This Pack Is More Into the Wild Than Back to School

The backpack from Charlie’s Backyard is perfect for dogs who love to hike and hold their own valuables.

October 1, 2023

If you’re anything like me, you spend an inordinate amount of time on the Internet looking at pictures of dogs wearing human accessories. A Chihuahua sporting sunglasses, a Basset Hound in a top hat, literally any dog with any wig on — these images have replaced my morning doom scroll routine. Unfortunately, beyond possibly inspiring the next great William Wegman piece, these types of dogified fittings present no practical value...until now. Cue the dramatic movie trailer music. Charlie’s Bag from Charlie’s Backyard is equal parts cute and useful, offering function for both pets and their people.

Charlie’s Bag is an adorable and functioning backpack designed specifically for your favorite trail buddy. Now, anyone who has ever gone hiking knows how important it is to bring a bag and how often no one does. Or more accurately, only one person brings a backpack and earns the delightful reward of carrying around everyone else’s crap all day. Luckily, Charlie’s Backyard has designed a bag for these pet parents who love their dogs as much as they love being prepared.

Woman and her small brown and white dog take a walk outside.

Soft Hiking Is Hardcore Good For You and Your Dog

Sorry, Miley. It’s not always about the climb.

With working zippers that open to actual storage space, the bag allows your pup to keep track of all their essential items whether you’re hitting the trails or just going for a picnic in the park. Plus, it’s lightweight so you don’t have to worry about weighing them down too much — though you should avoid putting bottled water or anything too heavy in there to be safe.

Doubling down on its utility, Charlie’s Bag is also designed to be a harness. The straps crisscross over the dog’s chest, with an added buckle below their belly for additional safety. At the top, a ring to clip your leash, so there’s one less thing to carry. Charlie’s Bag offers sizes ideal for dogs as small as three pounds to ones as big as 40 pounds, but given it’s essentially a harness, it’s not recommended for heavy pullers.

The backpack currently comes in three colors to accommodate a slew of styles; there’s the classic navy for outdoorsy Patagonia types, a polka-dotted violet for the fashion forward, or bright red for those who want to stand out among the trees. They even have a yellow option with a Baja strip if you ever wanted to see your dog resemble me playing hacky sack in college.

Charlie’s Bag Backpack

$36

$36 at Shop Dog & Co.

Sean Zucker

Sean Zucker is a writer whose work has been featured in Points In Case, The Daily Drunk, Posty, and WellWell. He has an adopted Pit Bull named Banshee whose work has been featured on the kitchen floor and whose behavioral issues rival his own.