RUFFWEAR Float Coat Dog Life Jacket - X-Large Red Sumac Swimming Safety Vest with Handle for Water Activities, Boating & Beach Adventures

Stop searching for the best life jacket you can buy for your dog, you’ve found it! If you’re like me, you ended up stumbling across these Ruffwear life jackets and are now reading through reviews trying to determine why they’re more expensive than other brands and if the cost difference is justified. I was skeptical myself, but they are 100% worth it. There’s a reason other brands are much cheaper, and it’s because they are awful quality in comparison.I was already familiar with Ruffwear products and I trust the brand, but this life jacket really exceeded expectations. It’s lightweight, highly adjustable, has great buoyancy without being bulky, dries quickly, and I swear my dog acts like he doesn't even know its on. He always seems completely comfortable running around, swimming, and napping, and as you can see from the photos it doesn’t limit his range of motion at all. I also love that it stays put on his body while he’s in the water, which I also showed examples of in a few photos. Other brands ride up around the dog’s head which can be really dangerous, but the Ruffwear life jacket is form fitting and stays in place. It’s unbelievably well-made and is really durable, and I especially love the handle on the back for helping your dog in/out of the water.Lastly, I found the size chart to be spot on, so be sure to measure your dog carefully. If I hadn’t measured I would have sworn my dog would have been a size large, so I’m so glad I checked. According to his measurements he was right in between medium and large, and although I had some doubts I followed the guidance to size down. I’m so glad I did, because the medium fits him perfectly. For reference, he’s a 70lb German Shepherd.I hope this helps with your decision, stop scrolling and buy this life jacket!I've tried quite a few dog life jackets in the past and none of them have even come close to the fit and durability of this one!My dog can be a little hard to fit for most things; with her deep chest, wide neck, and long body, it can be really hard to find something that fits just right. This lifejacket, however, managed to meet all of the requirements.It fits her chest girth and neck well, is the perfect length (I've found that others that fit her chest/neck tend to be too long and end up hindering movement, especially in the back end and with turning), provides the right amount of support in the water (not too much and not too little), and it's extremely well-made overall; there's no velcro that could cause irritation, the straps can be neatly tucked away so that they don't snag on anything, and the handle is strong enough to help me assist my 80lb dog out of the water.I also want to mention that my dog is squarely in-between a medium and a large. Although the website recommended sizing down, I chose to size up and it worked out just fine; there's plenty of room for adjustment either way.It may be one of the more expensive dog life jackets available on the market, but in my opinion, it's absolutely worth the price.My pittie girl was in need of a new life jacket, and I saw that the ruffwear float coat had gotten a redesign, so decided to check it out. Since the reviews on Amazon and the ruffwear website were glowing, I decided I'd go for it. I've had mixed luck with ruffwear products, but I wanted to try this life jacket because most other brands use Velcro, which is asinine in my opinion.My girl is 66lbs and broad chested, and all of the adjustment points make it super easy to fit. It looks great on her and feels comfortable and low profile, which was a high priority for me because she is an absolute nut at the beach: running, rolling, digging, swimming, you name it. Mobility is a must, and she'll have plenty of it in this jacket. One thing to note is she has a 29.5" chest, and the medium is supposed to be up to 32" chest, but she was at the end of the strap. So anyone who has a dog with a chest measurement around 30"-32" might want to go into an REI or Mud Bay to get fitted.Now for the problem: the plastic D ring leash attachment. I knew this life jacket had this when I bought it, so I also ordered a strong carabiner with an auto locking feature to use instead. To me, this was just an unconscionably lazy/careless design choice. Ruffwear is allegedly marketed towards very active dogs; why any of their items would have plastic D rings is beyond me. If you read back far enough in the reviews on their website, someone did almost lose their dog because the D ring broke on the FIRST USE. It should've never been part of the design in the first place, but after that review was submitted, Ruffwear should've done the right thing and done a redesign with a metal D ring. And this review was written a while ago, so it's not like Ruffwear just needs time. We pay a ridiculous amount of money for Ruffwear products because they're supposed to be high quality and safe. If they start cutting corners like this, there's literally no reason to pay $90 for a life jacket from them, or anything else for that matter. I really hope they come to their senses.When the jacket arrived, I broke the D ring myself (not a difficult thing to do, which should tell you something), and put the carabineer through the loop where the plastic D ring was. Now I can be confident my girl will be safe when we go swimming/to the beach.I would knock off another star because I think the D ring flaw is so egregious and rather corporate greed-like, but it wouldn't do justice to the quality of the rest of the coat. So I'll keep it at 4, but buyer beware if you have a dog that pulls.Ruffwear's Float Coat I purchased for my Westie fit perfectly and enhanced his confidence to swim farther out to retrieve his float toy.The Float Coat stayed stable to help hold his head up, but did not restrict his movements whatsoever.My Westie didn't care for having to secure the neck portion when slipping over his head, but once on, he was quite comfortable leaving it on.One reviewer mentioned the plastic ring installed on the Float Coat. I agree this ring should be steel, but I did feel the Float Coat was not intended to secure the dog for retrieval if needed, so I left his long leash attached to the harness he wears. The harness and Float Coat work well together. I'm very satisfied with my Ruffwear Float Coat purchase and highly recommend it to others. The price is higher than others listed on Amazon, but I'm of the opinion that this is a quality product and worth the extra dollars spent to ensure the comfort and safety for my Westie.Purchased for a GB Bullie puppy. Order fulfillment within 2-3 days. We purchased a size too big (L), anticipating growth for our puppy but there seemed to be enough adjustment room to go down a size. A medium was a good snug fit. Return and refund was accepted and fulfilled promptly.5* for product and seller.Great quality as always from Rufwear, fantastic quality and although expensive by comparison to others there is no doubt it’ll last well. Our Dog will wear it all day without any complaints. He loves the colour too…Well the dog is still swimming and th dog likes it but the straps are the most irritating things imaginable.They are held in the desired position to establish length by some velcro loops.The trouble is that they don't stay in that position.If you are a calm person who doesn't mind fiddling around fine otherwise skip it.Have yet to use this item in water, but it is well made and of excellent quality.You get what you pay for and this is excellent