Mu's Tac Vest

SniperxSniperx
edited December 2009 in Products & DIY
I call it a tactical vest (you can call it what you want if you're uncomfortable with military terminology) because of what its designed for and the attachement system it uses. It uses what the military calls PALs webbing. Its a method of securely attaching pouches in an array of configurations and option. I could have him carry M16 (machinegun) magazines (ammunition) if I wanted...although if he got spooked...my ammo would end up running down the street...not good. Anyway, I went with this design because, 1. Military gear is almost ALWAYS overbuilt. It will last forever as regular use and half of forever with hard use. 2. I wanted a pack I could change to make it do what I wanted it to do. 3. I have a bunch of PAL compatible equipment. 4. It just looked cool.


From what I found, only two companies produced a rig with PALs or Molle webbing. One didn't reply to my emails and the other had a decent website, answered emails and had product reviews on K9 sites. The company I went with is called Signature K9 and I picked up the "Ultimate Load Bearing Harness".


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He is carrying about 10 pounds here including the pack. We went on a mild walk with it earlier today, he didn't have any problems and it didn't cause breathing or shifting problems. The only thing I could say....it wore him out quicker. He needs a little more conditioning. I'll probably cut the weight to 1/2-3/4 and build back up. I just wanted to see how he handled the load.


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Comments

  • TaraATaraA
    edited November -1
    Very cool!
    That outfit looks very nice on your pup. The ultimate hiking gear! Does your dog mind the vest and added weight?
  • the_november_rainthe_november_rain
    edited November -1
    lol, the 6th pic, Mu is like " please don't make me, please." Your shiba is cute!
  • SniperxSniperx
    edited November -1
    Thanks.

    Outside of not being in top shape for weight hauling right off, no, he didn't mind.

    Yeah, he decided to put on his pity face for that shot. It was the better of the two in that pose, the other his head was blocking.

    My goal here isn't just to make a pack mule. My wife and I recently moved into our in-laws house as we are preparing to leave Japan. The problem is...they went from being mostly inside/outside dogs to only outside dog. Their space has been cut dramatically and there is only one bed they have to share. To compound the problem, they are both males, the Shiba is fixed...but very dominant...he was also my first and lived with me by himself for 1.5 years. So, my ultimate plan here is just to burn some of the beasts energy by using this rig. So far, I think its working. This is only day 2 of the packing adventure though.
  • KenshiKenshi
    edited November -1
    lol I am going to get Tomoe a vest when she is an adult so she can carry water and stuff for us when we go hiking. I am probably just going to get something from Ruffwear but I did do a search on "tactical dog harness" and found some stuff like this. I thought, nah, people will think my dog is some kinda wannabe army dog. The GSDs are going to laugh at her.
  • tjbart17tjbart17
    edited November -1
    This is a sweet vest. I'm going to their website now to take a look.
  • *JackBurton**JackBurton*
    edited November -1
    I like it a lot. Does it breath well? I would like something similar but in a slightly slimer format. Maybe shallower pouches.
  • SniperxSniperx
    edited November -1
    It has some very unique mesh on the underside. Its like raised, its very interesting stuff. I think I saw it reffered to at other locations as spacermesh or something. Thats the nice thing about the system, you can put on any pouches you could possibly want. Its also not very difficult to have pouches made by any competent seamstress/ster. These particular pouches are designed to fit on a human torso, not necessarily to take advantage of an akita's anatomy (height and shoulder strength). Maybe I'll see if I can get some of my stitchbitch (thats what they're called in the tactical equipment field) friends to whip something up. I'm not really happy with the pouch on his left. Its like a mini-duffle bag with pen holders and all kinds of things....my dog doesn't need pens so much.
  • MnVMnV
    edited November -1
    I'll be buying something like this for Aki's first Santa's gift. Hope she doesn't bite Santa Claus when he delivers it.

    I'm looking into Mountainsmith gears too.

    Very cool. I like that vest a lot. I'm sure it will help our morning and evening walks.
  • MnVMnV
    edited November -1
    Hey Paul, did you check out this company http://wolfpacks.com/?

    If you have time tell me what you think.
  • BradA1878BradA1878
    edited November -1
    That's cool! I have looked at those tactical harness things before too, its nice to see what they look like. They look nice, I may order one for a few of our pups.

    We pack Kona and a few of our other dogs, it's a great way to build strength and get some extra energy out. A conditioned dog should be able to carry 10% - 15% of their body weight, and 15% - 20% for a more robust dog, and up to 50% for a true working/pulling dog like a Malamute, Swiss Mountain Dog, or a Bernese Mountain Dog!

    I try to not go higher than 15% with our dogs, tho once Blue starts to carry weight he will probably be conditioned to 25% or so.

    ----

    I have a wolfpacks pack, actually i think I made a review post on several of the packs out today. The wolfpack products is ok, I think there are better ones out there tho.

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  • BradA1878BradA1878
    edited December 2009
    Here ya go...

    WOLF PACKS: Banzai™ Dog Pack
    http://www.nihonken.org/forum/comments.php?DiscussionID=1961

    Wenaha Dog Pack: "Explorer III"
    http://www.nihonken.org/forum/comments.php?DiscussionID=1825

    I thought I did a Ruffwear one too...

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  • MnVMnV
    edited December 2009
    Thanks Brad!

    I'm looking into Ruff Wear too. I'm pretty sure I'm gonna get the Approach Pack for daily use.

    How you like that one?

    BTW, Mu is just so handsome. I really like the expression on Akitas. I find myself just looking at our baby Aki for a long time.
  • SniperxSniperx
    edited November -1
    I looked at other packs on the net and without actually handling them I didn't know what to expect from their construction. When buying military specification, you know its all overbuilt. Also, none of those companies offered the modular design that I wanted. I am at a crossroads with this rig though, human sized pockets don't seem to be quite big enough. I was able to get some groceries onto the setup without too much trouble. I think I'll have some taller pouches made when I get back into the states. Other than that, I'm happy with it...it stays put, rides well, and he doesn't complain. Its kind of funny....hes actually excited when he sees it. I would also like to see if I can teach him to pull a small cart with an ice chest on it.
  • BradA1878BradA1878
    edited November -1
    I agree with you Paul, military spec was a smart way to go.

    I like RuffWear's new Approach Pack & Palisades Pack, I didn't love the first gen tho. If I were you, I would spend the extra $ and get the Palisades Pack since you can take the pack off and just use the harness - that feature is worth the extra $, IMHO.

    One thing I don't like about the Palisades Pack is the water bladders - they suck and are hard to use. We end up just putting water bottles in the pack and not using the water bladders (I took them out all together).

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  • HeidiHeidi
    edited November -1
    Wow, that's hardcore! Awesome.
  • shishiinushishiinu
    edited November -1
    Nice vest. I been looking for something like that. I seen those in use in Iraq and Afghanistan with the EOD K-9. The EOD guys at the nearby Police Department has one on their K-9 unit also.

    Bad ass!
  • SniperxSniperx
    edited November -1
    I like the steel Dring on it too. I've got my leash setup as kind of a really big shoulder strap (although not used that way). When we're walking in a controlled space I can use the choke chain portion of the lead. If we in a safe area I can give him free "OK" dog time and pull the QD clip on his collar and still have the ring clipped in. He's no longer restricted by any collar and can pull and sniff all he wants to while still being in complete control. I'm actually kind of surprised how he responds to a little tug on the handle or ring.
  • MnVMnV
    edited November -1
    Hey Brad, thanks for the recommendation. We've pulled the trigger and gotten Aki her Christmas gift the Palisades Pack. We've found a good deal for under $100 I think.

    She's not gonna be able to use it for a while because we schedule her spay surgery right after Christmas so that we can stay home during the holiday season and take care of her.

    Her girth is about 22-23", so we ordered a Small.

    Thanks again for recommending the Palisades instead of the Approach Pack.
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