I know what you mean about hardware. I had my doubts about several of the
brands I tried. Most of the problems we ran into though had to do with fit and
straps being in awkward places.

Some tips I learned from our search for the right vest:

1. Look first at fit and second at features.
2. For active dogs who run and swim wearing their vests, look for
an athletic cut that does not hinder leg movement. Vests should
be cut high around the front leg/ shoulder area and allow full
range of forward motion on dry land and in the water.
3. The vest should hold the dog horizontally in the water which is
their natural position while swimming.
4. Look for designs that wrap around under the dog to offer support.
Designs where straps are the only thing under the belly tend to
force the rest of the vest to pucker outward making it float
independently on the surface of the water and the dog 'hangs'
somewhere below. Designs that incorporate some sort of support
underneath should work 'with' your dog rather than against him.
5. Buy a brightly colored vest. When you flip, and you will, all
boaters do at some point or another, you'll easily spot the
bright color of the dog who is already almost all the way to
shore by the time you've realized you don't know where your
paddle is! ;o)

The vest we ended up with is the Ruff Wear Float Coat. It not only fixed the
fit issues I saw in other designs because it has a very athletic cut and a low
profile, but it also has a thin layer of foam under the belly which offers
padding from the buckles. And the straps are also supported by the vest itself
so the straps are not cutting into the dog. The vest hugs his body and works
with him rather than pulling away from his body or floating above him in the
water.

In all the RW items I've used, I've never seen one of their buckles fail. The
fabric/ materials making up the item wear out long before the hardware and I end
up patching holes while the buckles, d-rings, lift handle, etc... are still in
excellent shape. I do wish in general they'd use tougher fabric for their packs
and warmth jackets, but the fabric of the Float Coat is the thickest I've seen
so I doubt in the years we'll have this that I will see the fabric wear out like
with their packs.

- Amy & Ripley

--- In DSA_TalkList@yahoogroups.com, "mtmt10001" <mtmt10001@...> wrote:
> Plus, having mesh on the underside and not having hard plastic snap buckles
makes it more comfortable for the dog to lie down and just in general wear the
life jacket, as well as swim with the jacket on.
>
> Of course, just my personal opinion and my personal experience, but I think
Fido Floats are GREAT! I was pleasantly surprised.
>
>
>
>
> -Kimberly
> Mochaccino (hearing/sighted shepherd/chow mix)
> Dakota (deaf/blind double merle/white Aussie)