Best Dog Life Jacket For Kayaking (Jan 2023 Update)

After watching video reviews of the top brands, we chose this Ruffwear PFD for our Golden Retriever. We are happy with the purchase, except for one thing that is very important to us. The clip ring on the top of the jacket, under the handle is made of plastic instead of metal. Since we use this on a boat and need to clip her to a lifeline, this flimsy plastic clip ring is totally inadequate. The ring on the photo on the stock photo on the Moosejaw site looks beefier than what we got. See attached pic. We'll replace it with a more substantial stainless hook or clip. Other than that, great jacket. Would have given it 5 stars if it weren't for the thin plastic clip. Concerning Moosejaw, great company as always. They get 5 stars!Scott

We absolutely love this life jacket! We used a cheap one last year while our pup was growing, but now that he's fully grown we wanted something that will last. This jacket is super functional and really easy for our pup to get on and off. It gives him so much confidence swimming and he goes in on his own now and will swim around past where he can stand all by himself, without needing someone in the water. We love this jacket so much. It's really durable, but not too bulky or heavy. The quality is 10/10. The grab handle is a must and it's nice and strong so it can actually be used if needed. We definitely recommend this jacket.Faith D.

I posted a 3 star review two days ago about the float coat. The lack of a five star review was due to what I assumed was a sizing issue. My dog is a medium, however, the girth straps on the medium float coat were lying directly on my dogs abdomen when clipped, so the sides of the life jacket did not fully meet underneath my dog. The concern with this is that when my dog is swimming, the buoyancy of the jacket would naturally cause the jacket to float towards the surface of the water. In other words, the area of my dog that experiences the closest contact with the lifejacket while swimming, is the area of the life jacket with the least amount of padding (the exposed girth straps). If I have to haul my dog out of the water with the handle, those straps are digging into my dog's abdomen without any padding. Again, I assumed this was maybe a sizing mistake on my part. However, Ruffwear responded to my review and said that the exposed girth straps on my dog's stomach are not a sizing issue and that "the foam padding does not have to touch under their belly". Now that I know this is a design choice rather than a sizing issue, I'm changing my review to 1 star. If a sport-worthy/high activity human PFD's greatest point of contact with the body was two straps, we would never consider that PFD safe enough to put on the market. Ruffwear talks a big game about rigorous testing of all of their products, but I don't see how their product designers can think that this is an acceptable product. My dog's belly was red and chaffing after just one day of use because of the straps, so I am pretty sure that the foam padding does have to touch under their belly. I also want to mention that I'm not an internet-complainer and I don't just troll around all day writing bad reviews. However, I am a huge dog gear junkie and I am frequently buying and trying new dog gear. Ruffwear used to always set the standard for quality and thoughtfulness in their products, but they have been disappointing me a lot in their newer designs. This is just another nail in the coffin for me.Liz

If you're looking at this, your dog must already know how to swim and or torn through a vest of lesser quality. It's fur sure a well crafted device, and is holding up better than less expensive, lesser quality vests. It dosent keep my dog a float, but that's not the point of this vest. It's just helping out, just like a small boost. Kinda like how Lance Armstrong was blood doping while riding a bike with an electric motor. He was doing most of the work, just had a little something to help.booniesbouillottes

Our 11 year labrador retriever was able to easily swim out and retrieve a floating dummy wearing her new life jacket. Works great!SteveF

Medium fit my 75 lb PWD good but have not determined how we’ll he floats yet as he is a good swimmer and has not stopped to rest. Is quilted and so I question the floatation. Will follow up later. Seems well made with nice Velcro straps to roll up excessive strapping after tightening. Thought that a nice addition!Lori

This runs very small. I bought the signs that recommended for a 10-lb dog, and also the next bigger size just in case. The recommended size was entirely too small. The next size up fits my dog well, although it seems to have something pokey that bothers her tummy when she wears it. I'm going to have to look and see if there is a piece of stitching poking her. Other than that it is a very good quality, well made, and will definitely keep her from drowning if she falls off my kayak. Walmart had the best price anywhere! They employ more people and pay more taxes than Amazon! Buy it from Walmart not Amazon!PaintyOne

Omg! Love love love this adorable life vest! Not only is it cute when my puppy is wearing it, but she sort of seems to like wearing it, AND it’s extremely functional. I love that there’s a handle on the top for me to hold onto. Super happy with this purchase.ShihPoo Mom

This life vest appears to be really well-made. The materials used and construction are excellent. There are numerous safety features, e.g., Velco closings PLUS clips PLUS stops on the clip straps to ensure they don't over-loosen. I've never seen such attention to detail in an animal product. The front neck & head support is so thoughtful and just too cute for words. Also, I love the top handle so much I'm tempted to have my puppy wear his every day. We haven't tried it in the pool yet, but I am very impressed to find such a quality product at this price.Kimander

After watching video reviews of the top brands, we chose this Ruffwear PFD for our Golden Retriever. We are happy with the purchase, except for one thing that is very important to us. The clip ring on the top of the jacket, under the handle is made of plastic instead of metal. Since we use this on a boat and need to clip her to a lifeline, this flimsy plastic clip ring is totally inadequate. The ring on the photo on the stock photo on the Moosejaw site looks beefier than what we got. See attached pic. We'll replace it with a more substantial stainless hook or clip. Other than that, great jacket. Would have given it 5 stars if it weren't for the thin plastic clip. Concerning Moosejaw, great company as always. They get 5 stars!Scott

We absolutely love this life jacket! We used a cheap one last year while our pup was growing, but now that he's fully grown we wanted something that will last. This jacket is super functional and really easy for our pup to get on and off. It gives him so much confidence swimming and he goes in on his own now and will swim around past where he can stand all by himself, without needing someone in the water. We love this jacket so much. It's really durable, but not too bulky or heavy. The quality is 10/10. The grab handle is a must and it's nice and strong so it can actually be used if needed. We definitely recommend this jacket.Faith D.

I posted a 3 star review two days ago about the float coat. The lack of a five star review was due to what I assumed was a sizing issue. My dog is a medium, however, the girth straps on the medium float coat were lying directly on my dogs abdomen when clipped, so the sides of the life jacket did not fully meet underneath my dog. The concern with this is that when my dog is swimming, the buoyancy of the jacket would naturally cause the jacket to float towards the surface of the water. In other words, the area of my dog that experiences the closest contact with the lifejacket while swimming, is the area of the life jacket with the least amount of padding (the exposed girth straps). If I have to haul my dog out of the water with the handle, those straps are digging into my dog's abdomen without any padding. Again, I assumed this was maybe a sizing mistake on my part. However, Ruffwear responded to my review and said that the exposed girth straps on my dog's stomach are not a sizing issue and that "the foam padding does not have to touch under their belly". Now that I know this is a design choice rather than a sizing issue, I'm changing my review to 1 star. If a sport-worthy/high activity human PFD's greatest point of contact with the body was two straps, we would never consider that PFD safe enough to put on the market. Ruffwear talks a big game about rigorous testing of all of their products, but I don't see how their product designers can think that this is an acceptable product. My dog's belly was red and chaffing after just one day of use because of the straps, so I am pretty sure that the foam padding does have to touch under their belly. I also want to mention that I'm not an internet-complainer and I don't just troll around all day writing bad reviews. However, I am a huge dog gear junkie and I am frequently buying and trying new dog gear. Ruffwear used to always set the standard for quality and thoughtfulness in their products, but they have been disappointing me a lot in their newer designs. This is just another nail in the coffin for me.Liz

We upgraded from an old Kong PFD that was falling apart after a few years of use. We went with the NRS option over the others due to the fact that the chest band is all one piece, as opposed to two that buckle together and could easily spread apart leaving just the buckle against the dog's chest. So far so good! It seems incredibly durable and our pup is very confident swimming flatwater and mellow moving water in it.Julia A.

Basing this review on initial impression and service. Having a tripawd (front right amputation) we needed flotation/support under the chest and around the neck to ensure she would be able to stay afloat. This jacket fit the bill. As always, NRS provided great quality. Only minor complaint was the sizing chart did not work for us, but the NRS customer service made the exchange painless and cost free. Highly recommend.Tom

Bought this in Canada at Altitude Sport online. Shipped quickly. Looks like fantastic quality. I bought large orange for my American Lab Jack. She is 62lbs with 32" girth and sure enough the cfd fits her on the smallest adjustment around the girth. Really looking forward to trying this out this week. We just need to get more mediums shipped to Canadian retailers so I can purchase one for my slightly smaller dog Sky who also LOVES the water. So far this looks like the best quality for value in the market here.Patti

Omg! Love love love this adorable life vest! Not only is it cute when my puppy is wearing it, but she sort of seems to like wearing it, AND it’s extremely functional. I love that there’s a handle on the top for me to hold onto. Super happy with this purchase.ShihPoo Mom

This life vest appears to be really well-made. The materials used and construction are excellent. There are numerous safety features, e.g., Velco closings PLUS clips PLUS stops on the clip straps to ensure they don't over-loosen. I've never seen such attention to detail in an animal product. The front neck & head support is so thoughtful and just too cute for words. Also, I love the top handle so much I'm tempted to have my puppy wear his every day. We haven't tried it in the pool yet, but I am very impressed to find such a quality product at this price.Kimander

We purchased this for our two year old American Lab for his first boat trip on the lake in TN. He did really well with it and it did a good job keeping him floating and gave him lots of confidence in the water! We ordered an XL b/c he was right at the measurements for top of L and bottom for XL. Glad we did, b/c the L probably would have been too small. He is lean at 67 pounds, but has longer legs! Highly recommend and suggest ordering the larger size if the measurements are close. The double handles made it easy to pull him out of the water from the boat and dock.Bluedancers99

I ordered this life vest for our miniature dachshund who weighs about 14-15 pounds. I thought because of his large breastbone, he’d be a medium. However, upon arrival, it was just a bit too big…should have ordered the small. Overall, however, this is a very well made, excellent safety vest.LAGK

I bought this jacket this week and was very excited when it came to my house in less time than expected! But the jacket itself was too snug for my 14 pound Dachsund. I ordered his size according to the chart. But, regardless of the fit, the jacket didn't mix with his body type. He kept rolling over on his side and his back. The jacket was well made though!mhw04

This life jacket is incredibly well made! I got three furkids who don't like to be near to the weather. So, we got these lifesavers and they are true. Finally, I can relax when we go sailing.erika.l

I liked how easy it was to put on all my babies. They enjoyed wearing it and I felt good and safer with them when we are doing water activities. Adjustable straps and easy Velcro closure even has padded under mouth area to help keep their heads above waterjulia.b

This my second purchased life vest. I didn’t really my first purchased one didn’t have the chin/neck support. That part is a safety requirement/personal preference for me, for any dog who rides on the boat with my family. You never know if the boat might break down or crash, doggo might have an extended time swimming too get to safety, the chin strap will help keep the head above water. I appreciate the quality of Outward Hound brand items!katie .p

Is is for my new Yorkie puppy. Right now showing no interest in the pool, but when grandkids are here this summer just want to make sure she is safe. Good fit, great price!KayC

We bought the jacket for our puppy who we are going to take out on a boat for the first time in a few weeks. As we're going on a river, we wanted something that would be visible and that we could grab if the worst happened and he went overboard unexpectedly. We are delighted with the jacket. It fits beautifully and there are loads of grab handles (which are grabable and not flappy), reflective bits and the whole thing is really robust. It is so well made it has given us the confidence to start up water sports with pup so it's going to be a really fun summer ahead! Arrived very quickly and was well-packaged with a little gift inside, which is a lovely touch.Polly B.

Excellent quality item, fits our cavapoo very well and appears comfortable out of the water. Have yet to try out in the water as waiting for warmer temperatures! This is reason for 4 star review but I’m sure it will be 5 stars after proper use! It is more expensive than others on the market but the quality is definitely worth the investment for our fur baby!Julie S.

Very well made and easy to adjust. Medium size fits our 8 month old flat coated retriever with plenty of room for growth. Grab handle is great for getting the dog back onto the paddle board after she jumps in the water. The dog is quite happy swimming while wearing it – doesn’t restrict movement at all.Jonathan P.

Great product good quality. Maybe the most expensive but significantly better quality. A little slow on delivery but good transaction.Cabela and Milo Swims

My mixed breed dog and I go kayaking down the river a lot. He loves to jump off and swim around and sometimes he does fall off. I wanted this for ease of pulling him back onto the boat. He fit the measurements for a med. I put it on him and it was way too large on him. He also wouldnt be able to p because the belly pad went to his back legs. Great idea with the handles and the pockets in the sides. I will see if the store can get in a small size for me to try on him.Tree

This vest was perfect for our aging yellow lab when she wanted to swim all day on our recent family vacation on the lake. At 13 years old this vest gave out dog enough help to swim for hours. The large vest fit our 72 pound yellow lab well and she seemed to enjoy wearing the vest. Appears to be durable but of course swimming doesn't put a lot of wear on it. We've used it every day since July 17th that's 20 days. Great product.bobby33

Not like the thick life jackets out there so it’s more comfortable for my dog to wear as a safety precaution while on the boat, as well as functional when in the waterSarah T.

My pup swam in this great, looked comfortable. Wish there were more variety in sizes. Small was juuuuust right but medium was too big.Vic

Very buoyant, dries pretty quickly, and not restrictive at all. Our pup walks around like it’s her normal harness, and it keeps her afloat no issue. The neck part is a bit bulky, but her head stays well above water when swimming, so there’s no downside!Sasha

Very well made vest and my dog doesn’t seem to mind wearing it. It’s expensive, but worth it as the handles are sturdy and if I need to pull my 65 lbs dog out of the water, quality is important.undefined

The life vest came promptly and was everything that was described and expected, at a great price! Can't wait to get my pup on the water!Kelly O

My dogs love their life vests. They wear them almost every time we go in the pool. It took them a little getting used to them, but now when they jump in, they love to swim around. They will be great when we go boating.Sue B

I bought this vest because I liked it streamlined design. Very happy with it until it completely feel apart! I have a 75lb yellow lab and XL fit perfectly. We use this 3-4 times per week on our pontoon boat. We rarely use the handle to help him as he’s able to climb the pontoon ladder on his own. This weekend, it ripped a little then the next day it completely feel apart. Petco has declined to return the item since it’s over 30 days. Ridiculous since I purchased it July 8 and it’s August 8!!Allie72

I was given this product by Backcountry but this is my honest opinion. I used this on my 95lb Bernese Mountain Dog. First glance I loved the harness idea but after it being on I can say I'm not a big fan. Unfortunately, the neck/chest part of the flotation harness was to small leading to the part in between his legs fitting awkward. The buckle barely buckled and there was a significant gap between the device material under the buckle. The belly band did however have plenty of room and had extra slack. The material was durable and love the vibrant color easy to see on the water. I was really hoping to love the minimalist aspect of the design and its low profile but unfortunately for the big bear it just didn't fit him well.Rachel K

Nicely made floatation vest but not a good fit for my dogs. My girls are corgi springer mixes and are larger than your normal Pembroke Corgi but not as large as an English Springer. They have the short little legs like their corgi mom but the length and girth of their springer dad. Those little short legs we all love are the issue with this vest. The depth of the vest at the chest actually makes it hard for them to walk while wearing it. They drag their chests and the vest rubs the ground/boat deck. Not good. But it does fit my parents' Brittanys well. They have the height needed to wear this.Grimm

Heb het grootste zwemvest gekocht, mijn hond weegt 20kg maar het is echt veel te klein en er zijn geen grotere maten dus het komt retourhoeks, a.

This was purchased for our dog, who will join us on boating excursions. We won't know how well the product will work–hopefully she'll never fall into the water–until the spring and summer when we take her along on boat rides.BAMcK

Do not go by the sizing chart for this item, as you will end up with a life jacket that is much too large for your dog. According to the chart, my dog was suppose to be an XL. Once received, the jacket was so huge that the length of it went past his back to his tail. Great quality and value, but the fit is horrible and not really designed for your dog to be able to move freely.Andrea