I hike most Saturdays near Bend, Oregon, with Moss, my 6-year-old Australian shepherd mix. He is 46 pounds and about 21 inches at the shoulder. Four years ago I started using trekking poles on the longer days, and a loop handle in my fist stopped working. I bought the Tuff Mutt hands free leash three and a half years ago. It has been buckled around my waist on every hike since, from 4 mile mornings to a couple of overnight trips each summer.
This is not a rundown of every waist leash sold. It is ten reasons this setup suits the hiking I actually do, and a few limits I would tell a friend at the trailhead. Moss wears his Ruffwear harness on shorter days and his day pack on the longer ones, and the leash clips to whichever is on him. None of it made him a different dog. It made the day easier to manage.
Three and a half years of Saturdays, one waist buckle
The Tuff Mutt leash is 48 inches of 1 inch wide nylon with a shock absorbing bungee and a waistband that adjusts from 26 to 48 inches. It is the one piece of gear that never comes out of my pack between hikes.
Amazon See the Tuff Mutt Leash on Amazon →Two hands on the poles when the trail tilts
The whole reason I switched was a steep half mile on a Cascade trail where I wanted both poles planted. With the leash buckled around my waist I can climb the way I want, and Moss walks ahead on the bungee. The Tuff Mutt waistband adjusts from 26 to 48 inches and sits over my layers without riding up. Before this I was swapping a loop between hands every few minutes, and the walk felt busier than it needed to. Now the climb is the only thing I think about.
The bungee softens the stop when Moss puts on the brakes
The listing says the shock absorbing bungee stretches 4 to 5 feet, and that give is the part I notice. When Moss stops suddenly to sniff something, the pull arrives softer than it did with a plain 6 foot leash. It is not a leash for a dog who lunges hard, and I would not pretend otherwise. For a dog who mostly walks ahead, the bungee takes the jolt out of the small surprises. Moss is 46 pounds, and the difference on my waist is real.
The short handle gets us past a crowded trailhead
The leash has two handles. I use the waist loop on the trail and the short collar handle in parking lots and at busy trailheads, where I want Moss close to my leg. It gives me firm control when we pass people or another dog, and then I let it out again. That one detail is why I stopped using a plain handheld leash on hikes. The short handle is also what I hold on a steep downhill where I want him beside me instead of ahead.
It fits over a rain shell or a summer shirt
The waistband adjusts from 26 to 48 inches, so the same leash works over a light shirt in July and over a rain shell and fleece in October. I set it once at the start of a hike and do not touch it again. The 1 inch wide nylon does not dig in the way a thin cord would, and the buckle stays where I put it. I have hand washed it a few times and it has not shrunk or stiffened.
The snap clip works with the harness and the day pack
On shorter hikes the snap clip goes on the back V-ring of Moss's Ruffwear harness. On longer hikes he wears the day pack instead, and the clip goes on the pack's own leash point. He still wears a flat collar with his ID tags, but on a trail the leash never clips to the collar. That has been the routine for four years. The snap closure on the Tuff Mutt leash is easy to work with one hand, even when my other hand is holding a pole.
Three and a half years, every hike, one waist buckle, and nothing has broken.
Moss settled into walking ahead in about three hikes
He had only ever walked on a 6 foot leash at my side. The first hike with the waist leash he kept looking back, the second he tested the bungee, and by the third he was walking a little ahead without tugging. That was three and a half years ago. He still walks the same trails at the same pace. The bungee gives a slight bounce on his end, which I notice more on pavement than on dirt.
At 8.8 ounces I stopped noticing it
The leash weighs 8.8 ounces. It is 48 inches long and 1 inch wide, and it rolls up into the top of my pack when the hike is done. I have hand washed it now and then. Nothing has frayed, the snap clip still closes with a click, and the bungee still has its give. For a piece of gear that lives in a pack and gets rained on, that is what I want.
I can pour water with both hands at a break
At a break I unclip the Kurgo Zippy Bowl from the outside of my pack, pour from the bottle, and set it down for Moss. With the leash around my waist I have both hands free for that. It sounds small until you have tried to hold a bowl, a bottle, and a leash loop at the same time on a windy ridge. I fill the bowl about a third of the way at each stop, Moss drinks, and we go on.
It works on snowshoe days, not only dirt
I snowshoe a few times each winter, and the leash comes with us. It goes around my waist over my layers, and the snap clip goes on the harness. The Tuff Mutt nylon and the bungee do not care about the season. I keep the short handle in my hand on the snowy sections where I want Moss closer. It has been part of three winters now and still looks like the day I bought it.
The lifetime warranty ended my search
The Tuff Mutt listing carries a lifetime warranty. I have not tested it, because nothing has broken in three and a half years. That record is the reason I stopped looking at other waist leashes. I bought this one with my own money, I use it every hike, and I would buy it again. If a buckle ever fails, I will write about that here.
What I'd Skip
I would skip this leash if your dog lunges hard at other dogs or wildlife. The bungee gives a little, and a little is not enough for a hard charger. I would also skip it if you like a handheld leash and your hands are free, because the waist setup takes a few hikes to feel normal and you may not want to bother. And if you clip to a flat collar on trails, change that habit first. In my experience the Tuff Mutt leash is a good tool, not a substitute for a dog who has learned a loose leash walk.
If your hands are full of poles, this is the leash I would hand you
48 inches, 1 inch wide nylon, a bungee that stretches 4 to 5 feet, and a waistband that adjusts from 26 to 48 inches. Mine has been on every hike for three and a half years.
Amazon See the Tuff Mutt Leash on Amazon →