Ruff Wear Singletrak Hydration Dog Pack

Comments about Ruff Wear Singletrak Hydration Dog Pack -- Sizes Small - Large:

I've been using Ruff Wear's Web Master harnesses for 5+ years on my five dogs. While it's a great harness, I thought it would be nice to get a small dog pack harness so my primary trail dog could carry her own water, first-aid and poop bags herself on day hikes.

The harness has two removable soft-side platypus bladders stored in the pockets that fit like they were designed around them. There is still room to stuff a few items along side the bladders as well, or remove one to use the pocket as a gear bag.

The Single Track harness is made extremely well; nearly mil-spec it both quality and design. Both the harness straps and the harness body are well padded and beefy. The handle and leash loop are easy to use. My only concern is that the harness might be a bit warm on hot days for furry dogs. My Cattledog doesn't seem to mind (but that's their nature), but I would be careful using this on an out of shape dog on hot days, as the harness looks like it would retain significant heat due to it's significant coverage area.

The color is nearly mil-spec coyote tan, which is a great match for my dog, my pack and it has a nice natural look to it (see photo of "Wiley the Wonder Dog"). The reflective strips are a nice third generation addition to Ruff Wear's products, which I suggested to them years ago.

If you are planing on doing overnight hikes with your dog, and you don't have a pack yet, buy the pack first; it could double as a day hike harness. If you don't plan on doing overnights, then this is a great day hiking solution. Finally, if you don't plan on doing any long day hikes, I'd suggest going with the Web Master harness; significantly lighter with good comfort, heat dissipation and dog control (carrying your dogs water and gear isn't too much of a burden for a one hour walk or hike, but after three hours or so on the trail, you'll be looking at your "lazy" dog, wondering why she/he isn't carrying anything as you are getting tired!)

Highly Recommended

Comments about Ruff Wear Singletrak Hydration Dog Pack -- Sizes Small - Large:

This is the first dog pack I have purchased. I was looking for a smaller pack for hiking, camping, and short backpacking trips with my dog. I was looking at the Olly Dog pack on REI outlet, but happened across this one while looking on the main REI page. I thought it would be perfect and I loved the color, [...].I was at the REI in Tempe and was checking out the dog stuff and saw a single one of these hanging up, and as luck would have it, it was the right size.I picked it up and have been using for a little over a month on long walks in a number of large fields and dirt roads near our house, and I couldn't have worked any better. My dog, Panzer, knows it's time for a walk when it comes out. It sits close to his body so he is still able to jump and make quick turns without throwing him off balance, and he doesn't even seem to notice the weight, even when the bottles are full. It's seemed to hold up well with the use he's given it, we've probably used it about 15-20 times already, and he tears through the tall grass and brush. The pack still hasn't shown any wear. He likes it because I have the bottles filled in the fridge and they keep him cool when in the pack and I like that I don't have to carry his water. He's even taken to drinking it straight from the bottles, so I don't have to stick his collapsible bowl in his pack.Overall, I couldn't be happier with the purchase.

Comments about Ruff Wear Singletrak Hydration Dog Pack -- Sizes Small - Large:

I use this for weekend trips for my German Short hair pointer. I can fit all of his food for a 2 night trek in this little pack (keep in mind he gets high energy - high calorie - food that packs light). He goes a bit crazy running in the woods so a bigger pack would flip over, get hung up, and just cause problems. Overall this is the best pack I have used on him and since he only carries his food it works great.

It was a bit of work to get it set up just right for him but well worth the effort. I was always worried about him losing the bigger pack but now I know his load is secure. I have taken him out of 5 backpacking trips this year and it has been great.

Comments about Ruff Wear Singletrak Hydration Dog Pack -- Sizes Small - Large:

I had been looking for a product like this for a long time. I recently took my dog on a long walk on a hot, which caused him to experience some heat exhaustion. We thought we had brought enough water, but we didn't. This a great packet for allowing your dog to carry his own hydration.We have also been using this for our morning walks with the dog. It is nice because it is big enough to carry a lot of [*] bags, so my pockets are not full with them. The harness is also very nice. It is super stable on his body, and doesn't rotate around like less expensive models. I also really like the handle feature. My dog is a bit big, so it is nice to have something I can grab onto if I need to move him around. Lastly, the reflective piping increase visibility a lot at night, making it safer to walk in the evenings.Overall, we are very satisfied with the product. My dog doesn't mind wearing it. We tend to leave it on all day if we know we are going to be taking him out often. It has a nice breathable mesh, so he doesn't overheat while wear. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who frequently walks their dogs, and needs their animal to "share the load".

Comments about Ruff Wear Singletrak Hydration Dog Pack -- Sizes Small - Large:

The pack takes a little time to set up but it's not difficult. It has very good adjustments and padding in the right places, that's why you'll want to take time to set up it - then your dog won't have any rub spots or difficulties. We have a 1 year old siberian/lab mix who just started using the pack. It's very well made, fits securely and seems to be very durable. Our dog was a little skeptical at first but once we were on the trail, the pack was a non-issue. There are bladders that keep her water from sloshing, and enough room to carry her bowl, a meal or bags. We've used larger packs with our other dogs that hang 'boxy' on the dog's sides, and we like the Ruff design much better. Greta ran and jumped over logs and into streams, and past our legs with no trouble or banging around. It might not be practical if you want your dog to carry her own 'stuff' for a long backpacking trip, but it's great for a short or long day hike or an overnight trip. It fit Greta well even after the pack got complete wet (from standing in a waterfall!). Happy Hiking!

Comments about Ruff Wear Singletrak Hydration Dog Pack -- Sizes Small - Large:

I was looking for a smaller, sleeker pack for my adventurous cocker spaniel.

It took us a while to set it up (she's a mix and sort of a non-standard size!) but we like it. It's light and fits very well and isn't to much for our skinny dog. It stays very well balanced most of the time (once or twice I've had to alter the load to balance it but that's so much better than other packs!).

Really pleased all round. Zoe took to it really well and it doesn't even slow her down in the desert brush, through streams or anything else! Also worked well to help lift her up a few dog-unfriendly rocks!

Wish it had cost less but I'm so glad we have it!

Comments about Ruff Wear Singletrak Hydration Dog Pack -- Sizes Small - Large:

GREAT PACK! I highly recommend buying packs from REI since sizing can be tricky, and you can't always tell what size you need until you've been out a few times. The pockets are the perfect size for full bottles and a few poop bags or a bag of treats.

Comments about Ruff Wear Singletrak Hydration Dog Pack -- Sizes Small - Large:

As a former police K9 handler/trainer and long time dog lover I have used just about every dog product that has come down the pike. Some are very good-others I think were designed by people who never saw a dog. I like this pack especially because unlike most other packs it can be adjusted to fit the dog snugly and comfortably-it rides close to their body and doesn't get hung up on branches or other obstacles. It is also nice in that the fit makes a dog who might normally be a little uncomfortable with a pack that sways side to side usually be able to use it with little or no "break-in" time. The quality is good-the design is very good-and the features make it worth the extra money. If I could change two things it would be that I would make the fastening point a little more secure (though I've had no trouble with it) and include a bear bell. The bell would be nice no only for bear deterrent but also as a locating tool when in underbrush or for a dog than wanders. If they had made these in black I can tell you that on long searches my police K9 partners would have been wearing one!!

Service and delivery comments:

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Comments about Ruff Wear Singletrak Hydration Dog Pack -- Sizes Small - Large:

I have a 60lb attention hound that loves to hike as much as I do. On a recent trip to Goblin Valley I realized that hiking here is a little more intense than back in Michigan and Heidi could use some help up the 8-12 foot boulders. Time to actually purchase the pack I have been drooling over for several months! I chose this one due to the 5 point harness with a handle and hydration pack. There isn't a ton of room for snacks or even collapsable bowl but I just clipped hers on the top and we are ready to go! we even got some rope to help avoid accidents with the big drops off slippery rocks...

Comments about Ruff Wear Singletrak Hydration Dog Pack -- Sizes Small - Large:

I'm very pleased with this product. The Singletrak's pouches sit on top of my 75lb Cattledog/Shepherd mixes back, adding little to his girth which is a good thing given the narrow gaps between rocks and cacti he's got to squeeze by on the rocky trails of the Arizona desert mountain parks. If he does brush up against a Cholla cactus--the fish-hook needles are incredibly sharp, go in easily but come out with pliers--the Singletrak usually takes the hit, not him.

The zip pouches are also easy to reach. Two hold water bladders and I use the other two for food & waste baggies (so he gets to carry his own poop now instead of me :)

The strong handle & the leash hoop on the Singletrak's top applies force to the dog's chest and belly, enabling you to help your dog over high obstacles or break a fall without hurting them, as opposed to a neck collar which would likely pull off or choke the dog. It's not a climbing harness, but it's already helped on the trail.

It took a while to get it adjusted so it quit sliding to one side, especially with full water bladders. It turns out that the tendency to slide around is controlled more by the two harder to reach adjustable straps below the neck (especially on a furry dog like Buddy) than the straps behind the front legs & on the belly. These are more accessible, making them easy to over-tighten without solving the problem. Good adjustment takes time and patience but it's well worth the effort to prevent chafing and pinch points.