Customer Reviews

Mountainsmith Dog Pack, Heritage Red , Small

5 star:		(51)
4 star:		(31)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I ordered this backpack for my Wheaten Terrier after watching Cesar Milan (The Dog Whisperer). If you have a dog that needs to get out some extra energy, this is a good solution. You're walking your dog every day anyway, so let him or her carry some water, the waste bags, your cell phone, and your keys. You will enjoy the walk more, and he will tire a little more quickly. I would recommend you start with nothing in the backpack, just to let your dog get used to it. Then you can gradually add more weight. Just follow the recommeded weight restrictions for your breed of dog.

I would not use this pack for long backpacking trips. The pack does not use a y-yolk over the shoulders and does NOT place the bulk of the weight over the dogs shoulders. I do like the accessories (waterbowl, food bowl, thermal mat, and leash). However, I have to say I'm taking my Mountainsmith bag to a seamstress to convert the chest harness to a y-yolk and bring the bag more forward to put more weight over the front shoulders.

Dog owners with dogs who have long backs or a breed who have a tendency to get hip dysplasia later in life should NOT consider this backpack.

Mountainsmith should be ashamed for selling a product like this that increases the likelihood of causing lasting harm to dogs.

I listened to reviewers about the size to order and it was perfect! I ordered a medium for my 80+lbs weimaraner, 60lbs Boxer and 70lbs boxer mix. It fits them all and is awesome. We use it to tire them out more on walks. I look forward to camping with them at some point with it. There's lots of room in the pockets. Great buy!

First Impression: Dad bought me the Mountain Smith Dog Pack to go on hikes in the mountains. Originally he bought me a Large because it said it was for 80-110 pound dogs. The pack was way too big, even though I weighed 115 pounds. Dad returned it an bought me a Medium. It fits just right, even at 120 pounds. I can carry water bottles and some food for Mom and Dad and myself in my pack. Recommended for Rottweilers who love to hike.

Conclusion: Dad says it's well worth the money. Even if we can't go on a hike, it works great for wearing me out quickly. Sometime Dad will just put some full water bottles in the pack and we will go walk a few miles. Man that wears me out! 3.5 out of 4 Paws because the covers that go over the tummy straps tend to slide off when not in use.

So I ordered the Lg thinking that my 80lb Pit Bull would fit it adjusted all in and it would be OK cause of her Athletic prowess. Wrong!! These things run LARGE so I returned it. I will buy the same because from the feel of it it will last quite well so long as Nika does not eat it. I guess my main point is buy smaller than you think. I cannot say how it lasted BUT it did feel sturdy and not "plush" but comfortable.

My wife uses this dog pack to walk dogs at the local animal shelter, usually 2-3 hours per week. After four months of use it is literally falling apart! Much too expensive a pack to fall apart after so little use. Amazon gratiously provided a replacement pack, however, so we will see if the replacement holds-up any better.

Follow-up to my original review; the replacement pack has held-up fine. It's been through several washings now and a few swims in the lake - she loves it!

After extensive research I selected the Mountainsmith Dog Pack for my 85lb Golden Retriever. She took to the idea immediately and gets excited whenever I get it out. We just walk around the neighborhood for exercise and she carries two 1 liter bottles of water for mid-walk refreshment. Pack is well made, compared to others I reviewed. It stayes in place and has no issues for us. Thanks to Ceaser Milan (Dog Whisperer) for the excellent idea of using a dog pack for adding exercise weights and dog enjoyment.

I bought this for my mixed-breed-retriever. We get an hour walk a day, but on days we travel or are too busy to get a full hour in, the pack does well to give him a good workout. We introduced our dog to the pack in stages; wear pack for a minute, treat; wear pack for two minutes, treat; etc. After two walks and a few run-ins with mailboxes due to the extra girth our dog was used to the pack and easily runs and plays/rolls over during our walk "recess". I carry our water, so I used bags of flour for the weight. I originally used bags of dry beans (convenient 1 lb. size), but our dog sounded like a maraca as he trotted down the street - cute but I prefer to be less conspicuous. It is not the easiest thing to put on or take off, but not unreasonable.

This backpack is a perfect fit for my Min Pin. He is overweight and the backpack adds resistance during his walk for more calorie burning. And I also love that the backpack seems to keep him more under control. When he has the backpack on, he doesn't jump around or run ahead - he seems to know that he has to focus on walking and carrying the extra weight, like he has a job to do. Love it!

This product is built well and might last a while, but it was not a good fit for my 62 pound labrador mix. I found him bleeding under his underarms every time he wore his backpack. I even when to a pet store to see if they could adjust it for me. They did, but it still didn't work.