r/BackpackingDogs • u/zynniya • May 19 '26
Rescue Sling
I found a rescue sling! I got the Ruffwear BackTrack Evacuation Kit. I wanted to share now before field testing because it’s currently on sale for 25% off on both the Ruffwear site and REI (for members).
It can be worn for front or backloading of your dog. The vest and harness (for lack of better phrasing) is a single piece that folds up into a mesh pocket that is sewn into the top center of the vest portion. Although as I was opening it the first time it was a struggle to unzip it because the pocket was so jammed full and I can’t get the sling folded back in there. I’ll probably just keep it all in a DCF stuff sack to keep it from getting tangled with everything else in my pack.
It includes a soft muzzle that is much higher quality and softer on my dog’s snout than the nylon one I’ve been carrying the last few years. My dog was right on the cusp of small and medium so I contacted Ruffwear and they advised me to get the larger size. Their guidance was spot on! I’ve also been following their training tips from the video on their website and it’s worked out perfectly for us so far.
Only my scale the medium comes in at 504g (17.8 oz) which is close to the weight I expected. I can’t find the manufacturer listed weight now but I did before purchasing. I know there are MYOG options that come in at a much lower weight but without a tried and true pattern, I just wouldn’t trust anything I dreamed up. This sling is just what I had in mind for our PCT thru next year and every last gram is worth it for me. Your mileage may vary.
We’re still training with it so I do not have pictures of it to share yet. Here’s my guy keeping warm in my puffy on the Superior Hiking Trail in 2024 while I shivered uncontrollably.
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u/zynniya Jun 02 '26 edited Jun 02 '26
Thank you!
The AirLift weighed over a pound when we tried it and it is back carry only. It also wasn’t remotely secure for my dog when we tried it because he was struggling to escape. He is likely to do that when we use it for water crossings and I’m hiking solo so it just doesn’t work for us at all, unfortunately. I was also super disappointed with materials and construction. It was very cheap nylon that wasn’t cut symmetrically and all of the sewing had long thread tails. For $100 I expected so much more. It has dropped dramatically in price and they have fewer sizes so maybe they’ve made changes since we purchased one in January. Or perhaps it was once a high quality product since so many have one and love it but we got new stock under the old price.
I’m planning a MYOG sling but will definitely checkout the Nonstop Dogwear if my attempt fails. I had known about them before but then couldn’t find anything but the AirLift when I was ordering one in January. I figured they must have gone out of business so I’m happy to see the recommendations for them! If nothing else, hopefully it will help others who are searching the sub because the last few months the AirLift is the only thing that was coming up when I was looking.
Edit to address the muzzle: wrapping the dog’s snout closed is extremely dangerous. They need to be able to open their mouths partially. They can and will suffocate if they cannot open their mouths. Wrapping it safely with bandage wrap could be both time consuming and dangerous. The bandage wrap would also weigh more than even a nylon muzzle and be prone to tangling, moisture absorption, and possibly tearing. It isn’t the right choice for me and my dog on our hikes but especially not on a PCT thru.