So I finally made the plunge and purchased the Ruffwear Palisades pack for Kai.  The first time I put it on him, he did not like it too much and kept trying to get it off.  After a couple of walks with it on, he is used to it.  

The quality of the pack and harness is amazing.  I have had a few cheap harnesses and two quality ones (alpine outfitters and Wiggles Wags & Whiskeies Front clip) over the years.  This harness goes in the quality category.  The handle on the top has come in handy a couple times and being able to remove the packs is invaluable.

I also purchased the Ruffwear Roamer Leash.  I liked the idea of have an elastic lead which will give him some extra area to explore on our walks.  I only used it once on a walk around the neighborhood because there is too much traffic and he could easily run into the road from the sidewalk.  

I took Kai on our first hike with the pack and the roamer leash today.  Kai wasn't bothered by the pack anymore and seemed to enjoy it.  I used the belt loop portion of the leash as well.  Everything was working flawlessly and I was very happy with my purchase until towards the end of the hike.  




Kai must have heard something rustling in the leaves nearby and took off.  The plastic clip on the belt loop snapped and Kai and the leash went running off into the woods.  Luckily he didn't get too far and I was able to grab him but the clip was done for.  I did not expect this at all and assumed the belt loop was designed to withstand a jolt from a dog.  I just want to warn others out there about this.



My other gripe with the leash is the talon clip.  When we were back at my truck and I was fidgeting with the tailgate and getting Kai some water, I must have accidentally hit the talon clip and it popped off the harness.  Kai didn't even notice but I was not too happy the leash just came off so easily.

I do not want anyone to think I am bashing Ruffwear.  I love their stuff! The pack is awesome and I will get years out ofit for sure.  I have also used Ruffwear's Knot-a-leash for the past 2 years and Kai wears a ruffwear collar. I have been very happy with them and will continue to buy their products but will be very careful if I decide to use the Roamer leash again.

While I was typing this, Jason from Backcountry K-9 wrote back to me and said they will replace the leash.  He also mentioned that Ruffwear is planning on using a metal clip in place of this plastic clip to prevent it from happening in the future.  I will absolutely purchase this leash again if it has the metal clip.

I used to use the Roamer leash with Paw Paw, but realized he is TOO POWERFUL, and if he sees a squirrel or anything to make him want to jolt, the clip will unclip and off runs my Paw Paw. I won't risk losing him or his life, so I don't use the Roamer with him anymore. If it buckled, that would be perfect. But the clip type collars or leads cannot withstand his force. Everything else from Ruffwear has been top quality though, and I recommend them to everyone. We have the older Approach pack for Paw Paw, and will be getting Palisades packs for all 3 dogs once we can afford them. Here's Paw Paw before before I stopped using the Roamer leash on him:
 


It's great to hear Ruffwear is switching to metal, but anything that can clip can easily unclip, metal or not. I still will only use things that buckle like a belt on Paw Paw. No clips ever again! His life just isn't worth losing to me. I love him too much. Ha!