Hiking with your dog is a fabulous way to spend time together and enjoy nature. It’s even more fun if you don’t have to carry a bunch of extra dog gear every time you head out on an adventure with your furry friend.
The best dog packs for hiking allow your pup to carry their own poop bags, water bottles, and even dog camping gear for overnight backpacking trips. But not all dog backpacks are created equally. Read on for how we tested 5 popular dog packs for hiking, and important things to consider before purchasing one.
If your dog has never worn a dog pack before, you’ll need to ease them into using one. If your dog is accustomed to wearing a harness already, have them wear an empty dog backpack on a short daily walk. You can slowly add weight to the pack in small increments and build up the amount of time your dog is wearing the pack.
If your dog isn’t used to a harness, start by getting them accustomed to putting the dog backpack on and taking it off, rewarding each time.
Note that your dog should never carry more than 25% of their body weight in a dog backpack, and dogs who aren’t well-conditioned or used to carrying that much weight should carry even less (roughly 10-15% of their body weight).
Traits We Want in a Dog Pack for Hiking
Ease of use: A dog backpack should be simple to put on, take off, and adjust. We put each of the backpacks on this list on multiple dogs and adjusted them to find the perfect fit.
Fit and adjustability: The fit of a dog backpack is important for your furry friend’s comfort and safety. A good dog backpack (similar to a dog harness) won’t impede your dog’s movement and should allow full front extension while your dog is hiking or running. It should also allow some clearance near your dog’s armpit. If the dog backpack rides up into your pup’s armpit, it could cause discomfort and chafing.
Having multiple adjustment points is paramount for finding a proper fit. All dogs are shaped a bit differently, so the more custom the fit, the more comfortable your dog will be in their hiking backpack.
Size range and capacity: We evaluated the available sizes of each dog backpack, giving extra points to those that offered a wider range of size options. We also evaluated the capacities/volumes of each pack, noting when the capacity changed with the size, and considering which sizes were most appropriate for day hikes, backpacking trips, or trail runs.
Durability: We used each of the backpacks on multiple hikes and checked how they held up to our active tester dogs.
Extra details: We noted the backpacks on this list that had extra dog friendly features like well-placed D-rings for leashes, removable dog saddle bags, reflective detailing, compression straps, and more.
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The Best Dog Backpacks for Hiking
| Whole Dog Journal Rating | Product and Maker | Price | Sizes | Capacity (in order by size) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Non-stop Dogwear Trail Quest Dog Backpack | $140 | XS, S, M, L, XL | 2L, 4L, 16L, 22L, 36L | This pack was truly created with dogs in mind. A highly ergonomic fit gives your dog amazing range of motion and is highly adjustable to fit a range of breeds. It also includes a handy compression system to make it easier for your best buddy to carry their gear. |
 | Ruffwear Approach Dog Backpack | $100 | XS, S, M, L/XL | 5L, 10L, 13L, 21L | A close second to the Trail Quest Backpack, the Ruffwear Approach is a well-loved option for overnight backpacking trips. It’s sturdy, has a thoughtful storage design, and offers just enough space for your dog to carry the essentials. |
| Mountainsmith K-9 Dog Pack | $50 | S, M, L | 6L, 10L, 18L | This budget-friendly dog backpack is incredibly sturdy, breathable, and has a similar volume to the Ruffwear Approach Backpack. However, the fit wasn’t the best on our tester dogs. |
| Non-Stop Dogwear Trail Light Dog Backpack | $130 | XS, S, M, L, XL | 1L, 2L, 3L, 6L, 12L | If you and your dog go out on long trail runs or day hikes, the Trail Light dog backpack offers extra storage in a non-restrictive format. It’s water resistant, allows your dog full range of motion, and is breathable for extra airflow during intense exercise. |
| Ruffwear Palisade Dog Backpack | $150 | S, M, L/XL | 12.5L, 17.5L, 24L | This large-volume dog backpack is ideal if you plan on spending multiple nights out in nature with your dog. The saddlebags on this pack are removable, so it can be used as a harness or a backpack. |
Best Dog Backpack for Hiking: Non-stop Dogwear Trail Quest Dog Backpack
Non-stop Dogwear truly designs products with dog comfort, safety, and performance in mind. Of the options on this list, the two Non-stop dog packs offered the best fit on a variety of different dogs and also had the biggest adjustability ranges. Offering so much adjustability means that you get a more custom fit on your dog, and the packs can fit more dog breeds/sizes than other options.
The Non-stop Dogwear Trail Quest Dog Backpack has 10 different adjustment points for a truly personalized fit, with adjustment points on the outside and inside of the pack. True to Non-stop Dogwear’s harnesses (which I love and use on my own dogs), this pack also offers lots of armpit clearance to reduce the risk of chafing and offer better range of motion. Even on long bodied and deep chested dogs, this pack fit was comfortable and safe.
The Trail Quest Dog Backpack also features handy compression straps, which help keep your dog’s gear close to their body and reduce movement of the pack’s contents. The Y-shaped harness section is also padded all the way around, to distribute pulling force if your dog is a light to moderate puller, and to reduce the risk of pressure points during wear.
This pack is plenty big enough for overnight or even two-night backpacking trips, and the capacity scales nicely with the sizing, so you’re not at risk of overloading small dogs.
Runner Up Best Dog Backpack: Ruffwear Approach Dog Backpack
Though the dog-forward design of the Non-stop Dogwear Trail Quest pack won our testing, the Ruffwear Approach Dog Backpack is still worth an honorable mention. All sizes offer ideal capacity for single night backpacking trips and don’t typically risk overloading your dog with too much weight like larger packs sometimes do.
This pack comes with 5 adjustment points and an anti-flop system that secures the saddle bags to the harness to reduce flopping and movement while your dog hikes. The biggest perk of this pack though, is the multi-tiered pocket system.
Just like humans should pack the heaviest items in a backpack closest to their bodies for ease of carrying, the Approach pack features two deep pockets closest to your dog’s body to carry water and other heavy items. The multiple different pockets allow you to shuffle your dog’s gear as needed to balance out weight if you notice one side is heavier than the other.
The Non-stop Dogwear Trail Quest has better armpit clearance than the Approach, but the Approach pack would be a good fit for dogs/breeds who are more square in shape or who don’t have deep chests.
Best Budget Dog Backpack: Mountainsmith K-9 Dog Pack
The Mountainsmith K-9 Dog Pack is half the price (or less) of the other dog backpacks on this list. At $50, it’s a budget-friendly—yet sturdy—pick for a dog pack for hiking.
The overall construction of this bag is very durable and will stand up to regular use, even by big dogs who are hard on their gear. The harness section of the backpack is well-padded and is breathable with perforated foam and mesh construction.
The saddle bag design doesn’t flop much when dogs walk, since the pocket “pannier” compartments are attached strategically to the body of the pack. The volume of each size pack is most comparable to the sizes/volume of the Ruffwear Approach pack.
This pack had a few downsides. Firstly, the fit wasn’t the greatest on our tester dogs. It tended to ride up in the armpits, despite the decent number of adjustment points. It would be more suitable for dogs with a more square shape, rather than long-backed or deep-chested breeds. Secondly, I wish the D-ring leash attachment was at the rear of the pack rather than the front. As-is, it puts an awkward amount of pressure on the dog’s front if they pull at all.
Best Dog Backpack for Trail Running and Day Hikes: Non-stop Dogwear Trail Light Dog Backpack
If you need a pack for day hikes or runs with your dog, the other options on this list are likely too big. The Non-stop Dogwear Trail Light Dog Backpack is a lighter weight, smaller capacity option for shorter outings.
This pack is super breathable, as the harness section is made with a padded mesh material called Hexivent to allow for extra airflow. There’s also an open mesh panel at the top of the pack to allow your dog’s core to cool efficiently while running or hiking in warmer weather.
Like the larger Trail Quest pack, the Trail Light pack offers an excellent fit that gives your dog full range of movement. There’s plenty of armpit clearance, and the Y-shaped harness doesn’t restrict your dog’s shoulders in the front.
This pack is also nicely adjustable, with 6 different adjustment points for a custom fit. In addition, it features reflective detailing, water-resistant fabric, and bungee cords on sizes M-XL for extra gear storage.
Best Dog Backpack for Longer Backpacking Trips: Ruffwear Palisades Dog Backpack
If you need more gear storage for longer backpacking trips, the Ruffwear Palisades Dog Backpack is the way to go.
The highlight of this dog pack is the removable saddle bags. You can easily pop the bags off the harness and use the harness by itself if needed. Whether your dog needs a break from carrying a heavy load or you just want to use the harness by itself around camp, this feature is super handy.
The Palisades pack has similar features to the Approach pack including deep pockets close to your dog’s body for water or other heavy items, five points of adjustability, a handle, a sturdy D-ring, a relatively breathable inner foam construction, and a “flopper stopper” system that reduces the amount of movement of the saddle bags while your dog walks.
The main downside of this pack is that it could use more armpit clearance on some breeds, and, because of the large capacity, you could risk overloading your dog with too much weight (so ensure that you weigh your dog’s pack and get them used to it slowly before a backpacking trip).
