RUFFWEAR - Approach Pack, Meadow Green (2017), Small

I went through 2 $40ish Outward Hound packs in two years before deciding on this one. The pack fits well and everything about it is great quality. It's what I would expect out of a good hiking backpack for humans. The zippers hold up, the straps don't slip on their own, and the D ring has held up under some serious pulling(darn chipmunks!). The handle on the back has also held up well when I've had to pick my dog up. The pack stays fairly balanced as long as I keep the contents weight distributed evenly enough. Even when she's run through some brush and trees it's not too off balance. I followed the recommended measurements when ordering for my 45lb Australian Shepherd and it fits perfectly. When the pack has gotten wet and dirty, I wait for it to dry and the dirt just brushes off and it's clean again. The bags are roomy which will be helpful when we start camping this summer and fall.Edit: Update, I have used this pack for over a year now and I still love it. Everything about it has held up very well, through brush, water, and snow. The zippers, the lifting strap, the buckles, and the D ring have all done well. I can't imagine buying another pack.

I am not happy with this product. It is very hard to balance weight in the pockets on the pack. Unless it is perfectly calibrated, the pack constantly shifts to one side or other. So when my GSD drinks a bottle of water, and I don't have an even number of bottles or even weight to distribute, I am screwed. When the weight in the side pockets are out of balance, the pack keeps slipping down one side of the dog. This is very hard on my 100 lb GSD.

My Boxer (and I) love this backpack! We use it all time when we go hiking or even on our daily walks to give her a job to do. It has large pockets so that she carries everything we need on our day hikes except the car keys. We've even used it when we go on vacation to pack everything she'll need for the trip. All the straps are adjustable so it can take a while to get everything situated correctly. However, having a deep chested sometimes hard-to-fit dog the more adjustable it is the better. We even used it once, with the appropriate counter balance, to bring one of her puppy friends along on a long walk!

Seems like a great quality pack, but WARNING if you have a small dog. 15-18lb range, DON'T follow the sizing instructions. My Border Terrier is 15lbs with an 18.5" girth. EXACTLY in teh x-small chart, but the bags looks HUGE on her and the straps were taken all the way in. I reordered the xx-small and it's perfect, although now the straps are all the way let out as far as they go.The dogs really love these things. With out it on a walk, she just trots along content. With the pack on, she struts on her toes, tail waging wildly all proud like she's telling everyone, "Look at me! Check it out, I'm wearing a backpack!" Pretty funny.Thanks Amazon for the easy exchange.

Two weeks ago I lost my mind and adopted an energetic, unmannered, and goofball shepherd mix from the SPCA. A week ago, I took her camping for four days in the Adirondacks. She's around 47lbs and the small fit her well. We tested it out before we went on our trip and were able to fit a surprising amount of stuff in her pack -- including four cans of beans -- which did not slow her down. While we were camping, she mostly carried water and snacks and poo in her pack. Needless to say, she pulled us up the mountain.I have another brand pack for my doxie-mix that isn't as sturdy as this one. I'm really pleased I went with the Ruffwear. I think we'll get several years of camping trips from this pack.PS - She did great on the trip! Even rode well in the canoe! Adopt, don't shop (for doggo friends)!

Awesome doggie backpack! I researched for months before finally purchasing this one because the price was a lot to justify for me. I am glad I bought this pack. We tried on cheaper versions at the local pet stores but they moved around too much and did not fit well. My German Shepherd Dog measures 31 inches and weighs 84 pounds but he is only 1 year old so I got the large/xl size so he can mature and fill out into it. It fits him great with lots of room to expand when needed. The extra strap length from tightening it I tucked into the padded area so there is now no hanging material. At first he tried to shake it off but it doesn't move or slide around at all. He can run, walk, sit, and lay with it on comfortably. The bags fit A LOT of stuff in them! There is almost too much room but if you're hiking or taking day trips this is a good "problem". I thought the bags would flop around too much or be too saggy but they are not. Also, I read a review stating this did not work for male dogs but as long as the belly strap is fitted to be flush with his belly he can urinate fine without getting any pee on the strap. The materials are thick and rugged feeling without being heavy. The orange color is vibrant and makes my mostly black dog stand out. Overall I would definitely recommend taking the plunge and buying this dog backpack.

Your browser does not support HTML5 video.  Eighty quid is a lot of money to take a gamble but I'm glad I did, very impressed.It might appear obvious but it is essential to balance the weight on each side. I limited out first outing to 3 miles with only towels stuffed in peddle bin liners on each side of the pack. We fine tune adjusted the harness during the walk and Dennis (featured) has a tendency for over exuberance. Whilst I walked 3 miles I'm certain Dennis ran, swam, paddled, walked and rolled many more. Initially I had concerns he would find the pack cumbersome and restrictive... but not at all. He still pushed through brambles, jumped gates and even managed to roll in badger poo (his favourite) without any issue.

Our 2 yr old Boxer is a definite trailblazer, she loves the hills and valleys around our home. This summer, we are planning to take her up to Scotland.She already uses a Ruffwear Webmaster harness, so she readily accepted this backpack, since it is based on the Webmaster format.It is sturdy, well designed, water resistant (I'd say water proof in all but the worst rainstorms), has well thought out pockets, two for smaller items, two for larger items. It allows her to take the food and drink she needs for a day hike.She carries it proudly and without protest. It does not slow her down in the slightest.I wash it clean in the washing machine, using NikWax waterproofing laundry products, as I do for my own kit.

Very well made and very secure. Causing a lot of rubbing behind the front legs. tried and tried again but no matter how much re adjusting, she can't wear it for more than an hour without it causing serious rubbing in her front right arm pit area

This is great, but perhaps a little larger than we thought. If like us you’re right between sizes, you may want to opt for smaller unless you want really large pockets. Regardless, it’s great, our dog loves it - it doesn’t stop him doing anything (including swimming!). It’s great quality from ruffwear as you’d expect. We have a 35kg golden retriever (working, not stockier show variety) and went for L/X-large, medium may have been better on pocket size , but we just won’t fill the pockets. Harness is adjusted to smallest size.

best price I was able to find - fitted my Rhodesian Ridgeback with room to spare. It is so well made that this is going to last us a very long time - the dog likes it too - he happily carried our pasties and his water and snacks on a 4 mile walk the other day and was not bothered by it one little bit.It has loads of little hooks and clip parts that mean that you can easily add to it if you needed to.There are also a lot of different compartments.All in all quite and exciting little backpack for your hound, which adds something more of a challenge to them on long hikes.