A Review of Ruffwear Harnesses: Performance Gear for Active Dogs

The Ruffwear harness line has built a strong reputation among pet owners seeking durability, safety, and ergonomic design in one high-performance product. Known for its rugged yet breathable construction, Ruffwear’s harnesses support various activities, from casual walks to backcountry hikes. Each dog harness features such as reinforced stitching, reflective trim, aluminum leash points, and padded chest panels—ideal for adventurous dogs. At My Little and Large Pet Marketplace, we’ve seen how Ruffwear consistently delivers quality for working dogs and weekend warriors. If you’re looking for a harness that offers unmatched control, reduces strain during pulling, and holds up in all weather conditions, Ruffwear stands out as a top-tier choice.

Article Summary

🔘 Ruffwear Build & Comfort Analysis: Unpack how the harness contours to your dog’s body, providing control and all-day comfort.

🔘 Best Ruffwear Models for Different Dog Sizes: Find out which Ruffwear harness suits your dog based on size, weight, and activity level.

🔘 Buy from Trusted Retailers: Learn why My Little and Large Pet Marketplace is your go-to for buying authentic Ruffwear harnesses.

Ruffwear makes some of the best dog accessories you’ll find anywhere. The Ruffwear Doubleback Harness has a lot to like. Here is a review of this harness.

The Ruffwear Doubleback Harness

A Ruffwear Doubleback Harness Review:

1. Sizes

This harness comes in four different sizes: extra small, small, medium, and large/extra large. Therefore, you should find a size that fits your dog, regardless of his/her size and breed.

2. Build Quality

As the name implies, you can expect extremely tough build quality with this harness. It’s designed to be a piece of adventure equipment and the build quality and materials used do not disappoint. It’s intended to lift and lower your canine companion on your hiking or climbing adventures. Therefore, it is made using the highest quality materials anywhere. It’s strength-rated to hold as many as 2,000 pounds. The buckles are made out of anodized aluminum which should offer plenty of strength and durability needed to tackle even the most challenging conditions. Therefore, you won’t have to worry about the harness not being capable of handling anything you throw at it.

3. Good Features

The Ruffwear Doubleback Harness offers a lot of quality-of-life features that you can use to make your outdoor adventures a good one. For one, it has the main tie-in point that you can use for easy rope attachments. It also has leg loops that can be tucked away when you aren’t using them. It also has a reinforced easy-lift-and-assist handle that you can quickly access while climbing. The harness is also meant to be carabiner-friendly. Meaning, you can easily attach and use your carabineers when you need to.

4. Comfort

When buying a harness, you are likely going to be concerned with the comfort it provides your dog. Finding a comfortable harness is key. After all, you want something that your dog will want to use rather than something that will be a struggle to get them to use. This harness is built for durability, but not at the sacrifice of comfort. With this harness, you have ample padding in the belly area. This gives it greater support than you might find with other harnesses. It also has leg loops that keep the weight from being distributed too much in any specific area. Having the leg loops around your dog can keep the weight distribution even for greater comfort while using it. Whenever needed, you can store the leg loops to maximize the mobility your dog can enjoy.

5. Safe and Secure

Because you’ll be using the harness to keep your dog safe, you’ll want to be certain it has all of the safety features your dog needs. As mentioned, this harness is built for lift. You don’t need to worry about the material giving in when lifting your heavy dog. It also comes with anodized buckles for greater durability to keep your dog safe and secure when you are hiking or climbing with them. Safety is very important for any dog owner and this harness delivers in that department.

Is It Worth Buying?

The Ruffwear Doubleback Harness is one of the top harnesses in the marketplace. It features one of the best material construction in the marketplace which makes it extremely durable. It also happens to have a lot of features that you will find yourself needing to use while on your outdoor adventures. All of these things make it a great option for those who want to get the most out of their adventures with their canine friends. While it’s more expensive than you might like, the build quality more than makes up for the price.

Customer Reviews Of The Ruffwear Doubleback Harness

M. Natosi: Our 14-year-old Doberman has degenerative myelopathy which is increasingly challenging her ability to stay upright while performing basic tasks, so we need to assist her on the fly. This is too bulky to wear all the time and is a lot of work to put on and adjust on a large dog who tips over easily. I considered modifying it to add buckles so that we could quickly clip it on, but I’m just not that handy. For the rear portion of this device, I wish it had padding so that rough straps weren’t wrapping around my dog’s withering thighs. I also wish it was removable as it added too much bulk to the already bulky front section. I ended up returning it…I see how this design is ideal for extreme hiking and cliff climbing with dogs, but really hope someone designs a better option for those of us trying to manage mobility issues in large dogs. For now, I’m sticking with our Ezydog Convert harness. It slips over the head and just has one [easily buckled] strap across the chest (upper rib cage) which I easily padded with fuzzy leggings (you could use any thick sleeves or socks with feet cut off).

S. Abney: This is a really good and well-made Harness. Definitely pricey but this is to also be used for repelling. I didn’t buy it for that function but I did want to ensure the hindquarters could be in the harness and I wanted a harness that not only had a chest plate but also have the complete bottom section to have a really good pad, this one fits that bill. It’ll be great for the lake and to ensure it’s easy to get the dog out of the water buy the middle and the back handles. The only thing missing for me which is my preference is D rings for when using this as a walking harness, but that’s just me. Sure there is a section up front and toward the rear with loops, but D rings in those locations would have been nice. I can fix this easily but for the 124 but you’d think that Ruffwear would have designed this a little more thoroughly. I didn’t notice there were no D rings when I bought this, so that’s on me. This is easy to put on and only takes a few minutes to tighten up properly for a secure/snug fix for the poochie.

Lisa: I got this for my dog who came down with the idiopathic vestibular disease. She got sick on a Friday, I ordered it right away and rushed it, but being in Hawaii by the time I got it most of her symptoms had cleared up. She is 15 years old so I kept it being that we have stairs. Lately, she has been falling on stairs so I opened the box only to find the card on the top of the package torn and when I removed the item 1 strap is ripped so I cannot use this. Since I waited the return window has closed, so I am out $137 plus the cost of rush shipping on an item I cannot ever use. What a waste of my time and money. It looked like a good product, but I will never know. This item was not cheap and I will not purchase another one if I will be sent another used one. Buyer beware. Maybe you will get lucky and get one that is unused and actually usable. WHAT A WASTE! I would do anything for my dog and this kind of thing really ticks me off.

ESR: We purchased this for our 120lb Great Dane with hind end weakness. It was recommended by his physical therapist as the rear harness would be good insurance if he collapsed on a walk and we needed to lift his hips. So far, we haven’t needed it for any emergency scenarios, but the two handles have made it very easy to lift him in and out of the car with, and it seems very comfortable on him. It can take a little time to get it adjusted properly, but once you find the proper fit it’s pretty quick to get on and off of them. Also, note that regular leash clasps don’t fit on the leash straps on this – I had to purchase a leash with a carabiner to fit the wide leash straps.

Alex W.: First impression:I bought this for a dog that struggles getting up the stairs. The other harnesses don’t have enough support underneath, mostly straps that past a lot of pressure on her chest when lifting. This harness seems to distribute the weight much better and the steel securing system send much more stable than anything else I’ve seen.I was concerned about other reviews that said this took way too long to put on. I completely disagree. To be frank, you’d have to be an extremely impatient idiot if you think this is time consuming. It takes a minute maximum to pull the straps through the double back clips. If anything I don’t way more time messing around with the plastic buckles on other harnesses where you have twice as many clips to do adjustments on and eventually the plastic buckles will break. I will say that a Kong harness I have has the best fast steel buckle system I’ve ever seen, but unfortunately their harnesses inferior in every other way.My one big critique is that the backside pocket, where you stow away the rear leg straps, is a bit undersized. It’s kind of a pain to cram the straps back into it. However, I think these straps are only necessary for more extreme situations like lifting a dog up a cliff face, so I will rarely use those straps. The harness works just fine without the back straps for carrying the dog up the stairs. I think it’s a little overpriced, but I have not seen anything that can compete with this and I’ve looked at a lot of harnesses.

liz: We purchased this for our aging, 120 pound Lab who would often find himself unable to stand from a laying position on the kitchen floor. He wears the vest most of the time now and it has been very handy in helping him to a standing position. My only complaint was that it does not have quick release clips.

Amazon Customer: Really strong and safe product, made with high quality materials and with a lot of details that show the experience of the designers.I have bought it for going trekking with my minibull that suffers a renal illnes that doesnt allow him for making long walks. So when hi feels tired, I hangs him from my backpack. Thanks to the harness, he can continue going to wild nature that he loves so much

Review Of The Ruffwear Doubleback Harness Video

A Review Of The Ruffwear Doubleback Harness