Getting ready for my vacation next week. Our 14 mo. old lab is now big enough I feel to carry her own food and gear. I looked around for a suitable pack for her. finally settled on a Ruffwear Aproach. I am sure there are other good ones out there.The salesman at the local REI let me bring her in the store to try them on and this one seemed to fit the best. I have seen other people with them and some looked good some not too much.The dog loves it! She doesn't seem to mind having it on and almost acts like she has a job when it is on. We started with it light (almost empty) and then added small water bottles. As long as it is fairly balanced, it rides straight and stays on great. An added benefit is she seems to be more settled. We have been taking her on hikes locally of approx. 3-4 miles and she has had no problems with the extra load. This should make longer trips easier on Dad because I would heve been the one carrying her stuff otherwise.



We hope to make four bp trips in between visting relatives on our vacation so I'll report back later.