. that could be used on this. 

I SO want to get one of the Signature K-9 harnesses so I can use it as a harness and switch the different MOLLE pockets around. We have a TON of those, designed to hold various things.


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## Chicagocanine (Aug 7, 2008)

AbbyK9 said:


> If you want a minimal pack where the saddle bags themselves are not much bigger than on the Har-Vest, the Wolfpacks Saddle Bags are nice. They come in three color choices and have a reflective stripe. At $47, they're not cheap, though.


I had the Wolfpacks Saddlebag. It is nice but you have to be careful about balancing it if you have anything heavy in the bags (like water) as it tends to slip to one side or the other unless it the weight is balanced really well. I got mine on Ebay for $25. Below is a photo of that pack (with my Golden hiking in the Smokies and wearing it.)



AbbyK9 said:


> If you want something where you can customize the pockets to anything you want or need, you might want to look at Signature K-9s Extreme Duty harness - Extreme Duty Harness It will take ANY style military MOLLE-compatible pouch. They make some really neat MOLLE gear, including water bottle holders, large pouches, etc. that could be used on this.


I know someone who works for Sig.K9 and I may be getting one of their harnesses, if I do I will post photos.


Wolfpacks Saddle Bag:


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