RUFF WEAR PALISADES PACK

Initial Report April 23, 2008

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TESTER INFORMATION		PRODUCT INFORMATION Manufacturer: Ruff Wear, Inc Year of Manufacture: 2008 Manufacturer URL: http://www.ruffwear.com/ Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price: $84.95 (for a Medium) Colour: Red Size: Medium (Also available in Small or Large) Listed Weight: N/A Actual Weight: 1 kg (2 lb 4 oz) Sizing Chart: Size Dog Girth Dog Length Pack Capacity S 46 - 76 cm (18 - 30 in) 39 cm (15.25 in) 12.88 L (786 cu in) M 58 - 91 cm (23 - 36 in) 48 cm (19 in) 18.35 L (1120 cu in) L 79 - 122 cm (31 - 48 in) 56 cm (22 in) 23.43 L (1430 cu in) Warranty: Guaranteed to be free of defects in materials and workmanship. An authorized dealer or the manufacturer will either repair or replace the product at their discretion.
Name	Jo Ann Moffi
Age	34
Gender	Female
Height	168 cm (5ft 6 in)
Weight	84 kg (185 lbs)
Email Address	jomoffi AT gmail DOT com
City, State, Country	Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada
BACKPACKING BACKGROUND
I was introduced to backpacking about 16 years ago when I met my husband. We have been backpacking, canoe camping, car camping, hiking, and participating in all sorts of outdoor activities together ever since. We live in a border town (US & Canada), so we spend lots of time in both countries for our outdoor excursions. When making a decision on gear, I like to go lightweight and practical. I pack as light as possible without denying myself little luxuries.

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Primary Tester Name: Morgan Moffi Age: 11 Breed: Golden Retriever Height: 58 cm (23 in) Weight: 25 kg (55 lbs) Length: 58 cm (23 in) Girth: 76 cm (30 in)

Secondary Tester Name: Fergus Moffi Age: 10 Breed: Golden Retriever Height: 64 cm (25 in) Weight: 30 kg (65 lbs) Length: 64 cm (25 in) Girth: 76 cm (30 in)

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INITIAL REPORT
April 23, 2008

Received April 19, 2008

The Ruff Wear Palisades Pack is a redesign of their original Palisades II pack offering a few new features with a new harness system for improved load distribution, fitting and comfort. There are many features of the pack; here are a few specifically mentioned by the manufacturer:

Spiderweb Chassis Harness - This is a three strap system: two that go vertically across the dog's belly and a third that goes across the chest with a branch that goes between the dog's front legs to attach the vertical strap that goes just behind the dog's front legs. The portion across the dog's back is padded nylon. The two horizontal straps have a short length of elastic sewn to the nylon strap to add a bit of slack to accommodate the dog's movement and breathing. There is a small triangle of padded nylon that is at the center of the chest strap covering a plastic ring. Both of the vertical belly straps have a padded nylon sleeve that covers the strap. All the straps have keepers to prevent any adjusted length of the straps from flapping around.

Integrated Water Bladder Hydration System - This has two access points: the first for filling is located inside a zippered pocket in the main pocket of each saddlebag, and the second is for accessing the hose for on the trail use and is located at the front of each of the saddlebags. The bladders are independently fillable so that the load in each of the saddlebags can be balanced by partially filling the bladders.

Assistance Handle - This is integrated into the harness. It is a reinforced nylon strap that runs horizontally just behind the dog's should blades.

Removable Saddlebags - There are four buckles and two hook and loop fasteners that keep the saddlebags attached to the harness. The four buckles are located one at each corner and the hook and loop fasteners are on the underside of the saddlebags and attach around the vertical strap just behind the dog's front legs.

Horizontal Internal Compression Strap System - Inside the smaller accessory pocket is a buckle system that compresses the volume of the main pocket of the saddlebags.

There are also some additional features I noted about the pack that are not mentioned on the manufacturer's website:

• Weather resistant coating on the zippers.
• Additional 'daisy chain' tie points along the top of the saddlebags for attaching gear to the top of the pack.
• Strategically placed drainage holes in the bottom of the pack.
• Ventilation holes in the bottom of the accessory pockets.
• A metal leash clip on the top of the harness.
• An additional nylon loop on the back of the harness, for what I'm not sure yet, but I'm sure I'll find a use for it!

Overall, this is a well designed and well made pack that provides many features that a backpacker would find on a pack designed for human use.

Initial Impressions

I took Morgan into our backyard and let her try out the pack so that I could get some pictures for this report. I set the pack on her and started to adjust the straps. It immediately became apparent that it would be a lot easier to do without the saddlebags on the harness. I removed the bags and things went smoothly from that point on. There is lots of padding on the harness straps and little protective pads behind each of the buckles so that the buckles won't rub against Morgan's fur. Morgan has worn lots of harnesses and packs before so she didn't mind the Ruff Wear pack or harness either.

When I put the bags back onto the harness, I got them turned around backwards. I did not notice this until I was all finished and had the pack off the dog and I was looking at the features for writing this report. It is interesting to note that the buckles clip on fine with the bags on in both directions, so it could essentially be worn either way with the exception of not being able to access the lifting handle with the bags on backwards.

Over the next four months, Morgan and Fergus will be using the Ruff Wear Palisades Pack for any day hikes or backpacking trips they accompany us on. I look forward to reporting on the results they experienced while backpacking this season!

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This concludes my Initial Report. Please check back in approximately two months for the addition of the Field Report. Thank you to BackpackGearTest and to Ruff Wear, Inc. for the opportunity to test the Ruff Wear Palisades Pack.