Which Backpack do you have for your GSD

[Jgk2383]

Im looking ino starting to get Elvis to wear one, any brands you rec would be appreciated!

[GSDElsa]

We have the old style REI packs (like it, very affordable, but bulky for our serious hiking/backpacking trips) and the RuffWear Singletrak (perfect pack, albeit small and doesn't fit a lot...very streamlined though and that thing does not move. Great for our backcountry trips where there is a lot of brush and boulders to navigate).

[Cassidy's Mom]

Ruffwear Approach: Ruffwear Approach Dog Pack Blue Medium - Dog Backpacks

How old is Elvis? He looks young in your avatar pic. I wouldn't have him carry any weight until he's older, and you need to be careful living in such a hot climate too.

Here's Halo in her Approach:



I got it when she was a little over a year old and had her wear it empty for a couple of months before I put anything in it.

[Jgk2383]

Hes 10 months and a little underweight right now... I was thinking of making him wear an empty backpack on our walks to focus him a little bit, i heard of doing this, Maybe its not the right thing to do?

[Cassidy's Mom]

The only disadvantage I can see is that a pack that will fit him now may not fit him when he's an adult. Halo's pack (size small) only weighs a pound (if I remember correctly, I weighed it a while ago), so that shouldn't be a problem. She is 58/59 pounds, and Keefer (approx. 80 pounds) wears a medium Approach.

Do you know how big his parents are? Measure his girth and see where hit falls on the size chart. Fortunately, there is quite a bit of overlap between sizes, which makes it easier to guess what size he'll need once he's mature. The small fits 21" to 30" and the medium fits 26" to 36" - I think Halo was around 26" when I bought hers, so she could wear a medium, but was well within the range of a small. Her growth had already slowed down to the point that I felt pretty confident that she wasn't going to get 4" bigger around. Keefer is 33", so he could have worn a large (32" to 48"), but he was already 4 years old and fully grown when I bought his pack and he has a few inches to spare on the medium. The larger sizes have larger bags on them and I don't need that, plus, I'd rather have less slack to deal with on the straps.

[aubie]

Anna has the same pack as Halo...I didn't get one for her until a few months ago (she turns two in Sept). It does seem to keep her a little more focused on walks, like she's working, but that also may be a little bit of maturity creeping in.

[paulag1955]

Originally Posted by Cassidy's Mom

Ruffwear Approach: Ruffwear Approach Dog Pack Blue Medium - Dog Backpacks

How old is Elvis? He looks young in your avatar pic. I wouldn't have him carry any weight until he's older, and you need to be careful living in such a hot climate too.

Here's Halo in her Approach:



I got it when she was a little over a year old and had her wear it empty for a couple of months before I put anything in it.

Sorry, totally off topic but I have to say that Halo is gorgeous. I expect this is what my Shasta is going to look like. I certainly hope so, anyway.

[AbbyK9]

We started out with the Kelty K-9 Chuckwagon, which is a very nice (and not overly expensive) backpack with plenty of room. They run around $50.

We currently have the Ruffwear Approach, same as pictured in this thread, in green. That's a very well-made and well-fitting pack and we've been very happy with it. They are currently on sale at REI for about $53 if memory serves (just looked at them a few days ago to recommend to a friend), down from $70+.

Ruffwear makes a larger pack called the Palisades. The Palisades is removable from its harness whereas the Approach is not. If you like the harness, that's a nice plus, but the Palisades as a pack is really designed for extended hikes with lots of gear, rather than "around the block" sort of uses. Even the Approach is a little bigger than you'd realistically need for everyday use, walks to the park, even day hikes, really.

WolfPacks also make some really nice ones, but I'm not big fan of the straight-across strap in the front vs. the y-front harness the Ruffwear and Kelty have. The straight-across strap doesn't really make a lot of sense in terms of comfort and stability. But the WolfPacks are well made and available in a variety of nice colors.

[DonP]

Iska has the Ruffwear Approach. We also have a Ruffwear PFD. Both are very well made and fit without restricitng her movement. People think she's in training when we walk her with it so fewer people ask to pet her. I haven't noticed much of a change in her attitude though.