REI Ultra Dog Pack - Medium

Comments about REI Ultra Dog Pack - Medium:

pros: This pack works great for my lab/greyhound mix. While it would be nice if the straps, especially around the waist, would cinch up just a little more, it is great that this pack fits my skinny dog. Even though the pack is a little loose on her, it still stays perfectly balanced whether she's walking, running, rolling around, or trying to shake it off.
This pack is built well, and so far has endured my dog rolling around in snow, dirt, mud, and some abrasive sandstone, and yet shows very little wear. The collapsible compartments are great, and keep the pack only as big as it needs to be to carry the contents (which for my dog include water, collapsible bowl, poop bags, doggy jacket, treats, and leash. The only time the bags became unbalanced was if the water bottle in one side was substantially more full than the other. The handle/short leash does come in handy when I need to quickly grab my dog on the trail, and the pack was also sturdy enough to use the handle to pass the dog down to another person when we were going through a slot canyon and she couldn't jump down on her own.

Cons: The pack does seem a bit pricey. It would be nice if the straps would tighten a little bit more - my dog is that awkward size in between medium and small. Also, the straps dangle which annoys her sometimes - that will be easy enough to fix with some safety pins or something, but a few little straps could be a nice addition to hold up the excess strap. The buckles for adjusting the straps do seem to unlock themselves fairly often, although I haven't had any problems with the straps loosening when that happens. The water-resistant zippers can be "sticky" and harder to open, but that's typical for any water-resistant zippers.

Comments about REI Ultra Dog Pack - Medium:

I did a lot of research before purchasing this pack. My final two to decide on were the Ruff Wear Approach and this pack.

My decision to purchase this pack over the Approach boiled down to:
- I get 10% back from my REI membership
- It shipped free
- I liked the color
- The storage area is more versatile
- Made from 100% post consumer recycled plastic

Both packs were the same list price and had great reviews, and both had a harness system that was very comfortable for the dog and tilt-free. The approach packs shape does seem slightly more aesthetic, but this pack had greater utility.

I can't stress how awesome the strap system is on this pack. It's so easy to adjust this thing to fit your dog perfectly. The buckles have this quick latch system that allows you to loosen/tighten quickly.

The build quality and material quality are really high, a concern I had with this pack just looking at photos, but concern no more. The handle on top is super sturdy, can lift all her weight over logs with it without concern, and it also converts to a short leash. It's also 100% post consumer recycled plastic to give you that feel good incentive.

An other nice thing to know when considering a pack like this is that my dog is much more mellow and apt to follow commands when wearing it. The handle also makes it easier to reinforce physical commands.

I HIGHLY recommend this pack, BUT... and this is a huge BUT! Sizing Sizing Sizing! Heed others that this pack runs larger than you think it would compared to your dog. I have a G. Shepard mix. I'd say she's a large dog (50lb) but on the smaller size for a large dog. If she was any smaller, and I mean any smaller, a Medium would not fit her. Also the packs are about as large as I would want to put on her for 1-2 day hikes, they cover her abdomen top to bottom. Note that if its too large theres not really a way to make it work, just be patient, return it for the next size. You and your dog will appreciate it.

Comments about REI Ultra Dog Pack - Medium:

I got this pack for Monster (my 75 pound lab-mix), since our last backpack trip together clearly showed that our old pack was causing extreme discomfort. I did a lot of research online, and it seemed like this pack would provide the most comfort and balance for the price range I was able to afford.

Overall I really like this pack, and think it does well for two day or less trips for a pooch. Compared to my dog's energy form the last trip, he had much more energy throughout the trip carrying his food, a sign to me that the pack was really putting the weight where it needed to be on his body. Its balances well on his shoulders (putting the weight where it should be in stead of on his back), packs well, is well-constructed, and I like the extra zip pockets at the top which I stash doggie-snacks for the day. Its first excursion was on a five day backpack in the Emigrant Wilderness, through much up and down terrain on granite surface.

Unfortunately on the fourth day of the trip, I noticed Monster was moving slower than usual, and when I inspected him for any sores, I saw that the pack strap had rubbed his skin raw under his left front leg. I took the pack off and carried it the rest of the way, and then my pup was a happy camper! I need to play around with adding some padding in the under-leg sections of the strapping, and see if that helps stop the abrasions from occurring. If I do and it meets with success, I will update you and let you know!

Like I said, I think this pack will do the trick for 2 (maybe three) day trips, but beyond that, the friction from the straps may become problematic for your pooch.

Comments about REI Ultra Dog Pack - Medium:

This pack was awesome! I have a German Wirehair Pointer. I had another pack at one time and my dog hated it, tried to rub it off, obviously didn't like how it felt on. This pack however, from the VERY first time I put it on him he wasn't concerned at all and was able to sit, lay down and have free movement. We went on a backpacking trip that has in a steep area everything was either UP or DOWN and this pack stayed in place great! He ran, jumped, played and trekked along without any sign of irritation or lack of moblity. You definatly want to take your dog in and fit him because while they have a lot of room for adjustment you can have those that are in between like mine. a little too big for a small and everything sinched in as much as possible with the medium but it worked great. You also definatly want to ballance the pack well but if you do it doesn't need to be tight at all. at rest there is a pretty good gap on the strap that goes under the chest and the back strap is a little loose too and yet with all his movements there was no sign of the pack wanting to slide around out of place. I also love where it rides, instead of on the back putting pressure on the lumbar area it rides more up on the shoulders. I would recomend this pack to anyone that does any kind of serious backpacking especially in rough country, but also because of its ease of use and comfort just hiking or long walks too especially if there isn't water available, pack a bowl and lots of water and you'll have a happy pup. I bought the soft sided Platypus water "bottles" to put in there so when they're empty they colapse down, a little more money to add to the expense of the pack but I think worth it. Our other dog we had with us on this last trip we had an old pack for, the standard saddle back type with a single strap in front of the chest to keep it from sliding back but going down was a problem and at one point our dog completely came out of her pack so that with our heavy packs on we had to try and get hers back on and adjust it hoping it wouldn't go anywhere again, or that she would loose it while OFF trail! another great feature of his pack was the small pocket, I not only used the compression cords to sinch his load nice and tight so it didn't move around but I also cliped his leash to the leash tab and stuffed it in the small zippered compartment leaving a little tab of the handle sticking out and then zipped it up tight so that it wouldn't go anywhere but I could grab it and the leash would pull out and I didn't have to fumble with trying to clip a leash on. the grab strap is great but there are times I want to have a leash so I don't have to bend over for a length of time to hang on, probably not an issue if you have a taller dog, but a great feature that I found handy. Also, the back strap wasn't a problem as I've read from previous reviews about getting pee'd on by males, there was no issue and the trap sits right in front of him. I just can't say enough good about REI's pack. Probably the one tough point is the price, it was hard to pay that much for a dog pack but seeing how well it fit and worked I would do it all over again, definalty made the trip better for my 4 legged guy! In the future I would like to see REI include the water bottles like some of the other brand of packs do, especially for the price, but thats my ONLY complaint and with that I would still buy it all over again! I think we'll be getting another one for our girl before we go anywhere else after the issues we had with her pack.

Comments about REI Ultra Dog Pack - Medium:

I use this pack for long multi-day hikes and running with my dog. The pack fits well on my dog and doesn't move around to much during and after exercising. This pack has plenty of space for all of my dogs food and gear.
I think that the pack could use a bit more reflective features on it. I have added some reflective tape to the areas I thought could use more. The front Y strap seems to be to long and has no where to tuck under to keep from repeatedly rubbing on my dog. The packs locking buckles also tend to come undone during movement. I don't think that they move at all but it gets annoying relocking them into place.

Comments about REI Ultra Dog Pack - Medium:

This pack holds everything my dog could need on our long hikes and runs; water, food, first aid kit & booklet, my phone, wallet, & his leash. Every strap is adjustable and creats a snug fit around his torso. The only time the straps become an issue is if they get wet, they loosen a bit and have to be rechecked for tightness. My only complaint is that it's a little bulky and tends to catch on things...but that's to be expected with something that holds as much as this pack does. This is a great product that I would buy again.

Comments about REI Ultra Dog Pack - Medium:

I bought this pack several months ago for my 50 pound german shepard mix. The fit on my dog is perfect and it feels a bit heavy to me but she has no issues wearing it even fully loaded. It has been field tested in the mountains on several long hikes including taking the abuse of some impromptu squirrel hunting in thick underbrush. The water proofing has also been tested in several streams and I didn't notice any major leaking. Overall I am very happy with this pack and look forward to using it for years to come.