Over all I love the Palisades II. I have a lean boxer cross so I had to restitch all of the chest straps to get it to fit appropriately. I'm not too enthusiastic about the water bladders. After some abuse one of them has started to leak a little and its hard to fill them evenly and empty them evenly since you can't see through the plastic or pull them out easily when they have water in them. Two other modifications that are easy that I did were to add a string between the front belly cinch and the flank cinch, the back one, to pul the flank cinch forward, since it seemed that this strap was hanging out dangerously close to my dogs nether regions and was causing some chafing problems especially when crusted in snow and ice. The other thing I altered was that I put a strap under the two bags connecting them together so that they wouldn't flop around as he went galloping down hill. Seems to have done the trick and both me and the beast are much happier with the results.

My wife had bought a cheap no-name backpack for our 60-lb. Yellow Lab to wear during a recent weekend of hiking. The dog didn't mind the pack at all, and almost seemed proud to wear it. So I decided to splurge and buy her a top-notch backpack.

I found the Palisades II backpack here on BackCountry, and the price and reviews were both very good so I measured our dog and bought it. I also bought the Palisades pack, because I couldn't decide which one to get. The Palisades II pack is actually an older version than the Palisades pack, which is confusing (you would think the "II" indicated a newer version, but apparently not). So here is my comparison review.

Material - The Palisades II has a much sturdier, thicker feel to the material than the Palisades pack does. It just feels like it could better withstand the rigors a dog might put it through.

Harness - The Palisades pack has a somewhat better harness. It has a sturdy metal D-ring, with better padding on the straps. One thing I didn't like about either pack is that the clips to which you secure the backpack are located between the harness and the backpack. This means a heavy pack will push those clips into your dog's back, and even with the harness material there to cushion it a bit it seems like a design flaw. It also makes the pack more difficult to attach and remove from the harness. I think they should have put the clips along the outside edge of the harness.

Storage - The Palisades II has much more storage space, but the trade-off is that it hangs lower to the ground. So if your dog is short or you're concerned about the bag dragging on rocks or logs as the dog is walking, this is something to consider. The Palisades II does have a nice little pocket on top, which is perfect for stashing poop bags or anything you need quick access to. Why they removed this feature on the Palisades pack is beyond me. The Palisades pack does have a wide rubber strip running down the center that is sewn to the pack every few inches, creating little "tubes" you can use to stash poop bags I suppose, but an enclosed pocket is far better in my opinion.

Water Bladder - No contest here: the Palisades has a much better water bladder system. It's very similar to the Camelbak bladder, if you're familiar with those. The Palisades II has a mylar bag serving as its water bladder. If you don't intend to use the water bladder anyway, then it's not going to be a deciding factor.

We ultimately returned the Palisades II pack and kept the Palisades pack instead. The Palisades II turned out to be too big and hang too low for our dog, even though the harness fit her just right. The Palisades fit her better, and even though I didn't like the material as much as the Palisades II, the Palisades was our overall choice between the two. That said, either bag would serve you very well, as they are both extremely well made. Enjoy!

This is our third Palisades II pack for our Lab. So far this is one of the better dog packs on the market but there are a few flaws that I believe have been addressed in the newer model (not sold here).

The outer pocket zippers are open to brush, rock or whatever you dog and the trail throws at them so they will eventually break down and shred up if you're doing any serious hiking. The water bladders and a nice touch but we never have used them as they are the flimsy foil bag variety; I've been afraid of puncture and the spouts on them are a little picky.

The final improvement that could be made to this pack is the fabric used. A cordura would be a better choice along the bottom of the panniers as it is more abrasion resistant than ballistics nylon. After about a year you will see wear to the bottom of the pannier (and yes we do choose the correct sizing for our dog) if you do alot of hiking in areas with boulders for your dog to navigate through. (typical West Coast Canada Hiking.)

All and all though, this is one of the best dog packs we own. I thought I was getting the newer design this time around via Steep & Cheap but was disappointed to find out that was to good to be true. I'm planing on making a few of my own modifications before this pack hits the trail.

Abbie has only had the pack for a couple weeks, so haven't gone on any hiking trips yet to fully utilize it's packing ability. But she has been running around in the snow with it on just to get a feel for it. Started letting her run without any weight in it and the saddle packs tended to flip up and over to the other side, causing the whole pack to shift to one side of the body. The packs are not connected to the harness along the bottom, so it would certainly do this without any weight in them. Added some weight to each side and has been working great since.
As other reviewers have noted, these packs do run larger then advertised. Measurements show my dog to go with a large, but heeded the advice from others and purchased a medium. Pack fits wonderfully so far.
Pack appears to be rugged and durable with solid stitching. The water bladders seem to be a bit flimsy but haven't had a chance to use them yet. Definitely recommend this pack for your pup.

This is a really great pack. My dog has only taken it on one hike so far, but it worked really well. The water bladders allow you to balance the pack really well. Be careful not to put too much water in the bladders....it gets really heavy. Being able to remove the pack from the harness is a definite plus. I was able to take all of the weight off my dog and still use the harness (with lifting handle) to lift him over boulders on the summit. The compression straps don't work all that well...but that is a very minor complaint. All and all, I couldn't be happier with this pack.

Just got the pack, and I am very impressed with the build quality and thoughtful design. I had an ollydog pack before and it chaffed, built up a lot of static, and fit a bit funny. This pack fits great. The ability to remove the heavy parts from the actual harness helps a lot. If the bladders are not well balanced, it does seem like my dog has a tough time with it. One complaint so far is that the pack is much, much too heavy if it is completely filled. Currently, I only have it filled to about 1/5 of its capacity. My dog definitly tires quickly with it on.

Oh yeah, I bought a medium pack for my 85lb rottweiler.

Some cons, I suppose the weight is one, the difficulty in filling the water bladders is another, and the size of the packs is the last one. Overall, a nice product for the sale price. Great deal.

Right out of the box, the thing that struck me was the design and the sturdiness of the pack. It is well designed and has an ergnomic fit on our pup. He has more mobility in it than with other harnesses we have tried. Love the soft sleeves on the straps under the belly. The bags were however a little bigger than expected, that is not necessarily a bad thing. Overall the bags were a great buy and a great fit for our dog.

The best feature about this pack is that it is detachable from the harness, and the harness is tops! We have a 60 lb lab/basset mix (looks just like a lab, but legs are half the length) and she wears a small. The pack itself is a little bulky, but the internal compression straps help slim down the profile. The pack holds a lot (food, treats, wallets, keys, toys, etc.) and the hydration packs are decent as well, although we use them more as weight to exercise her, than we do to store water for her to drink. The pack and harness have held up fantastically after over a year of RUFF use. We use the harness daily, and the pack at least once per week in a variety of conditions/terrains and are very satisfied. Jaeger loves it too! (She seems so proud when she wears it.)

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Misha is getting used to her new backpack from Backcountry.com. Seems to be a well consturcted pack and fits her very well, we went with a medium. Does not appear to restrict her movement in the least although it took her just about 20 minutes to get used to it being there. This thing will hold more then she could carry, it's HUGE! Seems like it will wear well too as she rubs up against rocks and trees until she learns how wide she really is now, it funny watching her go around the house because she forgets the pack is there and gets stuck in the doorway. My only concern is how far back is sits in her mid back section, she has a 31 girth and about 23 length, the medium does seem to run just a touch too big in that the pack slides down her back even after adjustment. Seems pretty sturdy side to side though as long as you keep the pouches balanced. Overall great purchase and Backcountry.com shipped this thing out Free to me in about 5 days (excellent retailer).

First off, Backcountry is a great company to deal with. I returned a pack that did not work well for my dog and the exchange process was very smooth. They went above & beyond in their customer service!
This pack works great for my dog. I have a 63 lb Rottie/Shepard mix & the medium fits her perfectly. She is built like a rottie, with the thick chest and she narrows down by her hind legs. I use dog packs for her as a 'working' tool and to carry her water when we walk trails. They Y straps make for a comfortable & ergonomical fit. I really like that the pack detaches from the harness. The pack is made of durable, quality material. We haven't gone on any long distance walks with this new pack, so we have yet to utilize the water packs; however, I must say I certainly like the idea that there won't be any water bottles slapping against her side, as with her last pack.
I believe this is a great pack for the price!

I got this Pack about 6 months ago and my dog and I use it often... I do however have 2 complaints 1) the Medium is to large for him and he is a 55 lb pitt bull mix. The other problem is that it is hard to evenly distribute weight in the pack on the dog. I have taken the pack into a taylor and had it better fitted for my dog however it now rubs his inner front legs to the point that they are raw. It has been a most helpful tool for Hiking with the dog, Just be aware of the sizing.

Unless packed with some substantial weight, this pack will flop, bounce and shift constantly with an active dog. My german short haired pointer fits the small pack perfectly. The built in water bladders are helpful when adding weight , and work nicely as padding against the dogs sides. A smart pack for sharing the work on the disc golf course, my pointer carries all the discs and drinks. The harness detaches from the packs which I really like. I can take the packs off and have a (low budget) pull harness. The dog thinks it's pretty slick. She likes being put to work.

No problems. My lab can carry her own load! She doesn't mind wearing it and it's easy to take the pack off when it's not needed.

Got this awhile ago cuz i was getting tired of carry my dogs gear. It fits good on her, and hasn't done a chaffing to her yet. Took her awhile to get used to the width, she still gets scared when she brushes up against a tree and the bag makes the scrapping sound

Yes, as everyone says: size your dog! This is a great product. I needed a bigger dog pack for my American bulldog/lab mix, Jackson. (75 lb dog, size M) His food bulk alone wouldn't go in a smaller pack, but this handled the load with no problem. I'm not a big fan of the water bladders that this pack uses, but we were able to balance the load by shuffling gear and food no problem. Maybe we can buy different bladders later. There was a little armpit irritation but that was probably owner fault, not a defect of the product. The harness really helped lift the dog over tree fall obstacles, and served as secure/humane way to hold the dog when he got over excited.

First of all, the other reviewers are right- this thing is HUGE. I have a 100lb mastiff/bloodhound mix, and if she was done growing might have considered returning the large for a medium. I would think the medium would be fine for any lab or similarly sized dog.

That said, the pack itself is really nice and well made, the cinch-down straps help keep the load compact and the handle on top is good for helping out in deep snow. The bladders do look a little wimpy, but I just plan to use them for campsite water storage, not to supply a trip across the desert, and they look great for my purposes.

Again like others have said, be careful with the sizing, you may need to size down. However, our dog is still growing so we kept the size large so he can grown into it. My dog likes to carry the bag and seems to really enjoy carrying it on hikes or on walks. I like it for walks to weigh him down so he uses a little more energy to calm him down.

One negative is that the pack hangs low ,so when going over uneven terrain the bag can get hung up.

I am not sure I would have paid the full price for this pack, but since I got it on SAC I feel I got a great deal.

We absolutely love this pack, only it runs a little larger than we expected. We have two large dogs, a Great Dane mix and a Mastiff Mix, but the Large was just a big big for both dogs. it's not too much of a problem as long as we keep the pack balanced.

The bags are great and have plenty of room for anything you want (need) to have your dog haul. The water bladders need some work, they're not the best for long time use . . . i.e. more than a week. They eventually degrade and start to leak.

This doesn't compare to any other pack. It's top notch!
I trained both of my Aussies load carrying with a cheap Kelty pack. After the first desert trip the pack broke and left me carrying everything.

This pack is perfect for the Utah desert. The internal water bladders are ideal for long hot sandy trudges. You'll never have to worry about your dogs finding the next water hole.

The material is very, very strong and there's enough room for 6 beers on each side. Perfect!

We got this for my dog when she was pretty young, had absolutely no problem getting her to wear it, and enjoy wearing it. We got a size Small for our dog, and she's about 35lbs. It's all the way cranked down on the straps, but it's still a bit big on her. Make sure you evenly pack both sides of the backpack or it'll slip sideways and whatnot.
Even though it slips sometimes, Paisley loves wearing it, she marches down the trail with a sense of purpose instead of just tearing all over the place. Overall, a good buy indeed!

I've taken my 50 lb. Portuguese Water Dog snowshoeing with the pack, as well as a couple of long walks through the city. I love how the pack can detach from the harness, it makes break time more enjoyable for my dog. The built in water bladders are pretty cool too. No complaints. He has the small pack and it fits him very well. Make sure you measure well, and when in doubt, remember Backcountry has a bulletproof return policy.