NRS CFD Dog Life Jacket Review 2024: An Expert’s Breakdown

The first time I put Candy, my Shih Tzu-mix, within the swimming pool, she was surprisingly unafraid and started swimming calmly alongside, however there was one drawback – her top-heavy construct induced her head to be pulled down to 1 aspect after which the opposite as she swam. Essentially, she had a troublesome time staying upright and retaining her face and ears dry. What would occur if we went kayaking or paddleboarding and he or she fell or jumped into rougher water? With Florida’s multitude of summer season water actions forward of us, I instantly started trying to find the right doggie life jacket…one thing with wonderful all-around buoyancy and a cushty design.

Northwest River Supplies, extra generally generally known as NRS, has been supplying individuals with quite a lot of water gear for over 50 years, and even has a Canine Flotation Device (CFD) – mainly a life jacket for canine. Just as people spending time on the water ought to put on life jackets as a precaution in opposition to the surprising, our furry members of the family ought to, too. The Dog Life Jacket from NRS is a high quality harness-style CFD designed to be efficient, snug, and sensible whereas additionally being extremely sturdy, as is all NRS gear. Anyone wanting their canine to accompany them on water-based adventures ought to contemplate attempting this CFD.

About NRS

NRS was based in 1972 by a school educator named Bill Parks. As a long-time trainer of finance and economics, Bill’s motivation to begin NRS was merely to check the rules he was instructing. But his determination to pursue a enterprise promoting water gear was rooted in his personal ardour for whitewater rafting, which he had taken up only a few years earlier. Bill additionally needed his firm to be a drive for good, enriching the lives of each his workers and the purchasers they served. He did this not solely by offering high quality merchandise and following a customer-focused method of doing enterprise, however he additionally remodeled NRS right into a 100% employee-owned firm.

Bill Parks, who handed away in 2023, began NRS with simply $2,000 to buy his preliminary stock which he saved in his storage, and laboriously typed the very first catalog. Today, NRS provides out of doors fans all around the world with quite a lot of water-related gear corresponding to life jackets, dry luggage, moist fits, and paddles. Basically, if it helps improve your time on the river, lake, or ocean, NRS has it. And that features a life jacket for canine. Whether your canine is an brisk Vizsla that loves swimming in circles, or an affectionate Cocker Spaniel that simply desires to be on the boat with you, it ought to be sporting a high quality CFD to make sure its security. The NRS Dog Life Jacket is a sturdy but snug CFD that may present simply the proper stage of buoyancy in your canine companion.

CFD Dog Life Jacket Overview

Below is my overview of the Dog Life Jacket from NRS. This is a well-made and easy-to-use CFD with an excellent guarantee at an excellent worth.

Design

The Dog Life Jacket from NRS is designed not solely to be an efficient buoyancy help for the pet, but additionally to be simple to placed on and comfy for the canine to put on. Each life jacket options an adjustable neck loop that slips over the canine’s head, and two adjustable buckled straps that shut the flotation panels alongside the torso. The again panel contains a handy deal with connected with heavy-duty stitching, which the canine’s proprietor can seize to haul the canine out of the water, help them with coming into the water, or information their swimming path. There can be a sturdy D-ring on the again for leash attachment, good for retaining your pet tethered to you when out and about on the water. And with an exterior product of ripstop nylon, a sturdy cloth that resists tearing, it is a CFD that’s certain to final your canine for years.

Variety

The NRS Dog Life Jacket at present is available in 5 sizes, starting from XS to XL. A canine sporting the XS would wish to have a chest circumference of at the least 14”, in accordance with the sizing chart on their web site, so it most likely wouldn’t work for toy breeds like Chihuahuas or Yorkies. And the most important measurement XL solely accommodates canine with a 41” chest, making it unlikely to suit big breeds like Great Danes or Mastiffs. For the canine that this life jacket does match, the buckle straps are adjustable, so you’ll be able to obtain a pleasant comfortable match in your canine.

This CFD is available in two colours, teal and orange, that are each brilliant and simple to see in most environments. As an added security characteristic for low gentle environments, there are some skinny reflective accents on the perimeters and deal with.

Price & Warranty

The present worth of the NRS Dog Life Jacket, no matter measurement or colour, is slightly below $60 with free transport from the NRS web site or Amazon. This is common pricing for a CFD of this caliber, however what units NRS aside from their competitors is their guarantee. Visit their web site and click on on the Rock Solid Guarantee hyperlink, and you will note a promise that “if at any time you’re not glad with the efficiency of an NRS product, please return it to the vendor the place it was bought or contact NRS straight for an analysis. If we discover that an NRS product is flawed, we are going to at our choice restore it, change it, or refund the acquisition worth.” Though there isn’t any particular timeframe talked about, this actually seems like a lifetime assure. And even when the difficulty is set by NRS not to fall underneath their guarantee, the corporate states they can carry out a restore at their headquarters for a further payment.

Specs

In Summary

Key Features

Quality

The Dog Life Jacket from NRS is made with light-weight, quick-drying, and tear-resistant supplies. Meticulous heavy-duty stitching holds all the pieces collectively and ensures this CFD will final. It can be designed to be snug for the canine, with no naked straps to rub on any space of the canine’s physique. And a well-placed seize deal with and D-ring for leash attachment make this life jacket owner-friendly, too.

Efficacy

The sturdy design of the NRS Dog Life Jacket makes this a snug-fitting but snug CFD in your canine. Some competitor’s CFDs are designed to look cute, however don’t successfully maintain a canine’s head above water or are too simple for the canine to slide out of throughout essential moments. Not this CFD! With its safe match and flotation panels each underneath the neck and across the torso, this life jacket was made for greater than picture ops – the NRS Dog Life Jacket can really maintain your canine secure on the water, which is precisely what a CFD ought to do!

Warranty

NRS feels so strongly about their merchandise and is so devoted to buyer satisfaction that they provide a lifetime guarantee in opposition to producer defects. If a problem arises, you’ll be able to return the CFD to NRS and in the event that they decide the issue falls underneath their guarantee, they’ll restore, change, or refund. It’s that straightforward.

Is the NRS CFD Dog Life Jacket a Good Value?

NRS at present sells their Dog Life Jacket for slightly below $60 no matter measurement or colour. This worth level is corresponding to different CFDs of comparable design and high quality and is properly price it contemplating its sturdy development and efficacy within the water. Add a lifetime guarantee on high of that and the choice to decide on NRS is a no brainer!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

How sturdy is that this canine life jacket?

Very sturdy, because of its high quality supplies and craftsmanship. The CFD Dog Life Jacket from NRS additionally contains a very sturdy design, which is snug for the canine whereas nonetheless providing the correct amount of buoyancy and a safe match.

What is the smallest measurement obtainable?

The smallest measurement at present provided by NRS is XS, which is beneficial for canine underneath 12 lbs however with a chest circumference of at the least 14”. Unfortunately, this measurement would nonetheless be too massive to accommodate the tiniest dogs.

Does NRS supply a guaranty?

Yes, NRS states that if a buyer is “not glad with the efficiency” of their gear, they will return it to NRS or the unique buy location to have it evaluated. NRS additionally guarantees to pay the return transport, in addition to transport for an trade merchandise in sure circumstances. And if the product has suffered injury that’s NOT coated underneath the guarantee, NRS should have the ability to supply restore companies for an hourly payment.

Where can I purchase an NRS Dog Life Jacket?

Currently there are a number of sources for buying NRS merchandise, together with their flagship retailer in Moscow, Idaho, the NRS web site, Amazon, and retail areas like REI. If you wish to store NRS merchandise in individual, there’s a Dealer Locator hyperlink on their web site on the backside of each web page.

Our Experience With the CFD Dog Life Jacket From NRS

I not too long ago began searching for canine life jackets after noticing my latest rescue canine, Candy, hanging over the sting of the pool watching me swim. When I lifted her into the pool to see if she may swim, she succeeded with out worry or flailing, a lot completely different than my different two canine! Who would have thought a Shih Tzu-Pekingese combine would really like the water?

Although unafraid, Candy did have hassle staying upright because of her brief legs, and would topple to 1 aspect or the opposite, dunking an ear and getting water in it earlier than righting herself. This is the place I suspected a canine life jacket would assist. I additionally thought she would possibly enjoy accompanying me on the paddleboard or kayak, and simply as I put on a life jacket, I felt Candy ought to, too. When I got here throughout the Dog Life Jacket from NRS, a model with over 50 years of expertise designing water gear, I used to be excited to provide it a attempt!

Candy is 14 lbs with a chest circumference of 16”, so I selected the XS choice, which turned out to be good. I discovered it extremely simple to placed on – I simply slipped the neck loop over her head and with the seize deal with positioned over her shoulder blades, wrapped the torso panels underneath her chest earlier than buckling. I used to be then in a position to alter the built-in strap within the neck loop in addition to the buckle straps on her aspect to attain a comfortable match. The harness-style jacket felt very safe, and Candy appeared snug.

We first tested it in our swimming pool. I nonetheless seen her head itemizing to 1 aspect or the opposite, however solely when attempting to vary instructions (with out the life jacket, this occurred even when attempting to swim a straight line). Satisfied this CFD was efficient, we hit the river! I used the deal with on the again to raise Candy into the kayak and place her between my legs. I felt assured that even when a manatee knocked us out of our boat (sure, that may occur in Florida) Candy would have the ability to maintain her head above water and probably swim to shore if I had been unable to get to her instantly.

I actually just like the NRS Dog Life Jacket and am anxious to check it on the seashore or on a paddleboarding journey! The solely characteristic that I don’t like is how small the seize deal with is. On the bigger sizes, the deal with could also be longer since there may be extra materials to work with, subsequently providing extra space beneath in your hand, however on our XS, the deal with could be very brief, and I discovered I may actually solely match a pair fingers underneath it comfortably. I can think about this changing into a major problem throughout an emergency scenario. Hopefully, we by no means run into that subject, and this jacket does even have a D-ring subsequent to the deal with, so you would maintain your canine tethered to you always if want be.

Conclusion

If you’re in search of an efficient and sturdy life jacket in your canine, look no additional than the CFD Dog Life Jacket from NRS. This is a high quality product from a time-tested firm and isn’t solely fairly priced but additionally comes with a lifetime guarantee. For out of doors fans seeking to take their canine with them on the water, the NRS Dog Life Jacket is efficient at retaining our canine companions secure to allow them to go on to take pleasure in one journey after one other!