Customer Reviews Ruff Rescue Gear Medium Backcountry Harness

The product is complete junk. The materials, the construction, the straps that don’t stay tight. The hand written F & L letters indicating left from right. Garbage. $100? it’s cheap and poorly designed. I wouldn’t trust this thing to rescue my pet and neither should you.

I'm not normally one for reviews, but I thought this one is merited just in case others are trying to compare this product with similar brands and struggling with the same questions I had before purchasing-- I live in Colorado, and do quite a bit of hiking and outdoor recreational activities with my dog. He's 55lbs of lanky, squirming, husky-mix, and although weight-wise I am capable of carrying him, finding a good way to get a grip if I had to carry him for, say, miles to a trailhead is nearly impossible. Enter the Dog Emergency-Rescue Sling. I knew I should definitely have one in my gear bag, but it was frustrating how difficult it was to comparison shop for this item--they're not really carried/in-stock at any outdoor/recreation stores, so I couldn't go and check out different options, try them on/try them on my dog, etc. Eventually I narrowed down my preferred options to either this product, or the FidoPro Airlift sling which I'd seen advertised online. I ended up purchasing both options (Ruff Rescue Gear sling in M, FidoPro from Backcountry.com in L AND XL) with the intention of trying them out in my apartment and returning the one(s) that was (were) less effective. This product is far and away the winner in terms of how it fit on my dog, how it fit on me, and how secure we BOTH felt while I was using it. It was also way easier to get my dog in it than the FidoPro Airlift. With the FidoPro Airlift, my dog was "between" sizes--weight-wise he falls firmly into the Large size range, but the length between his front and back legs puts him in the XL category. Like I mentioned, we tried both the L and the XL. With both FidoPros, he was squirming because he was clearly uncomfortable, and the sling was in no way snug around his body--the L was too short, and the XL was too big (even given that they're not supposed to be a perfect fit, as they are meant to work for a variety of sizes and shapes of dogs). Because he was able to squirm around, a) I was concerned that he would manage to get out of it and fall, and b) he was in no way balanced on the small of my back--depending on the terrain I was walking on it would be impossible for me to keep compensating and hike for a distance with him not positioned securely. There was no way for me to tighten the straps or reposition to mitigate these problems. Although that product might be better than nothing in a pinch, it definitely wasn't what I was looking for. This product (Ruff Rescue Gear Backcountry Harness) did meet my expectations on all functional fronts. Pros: --Was easier to get on the dog than the "rectangle with four holes" competitor design (once I watched the instructional video--key is to start with clipping the middle rectangle around the dog's midsection) --More adjustable design than the FidoPro--still a one-size fits many type of harness, but you can cinch it down/loosen the straps so that the fit is as secure and comfortable for the dog as possible. This is KEY to actually using the product, because if a sling is too loose or too tight, as I discovered, it's nearly impossible to balance the dog on your back for walking. --My dog clearly felt safer and more secure in this sling than in the FidoPro sling--he obviously didn't love it, as he was still essentially a husky in a backpack, but he didn't squirm or try to get out or try to reposition himself, he just let it happen. I would definitely be able to walk a long distance with him in this sling. --The straps felt more secure and less likely to slip. I liked that they went over the back of the dog, through a loop, and THEN went over your shoulder--it felt very secure. I also like that it came with shoulder pads, instead of that being an add-on. Cons: --I did have to watch the instructional video on how to put it on my dog--the FidoPro had an instructional tag stitched in and it would be nice if instructions were incorporated in a later version (either printed on the harness or pouch, or stitched in on a tag). --As another reviewer mentioned, there was an "F" for Front and an "R" for Rear handwritten on this product in sharpie. I get that the company is basically a start-up, and when functionality is key, it's worth overlooking--but a little more polish would be nice for the price (could've been stitched in on tags). Also, it's hard to tell the inside from the outside--you have to look at the stitching and the directions of the buckles--again, would be nice to have tags or logos that made it quicker/easier to determine. --This fabric is lighter than the FidoPro. This is both a Pro and a Con--I like the lighter fabric better as long as it's also Ripstop (which I'm not sure about). The lighter fabric will presumably keep both my dog and I cooler, and it'll dry faster, and it's easier to pack--as long as it's not more suspect to tears. TL;DR--If you're looking for an emergency-rescue sling for your dog, buy this product over the FidoPro Airlift.

Did not fit my 20 lbs dachshund. It is made very cheap with no real support for your shoulders. Not very easy to put together and the instructions were not clear. Wish the material was thicker and more supportive. Returned it.