Im about to pull the trigger on the Alpine outfitters Mushers Belt and eventually the shock leash that goes with it but then I read about the Ruffwear Roamer belt and wondered if anyone had used it? The cost of the Alpine belt w/ padding and no leash is $38 (with shipping) whereas the Ruffwear leash is $35 and can be used as a belt and has a built in shock absorber.

The obvious difference is that the mushers belt would be more comfortable to wear. I was curious to hear if anyone has used the Ruffwear one as a belt/leash combo and if its comfortable enough to wear while hiking or running?

Ive written a lot about harnesses and leashes/belts lately but i just want to explore all options before i commit. Especially since the Ruffwear Roamer is both items im looking for in one nice package (belt and leash with shockline). Thanks guys!

Ruffwear Roamer belt iS NOT for a husky, the elastic in that thing works for a 10lb dog.... i LOVE adanac
http://stores.adanacsleds.com/-strse-Skijoring-and-Canicross/Categories.bok
i have lines from both them and alpine and i know the elastic in the andanac lines are much stronger over the alpine lines, unless they have changed them over the last yr.

thank you for the response! its so hard to look at a product online and try to determine if it can hold up. I was also afraid it wouldn't be comfortable since its not padded. knowing the elastic isn't up to par for a husky makes it a very clear "NO"! I can safely eliminate that from my list of potentials now

I've had a different experience. I have two Roamer leashes that I use when we go hiking, and they hold up just fine. I've used them running but I don't like the extra length when we're in busy areas.

To give a reference on how strong they are...Loki used to be able to pull my bike seat to the side when using the WalkyDog. I had to pin the seat in place to keep it from spinning. In other words, I drilled through the bike frame/seat post and pressed in a spiral pin. I haven't had any issues or concerns using the Roamer with him.

The only downside I've found is that if you use two of them the lines get wound around each other easily. Not a big deal at all, though. I enjoy the flexibility it gives us when hiking, and the dogs enjoy the extra space to roam.


As far as comfort, the band that goes around your back is narrower than standard canicross belts, so it's not as comfortable as one of those would be. I don't find myself in any pain, though, even after hours of hiking. I'd recommend them.







edit: I just did a test with one of my Roamer leashes. To give you a frame of reference, I'm a pretty big guy (6'4", 280lbs). I clipped one of the Roamers to an eye bolt that's screwed into my patio ceiling and hung from the leash like a rope. It held up just fine and sprung back into place when I let go. If it can hold me I think it's plenty strong enough for a husky.

If it's anything like the tow line that comes with the Ruffwear Omnijore setup (and it looks very similar in design and construction) then I think the leash part would very much work well for a husky. I cannot comment on the belt portion though. I use an unpadded waist leash for walking my sibe daily. But I don't need padding because I trained my sibe to walk on a loose leash.

hmm. for walks and hikes it would probably work but then eventually when she's old enough to jog with me i worry about anything I have digging into my back because of pulling. The idea of the roamer is awesome because of how its so versatile but then id hate to purchase one and find i can't use it for all three activities because its causing any discomfort to my waist area. If i was good at sewing i could probably create my own slip-on padding to make it work. Make some kind of sleeve for the length that would be around my waist that could slip on/off.

Well i will take all of this into consideration. It seems every time I've made up my mind to go with one belt and line set up i find another one. I had no idea there was that many options out there. Thanks for the input everyone- it really helps!!

oh yeah and I'll be sure to do a thorough review of whatever i purchase whenever that decision gets made. I'm looking forward to hands-free walking and eventually hands-free hiking and running

ok just to be a bit more clear, yes anything from RW is great and holds up. but for me and my 2, they are pullers and for me i can hold the roamer leash and with easy pull it fully out, when im looking at a leash with a bungee i want tension in it and i want it hard to extend out, making it easier on my back when my 2 are headed up the trail, the bungee in the adanac line has that shock absorbing feature, i dont get that with the RW one. so if you have a pup with good leash manners and walks with a loose lead then it might be fine for you but if you have a driven dog that likes to go then i don't know if you will like the RW roamer, it still makes a great leash with waist option, just no bungee strength. for me its like comparing a rubber band with a bungee cord as far as strength in the line goes.

I have been using one of them for a few months now. For normal walking it is great, the elastic allows me a slight be more time to react in the rare cases where Maya tries to lunge at something. As I trained Maya tension on the lease = too far with a normal lead, she rarely extends the roamer much beyond its normal state.

When I run I use the adjustable sized clip as a waste belt and it works fine. Now it is clearly not as nice as some of the belts designed specifically for this, but if your pup has slightly decent leash manors the roamer leash works great. Now my roommates Shepard/golden mix I would never consider using this leash around my waste as she does not behave well and loves to lunge at everything you don't see before her (or at least that is how she is with me).

KibaHope wrote:

oh yeah and I'll be sure to do a thorough review of whatever i purchase  whenever that decision gets made. I'm looking forward to hands-free walking and eventually hands-free hiking and running

Just curious as to what leash you ultimately chose. I'm in the market for a a new leash and am leaning heavily towards the Ruffwear products. I would love to hear your thoughts about whichever one you ended up getting. Thanks!

We have 3 Ruffwear Roamers (1 for each dog), and my Paw Paw (Sibe) is strong enough to cause the clip to undo. Luckily I have fast reflexes and grabbed the line before it unwrapped from my waist, and before Paw Paw took off on me. I won't use it with him anymore. Also, within a year, the bungee no longer retracts due to Paw Paw's strong pulling. It's like a limp 11-foot leash now. Haha! I would not recommend it if you have a big or strong pulling dog. We have a lot of other Ruffwear products and love them all and support this company very much though! Their customer service, especially when a product breaks, is impeccable.