EzyDog Summit Backpack

As an avid hiker and backpacker, reducing the weight in my backpack is more than ideal, and having the option for Delilah to carry a few of her things (e.g. food, treats, poop bags) is great. For the last month and a half, Delilah has been testing EzyDog North America’s Summit Dog Backpack in size small. The backpack comes in three sizes (small, medium, and large), and at this time, the backpack is only available in one color scheme, gray and red.

At first, I thought the Summit Dog Backpack was a little compact but as soon as you open the side saddlebags, you will notice how wide it can get once you place your dog’s gear inside. The saddlebags are enclosed with two zippers that can go in either direction. On the top of the saddlebags, there is an additional opening with a zipper where you can access the inside of the bag quickly versus having to open the entire bag. It is not a large opening but it’s a great feature, especially if you’re reaching for your dog’s poop bags or placing trash inside.

The part of the pack that lies over the top of your dog’s back is a breathable mesh with a handle in case you need to carry your dog over an obstacle or hold them back when other hikers need to pass. The backpack has 3M reflective trim to improve night time visibility. There are also Velcro strips on the exterior of both sides of the backpack for you to personalize it with a custom name label. Delilah received a set of her own with her name. It was a nice personal touch and the custom name labels are rather inexpensive ($10 US) to purchase.  

The overall fit of the backpack is great. Due to the adjustable straps, it is easy to adjust to ensure the perfect fit. We tested this scenario with and without a dog coat on Delilah. Since there were a few times that the weather was either too cold or rainy on our adventures, we wanted to make sure Delilah was still protected from the elements. Each time, the backpack was easy to adjust over the coat. Delilah wore it in snow, rain and muddy conditions, and it stayed in place every time.  With some packs, if they don’t have the right adjustment options you’ll find that they slip to one side or the other. This can not only be uncomfortable for your dog but it can lead to chaffing.  Another bonus was in the weather we experienced the items inside did not get wet.  The pack isn’t designed to be waterproof, so if you carry anything in there you should take your own precautions to make sure they are safe, but a little water resistance goes a long way. Overall we are happy with the packs performance and find the quality of the backpack is great.

The only part of the backpack to watch out for is the custom name labels can easily come off. When Delilah first tested it, one of the name labels fell off. However, she was running through brush and hopping over fallen logs, so I imagine some brush ripped it off as we didn’t secure it on tight enough. During our recent backpacking trip, I did press down on the name labels to ensure they would not fall off, and luckily they didn’t. As I mentioned earlier though, the name labels are inexpensive, so it was easy for us to purchase replacement labels.

Photo credit: Resa DeBeaumont @thelifeofdelilahThis backpack is a keeper. I love the size and how easy it is to put on Delilah. The type of food we pack for Delilah for our backpacking trips are freeze dried food and bars, and this backpack is perfect for carrying her to carry her own food and smaller gear items (e.g. leash, poop bags). However, if you prefer to pack kibble for your dog, it is worth noting that this backpack may not be able to carry enough for a longer haul backpacking trip. Due to the size of the saddle bags we also weren’t able to pack any of her bigger gear in it like her coat or a blanket.  For us this wasn’t an issue as we had space to carry it anyways, but for some folks these bags may be too small.  Delilah was wearing a size small which is a carrying capacity of 4L.  If she was a little bigger and we sized up to the medium we would get 7L carrying capacity which would likely be enough space to add a jacket or a bulkier item.  If your dog is on the cusp of sizing and you’d like more carrying capacity consider sizing up to get that extra space.

This is the third backpack Delilah has owned and I love that it does not favor one side, even if one of the saddlebags has a heavier load than the other. This was important to me since Delilah has another backpack that tends to favor one side and it’s quite annoying to have to adjust it every time. We will definitely continue to use this pack for our day trips and our overnight trips.

The Summit Dog Backpack would work best for: day hikes, backpacking trips, walks around the neighborhood and for service dogs (you can add a custom label to personalize the outside)

The Summit Dog Backpack may not be ideal for: longer backpacking trips (e.g. more than 3 days)

Delilah’s Measurements: Girth 27″ / Back Length 22″ / Weight 46 lbs

EzyDog Summit Dog Backpack Size: Small

Review by: Dogs That Hike Explorer @thelifeofdelilah

Product from: @ezydogusa / https://store.ezydog.com/