From DIY Saddlebags to the Palisades™ Pack: The Evolution of the Ruffwear Dog Pack

There’s a common thread woven into every one of our packs—a commitment to quality and refined design that has driven the brand ever since its inception. What first began with a kid, his dog, and a homemade pack, has evolved into a decades-long passion for founder Patrick Kruse and the entire team here at Ruffwear.

Where It All Began

Patrick grew up just four hours from the High Sierra mountains, in a family with a strong relationship with wild places. Some of his earliest memories involve traveling to various trailheads to drop off or retrieve his four older sisters after a week or two in the backcountry. Those experiences planted something early in Patrick. Before long, he was planning his first backpacking trip with his dog, a German Shepherd/Collie mix named Mariah.

In order to make it a week in the wilderness together, Mariah needed to carry her own food. So Patrick sewed a set of saddlebags, loaded Mariah up, and rode the train to Chico before heading into the Trinity Alps for a week.

The saddlebags Patrick had sewn for Mariah were a decent first swing, but not quite the right design. "It worked," he says, "but they didn’t have much structure. The pack was pretty frumpy, and the biggest faux pas was the chest strap that went across the front. It would drape and chafe, so that was an early learning there."

Watching Mariah move in that pack opened his eyes to possibilities. "That's probably the little grain of sand that started the thought process. Watching Mariah in it––she was accommodating it, but it didn't look like a very comfortable ride for her.”

In the years that followed, dogs were naturally part of his adventures. He explored the Eastern Sierra, Joshua Tree, Los Padres, and Pine Mountain. Patrick and his crew would set up basecamp, and climb a few peaks over a weekend, taking the dogs with them everywhere they went.

Ruffwear's first product came out of those years. On a mountain bike ride in Los Padres, Patrick's friend Liz tried to carry water for her dog in a plastic bag. It didn't go well. "At the time I blew it off," Patrick says, "and then I thought, 'Hmm, maybe there is a way to make a bowl.'" The Quencher™ Bowl launched in 1994, and the pack would follow soon after.

A Simple Request

Not long into Ruffwear’s beginnings, Patrick had a booth set up with his gear at the Kern River Festival. A fellow kayaker came by with a specific ask––he needed a dog pack with detachable saddlebags and water storage built into each side, so he could balance the load and hydrate his dog on the move. For Patrick, it was another compelling problem to solve, and he knew he needed an improved version of his original pack.

The first commercial Palisades™ Pack introduced detachable saddlebags and water bladders sourced from wine country in Napa. The harness used 1680-denier ballistic nylon, squared off at every corner, with vertical compression straps running over the zipper and around the outside of the bag.

It was a good improvement on the original, but the execution created new problems. Hard corners caught on brush and rock. The straps needed to be undone every time you opened the bag. And that straight-across chest strap was still there.

Rethinking the Shape

Within a couple of years, the straight chest strap gave way to a Martingale configuration, with a loop around the dog’s neck that tied between their legs. If the pack was weighted unevenly to one side, the Martingale corrected it without any extra effort or adjustment.

The harness also went through iterative phases to address fit and structure, giving it the ability to cinch down and release easily, and reduced hardware on the outside of the bag. But it was still heavy and a little too complex.

Doing More With Less

Another shift came with the evolution of the pack’s materials. The saddlebag profile went from boxy to teardrop, a design choice borrowed from motorcycle fuel tanks. With more volume up front that tapered toward the back, this version distributed weight over the dog's shoulders—rather than pulling away from them. Rain flies came off the zippers, and the external hardware was further simplified.

During this time, our design team began changing their outlook on material weight. From 1680 denier to 420, and then to 150, the pack has gotten much lighter over the years. We saw that same arc that reshaped human backpacking equipment also applied to dogs––from external frames to ultralight, and ergonomic shapes that are built to move with the body.

"The amazing thing is the more you take away, the more flexibility you get, the better performance you get, and the lighter and more durable it becomes,” says Patrick. “That was a game changer."

The Palisades™ Pack Today

The latest iteration of the Palisades™ Pack revolves around the same core idea as that first version from the Kern River days. Built with a harness that works as it should without a fuss, saddlebags that easily detach, a balanced load for your dog’s comfort, and functionality that fades into the background. Thirty years of refinement live in each every one of the details.

The result is a pack that moves with your dog rather than bouncing behind them, and a load that stays centered and forward. The whole system functions as one, but also adapts to a harness-only modular configuration when needed––complete with streamlined zip pouches for side quests and day trips. It’s big enough for dogs to carry their own food and water, and breaks down small enough for light and quick ascents.

What the Gear Is Really For

"When I was a kid, dogs basically lived in the backyard," Patrick says. "Over the years we've incorporated them into our lives, brought them on more adventures, and that is part of what has driven us in building gear for dogs."

Well-made gear makes the trip easier and more fun for you and your dog, and that matters more than anything. "A couple times I've been up in some pretty cold environments, wet environments, and my dog gets pretty cranky,” says Patrick. “A few things that take the edge off makes for a really great experience all the way around.”

Once the gear is sorted, your dog can focus on bringing that wonder and excitement to every trip. “When they get to the trailhead, they're super eager to get out there. They're not worried about the weather coming in or how much food they brought. They're just gleeful to be out there and getting after it."

When equipment works like it should, everyone can focus on the experience––which is the essence behind every piece of Ruffwear gear. Made the way we’ve always done it, with respect and care for the connection we all share with our most loyal trail buddies.

Shop the Backcountry Collection and the Palisades™ Pack