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!

I like this pack; it has everything you could possibly want in a dog pack and is very well made! For Piper and me it had too many features and, in the small, not enough capacity. The hydration system of the Palisade is just not needed (in fact it takes up valuable pack space which he needs for his food) since I typically backpack in the mountains where my dog has access to many streams. The other feature of little use to us was the compression system. I congratulate RuffWear for coming up with such a well thought out system to cinch down the bags, but we just didn't use it since maximum pack volume allows my dog just enough food for 5 to 6 days (with the bladders removed in a size Small). He needs enough pack capacity to accommodate him for 7 to 9 day trips.
The packs are removable from the harness. At first I thought this was sweet(!), Then I realized it was faster to take the entire pack off of him than it was to unfasten the saddle bags from the base harness (4 clips versus 2). Besides if (and he has in the past) he does a swift water swim across a river, I'd like for him to be as "clean" as possible to avoid hang-ups.
Sizing note: If you’re dog is close to the upper limit for a particular size… go UP one size instead of Down! Piper is a pit-bull hybrid (a nice way of saying he’s a mixed up Pit with taller legs than his true Pit cousins!) with a girth measurement of 29 inches and a neck to tail base length of about 21 inches. The Palisade small really didn’t work and I am planning to return it for a Medium in the Approach.

Great Pack and Great Features. I like how the medium pack fits my 80lb lean German Shepherd. I had tried the previous year lower end model in a large and it was way to large. Even snugged up all the way with the straps allowed the pack to sit to far back and not right at his shoulders. So when I returned the large I picked up this model in a medium and even though the bags are smaller I feel the harness is much better suited for my GSD. The straps are now adjusted in the middle of their limits. So far no issues with rubbling any areas. I would suggest walking your dog w/ the harness on first for a week or so and monitor his/her condition for rubbing/red marks. Then add a little weight at a time. First time packing w/ the dog? Make it fun, always put the harness on and then do something fun like the ball or a walk. Don't just put it on them and laugh while he gets irritated with it being on. :)

The removalable clips for the main bags is a excellent feature , take a break, simply unclick four clips and the weight is now off the dog but you still have the harness for dog control.

The water bladders are nice but usually I don't fill them full. Just about 1/4-1/2 full for some water and cushion from the rest of his food and gear in the main compartments.

The harness has reflective strips which is quite nice in the woods when you set up camp. You can easily spot your dog with your head lamp.

A great backpack that serves all of our needs. The dog loves it, too, and walks more attentively with it on.

This pack is worth the extra money over the pallisades II; if you are a serious backpacker and need your dog to help with his kibble then I highly recommend it. It was really nice to have those water bladders in his pack when I ran out of water on the trail or in camp (he doesn't even drink his tap water when there are so many streams and rivers to drink from) and my dog loves the extra work, he's an Aussie Shepherd so they get really into working. My dog took zero time to adjust, he just saw a new pack next to my backpack, smelled that there was his food in it and was stoked to have me put it on him...herding/working dogs definitely will love having this on (even for a walk around the block).

Spent a long weekend in the San Rafael Swell of central Utah crawling through slot canyons with some old friends and their new pup. We wouldn't have been able to go far without this well designed pack. We had to negotiate dozens of bouldering style obstacles throughout the weekend and were able to pass along Guard Dog in a fire-line technique with no discomfort to him. Not to mention that plenty of food and, more importantly in the desert, water could be packed easily in the saddle bags. The cherry on top would be this packs durability. When the little dude would squeeze through tight spots his pack would come out the other side looking like new. Wish I could say the same for my shirt!