Mu's Tac Vest
I call it a tactical vest (you can call it what you want if you're uncomfortable with military terminology) because of what its designed for and the attachement system it uses. It uses what the military calls PALs webbing. Its a method of securely attaching pouches in an array of configurations and option. I could have him carry M16 (machinegun) magazines (ammunition) if I wanted...although if he got spooked...my ammo would end up running down the street...not good. Anyway, I went with this design because, 1. Military gear is almost ALWAYS overbuilt. It will last forever as regular use and half of forever with hard use. 2. I wanted a pack I could change to make it do what I wanted it to do. 3. I have a bunch of PAL compatible equipment. 4. It just looked cool.
From what I found, only two companies produced a rig with PALs or Molle webbing. One didn't reply to my emails and the other had a decent website, answered emails and had product reviews on K9 sites. The company I went with is called Signature K9 and I picked up the "Ultimate Load Bearing Harness".
He is carrying about 10 pounds here including the pack. We went on a mild walk with it earlier today, he didn't have any problems and it didn't cause breathing or shifting problems. The only thing I could say....it wore him out quicker. He needs a little more conditioning. I'll probably cut the weight to 1/2-3/4 and build back up. I just wanted to see how he handled the load.
From what I found, only two companies produced a rig with PALs or Molle webbing. One didn't reply to my emails and the other had a decent website, answered emails and had product reviews on K9 sites. The company I went with is called Signature K9 and I picked up the "Ultimate Load Bearing Harness".
He is carrying about 10 pounds here including the pack. We went on a mild walk with it earlier today, he didn't have any problems and it didn't cause breathing or shifting problems. The only thing I could say....it wore him out quicker. He needs a little more conditioning. I'll probably cut the weight to 1/2-3/4 and build back up. I just wanted to see how he handled the load.
Comments
That outfit looks very nice on your pup. The ultimate hiking gear! Does your dog mind the vest and added weight?
Outside of not being in top shape for weight hauling right off, no, he didn't mind.
Yeah, he decided to put on his pity face for that shot. It was the better of the two in that pose, the other his head was blocking.
My goal here isn't just to make a pack mule. My wife and I recently moved into our in-laws house as we are preparing to leave Japan. The problem is...they went from being mostly inside/outside dogs to only outside dog. Their space has been cut dramatically and there is only one bed they have to share. To compound the problem, they are both males, the Shiba is fixed...but very dominant...he was also my first and lived with me by himself for 1.5 years. So, my ultimate plan here is just to burn some of the beasts energy by using this rig. So far, I think its working. This is only day 2 of the packing adventure though.
I'm looking into Mountainsmith gears too.
Very cool. I like that vest a lot. I'm sure it will help our morning and evening walks.
If you have time tell me what you think.
We pack Kona and a few of our other dogs, it's a great way to build strength and get some extra energy out. A conditioned dog should be able to carry 10% - 15% of their body weight, and 15% - 20% for a more robust dog, and up to 50% for a true working/pulling dog like a Malamute, Swiss Mountain Dog, or a Bernese Mountain Dog!
I try to not go higher than 15% with our dogs, tho once Blue starts to carry weight he will probably be conditioned to 25% or so.
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I have a wolfpacks pack, actually i think I made a review post on several of the packs out today. The wolfpack products is ok, I think there are better ones out there tho.
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WOLF PACKS: Banzai™ Dog Pack
http://www.nihonken.org/forum/comments.php?DiscussionID=1961
Wenaha Dog Pack: "Explorer III"
http://www.nihonken.org/forum/comments.php?DiscussionID=1825
I thought I did a Ruffwear one too...
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I'm looking into Ruff Wear too. I'm pretty sure I'm gonna get the Approach Pack for daily use.
How you like that one?
BTW, Mu is just so handsome. I really like the expression on Akitas. I find myself just looking at our baby Aki for a long time.
I like RuffWear's new Approach Pack & Palisades Pack, I didn't love the first gen tho. If I were you, I would spend the extra $ and get the Palisades Pack since you can take the pack off and just use the harness - that feature is worth the extra $, IMHO.
One thing I don't like about the Palisades Pack is the water bladders - they suck and are hard to use. We end up just putting water bottles in the pack and not using the water bladders (I took them out all together).
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Bad ass!
She's not gonna be able to use it for a while because we schedule her spay surgery right after Christmas so that we can stay home during the holiday season and take care of her.
Her girth is about 22-23", so we ordered a Small.
Thanks again for recommending the Palisades instead of the Approach Pack.