We recently purchased the Arcadia Trail Neoprene Dog Harness for our dog.
Arcadia Trail is a brand that is exclusive to Petsmart stores.
It is an over-the-head harness that is easy to put on. It comes in 5 sizes and 5 colors.
The Look
The Arcadia Trail harness comes in various colors: we opted for purple for our dog.
At first glance, the harness looks well made, with strong stitching and a padded chest area.
The harness does seem small on my dog compared to the size of her body, but it does its job on walks.
Features
Leash Rings
The harness has two metal rings for which to attach your leash: one in the front of the harness by your dog’s chest, and one on the top of the harness by your dog’s back. This gives you the option of using the harness as a traditional harness or as a “no pull” harness.
Lift Handle
There is a sewn-on lift handle at the top of the harness. This handle is very thick and feels strong and sturdy when you pull on it. We have used this a few times since getting the harness, if only to keep our dog close to us on a walk while other dogs or people were nearby and we were not able to avoid them.
Padding
This harness has a lot of padding to keep your dog comfortable on walks.
Attachment Straps
There are three straps on the Arcadia harness that can be adjusted. One at the chest, one on the top near the neck, and lastly one on the top at the rear of the harness. It was a little difficult to adjust the straps to find the right fit, but it was doable.
The clips to attach the harness are easy to attach, however, we have a very hard time un-clipping them after our outings. You definitely need two hands to undo the clips and take the harness off.
Additional Features
The Arcadia Trail Harness also features reflective stitching to increase visibility at night. It is also water resistant.
The Fit
The harness at first seemed to fit our dog well.
As she walks, it appears as if it is rubbing against her front legs. No matter how much we adjust the straps, it seems to keep rubbing against her. We even changed the harness to a smaller size, but it seems to keep happening.
We have used both the front and top leash rings and no matter which we use, the harness tends to move to the side as our dog walks. This results in us having to adjust the harness multiple times during our walk.
Pros:
- Well made with strong stitching that feels like it will last. Our dog has a tendency to pull when she walks and this has been able to withstand it without any issues.
- Padded chest and back.
- Strong lift handle.
- Adjustable straps.
- Can be used as a regular harness and a “no pull” harness.
Cons:
- Hard to undo the clips to get the harness off.
- Getting a good fit for your dog may take some trial and error.
- Harness can move out of place while you are walking.
Overall Impression
Overall, if you can get a good fit for your dog, the Arcadia Trail Dog Harness is a well made dog harness. It is strong enough to withstand pulling and has a heavy lift handle if needed. It can also be used two ways and is easy to put on your dog. The pros definitely outweigh the cons with this harness and is worth giving it a shot if you are in the market for one.
Please check out our other posts on Health, Indoor, Outdoor, and Travel accessories for your dog, as well as Reviews of various products and travel destinations.