Non-stop Dogwear Rock Harness Long Review

About Non-stop Dogwear

Non-stop Dogwear was founded in Norway only ten years ago, and today, you can find their products in over 1,000 stores in 22 countries. We love their passion for designing the best-fitting dog harnesses to “release their potential,” as their slogan says. Their focus is on pulling harnesses and other types of equipment for skijoring, canicross, etc., but they also have a few harnesses more suited for everyday dog walks or hikes - like the Rock Harness Long that we are just reviewing ;)

Non-stop Dogwear Rock Harness Long

For hikes, walks and mild-pulling

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About the Rock Harness Long in General

The Rock Harness Long is Non-Stop Dogwear’s first three-strap harness with adjustability on all straps!

This multi-use dog harness is created to handle a variety of activities, from daily walks through tracking, obstacle racing, or hiking. For those working on no-pull training, the harness offers a no-pull attachment point in the front, complementing the standard leash connection point on the far back of the harness and the webbing loop right behind the neck that lets you maintain control in busy places.

Designed with pressure distribution in mind, it boasts an innovative cross-support strap at the harness’s base (between the second and the third strap), evenly distributing pressure across the top and bottom for optimized power transfer when there is leash pressure. This feature ensures it can accommodate moderate pulling activities without the last strap putting all the pressure on the dog’s underside.

Non-stop Dogwear Rock Harness Long Review | Dog Gear Review

We will talk about sizing below, but in terms of fit, the Rock Harness Long is highly adjustable around the neck and chest, accommodating a wide range of dog sizes. Four Duraflex side-release buckles make it easy to put on and take off without lifting a leg.

This harness is crafted with the unique HexiVent material (same as their Rock collar and original (short) Rock harness), offering excellent padding and breathability to ensure that the dogs stay cool, comfortable and dry faster while out on an adventure. The underside of the harness is also made of the same material and connects all straps under the chest - preventing the third strap from sliding behind the rib cage and putting pressure on the soft tissue.

Rock Harness Long Sizing - Small vs. Medium Harness

Zu tends to be between sizes with her deep chest and small neck, which was also the case with this harness. Her chest circumference falls into the lower end of the medium size range while her neck is small, so Non-stop sent us both to test them and compare sizes.

Below, you see the medium and the small next to each other As you see, the two harnesses have a significant size difference.

Small size

Medium size

The medium was a bit long, reaching behind the rib cage on the dog’s underside when there was leash pressure, and the neck section sat too low on her shoulders, even on the tightest adjustment. I liked this harness’s armpit clearance and back coverage, and Zu was very comfortable wearing it off-leash.

The small fits her neck well, but the chest straps are just a bit too tight even when loosened all the way. The smaller back coverage also gave very minimal visibility from the side (although this is not a high-visibility harness in general) and sat just a tad too close to the armpits - still usable, but she could use a bit more room for shoulder movement on long hikes. The extra strap connecting the second and third straps was also at a weird angle on the small harness, making it twist and probably doing a worse job distributing the pressure due to its steep angle.

As always, be sure the harness is a good fit for YOUR dog. If you need help deciding, read our article on harness fitting.

As shown below, there is also a significant difference between the width of the chest plate on the front, as you see in the photos below (medium first and small second). Zu has a narrow build and a very pointy chest, which caused the small harness to slide to the side more, while the wider chest section kept the whole harness in place well while still not being too wide to chafe the inside of the legs. I also liked the better weight distribution offered by the wider chest section.

Chest section of the Small size

Chest section of the Medium size

Rock Harness Long Review

I was very excited to test the Rock Harness Long as I already loved the material and quality of the original (short) Rock harness that we reviewed before.

The Hexivent material is awesome: soft and padded but breathable (you can see through its holes) and still holds up very well. The Rock collar was my go-to collar with Mia and now with Zulu as well. I heavily used these over the years and ran into zero quality issues, fading or fraying so far.

The Rock Harness Long is a great addition to this line! I love the innovation that went into the design and the material instead of just copying an existing three-strap harness.

The issue with three-strap harnesses or any gear offering extensive coverage is always the fit - especially when it needs to fit a wide range of breeds and use cases. As we discussed above, neither the medium nor the small fit Zulu well, and although she is a hard-to-fit dog, I keep seeing dogs with the same issue.

This is not something that Non-stop Dogwear could have truly prepared for before they had data from thousands of dogs. As they did adjust the sizing of their harnesses in the past to fit the in-between dogs better, like in the case of the Line Harness 1.0 vs. 5.0 and Ultra harness (the Rock Harness 1.0) vs. the current Rock harness, therefore, I wouldn’t be surprised if they would come out with more sizes or with a Rock Long 2.0 in the near future to improve the fit.

As a guideline, I compared the (short) Rock medium harness and the Long medium fit, and they are pretty close on Zulu, so if you have tried the original Rock harness, you can probably estimate the fit of this one before buying.

I feel this harness fits better after some use when the panels are “shaped” as the dog, but it is pretty flexible and not rigid out-of-the-box either.

With both the short and long Rock Harnesses, I struggled to adjust the neck straps as there was an elastic loop on the strap holding it in place. For both Mia (short medium) and Zu (long small), I needed to place the slider under that elastic loop, which is tight enough to make fine-tuning a bit hard and annoying. The good news is that it stays in place well once set, so you only need to deal with it initially.

The Rock Long is a great quality, highly adjustable, and still a very light harness. The buckles are plastic but feel sturdy, and the straps did not loosen up when threaded through properly. I have used it for long hikes where Zu needed a lift here and there, and the small handle was perfect for that without posing a significant risk of getting tangled in the woods. It also dries very fast and is reasonably easy to clean, so it worked well for the muddy trails.

For hiking, I would prefer it to be more visible - even if just the straps on the side would be orange or the top panel’s edge would be finished with orange. Currently, it is pretty hard to see on a darker dog from the side, which is a shame because it is a beautiful harness - and also because some added visibility would be safer, especially in the autumn.

Functionality review:

No-pull correction: While it isn’t the main purpose of this harness, it can be used for no-pull training. The longer design gives more stability to the harness and reduces the rotation/riding up on the neck when used with the front attachment point, which makes its steering power more effective.
Running/Biking: If it fits your dog well, it is great for bikejoring, jogging, etc.; if the dog runs next to you or doesn’t pull much, we suggest buying proper equipment to get into pulling sports seriously!
Hiking: It’s perfect! It has a handle on the back, doesn’t soak in water, dries fast, and is breathable.
City walk: Works well! You can use the webbing attachment closer to the neck for better steering power in busy places.
Easy to put on/adjust: It has four buckles, so you don’t need to lift a leg, although it has to go over the head. Adjusting is easy, besides the struggle with the elastic loop on the neck-straps, and having 6 (8) straps means a lot of fine-tuning at the beginning. Don’t forget to pull through the straps in the slider one more time to avoid loosening (as seen in the photos).
Visibility: it has reflective stripes on the edges, but the harness is dark - even the orange section has a black mesh over it, so it is not a particularly visible one.

Review Summary

The Non-Stop Dogwear Rock Harness Long is a great, durable harness, and it would be unbeatable for our adventures if there would be a size between S/M and if it would be a bit more visible. I really enjoy the HexiVent material, the design, the quality, and the look.

The whole Rock series is the type of gear that will not draw much attention when you just see it in photos or even in real life from a distance, but all people loved it once I put them in their hands. It is a low-profile line with a great user experience for both the dog and the owners!

The Rock Harness Long is available in black (with orange accents) and comes in sizes ranging from XS to XL, catering to various dog breeds and sizes.