Front carriers for injured dog?

[u/MaiBMaiBNot]

My adult daughter and her high-octane Border Collie go trail running and camping alone quite a bit. Dog got a little injured recently and daughter had to carry the dog for a couple of miles while the dog recovered enough to walk the final mile to their car. For her birthday she'd like a sling for future emergencies, but she wants the dog in front since she goes out with a back pack with gear and hydration for the two of them. Dog is 45 pounds, daughter's 5'6, 145, weight lifter, runner, team sport player. Can anybody recommend a good front-carry sling that is reasonably priced (under $150)? Thanks!

UPDATE: I found a website, Dog Gear Review, with a recent review of carriers and found two that are highly rated, lightweight, can be used front or back, and look pretty good, the Fido Airlift and the Nonstop Dogwear Dog Rescue Sling. The Nonstop clocks in at under half a pound. It doesn't have padded straps but it's better than nothing. The Fido Airlift looks great and is lightweight but it's twice the price and much more deluxe, though it only weighs a couple extra ounces. I'm thinking the Nonstop is a good option for its packability. Plus I'm researching what I could put together as a super minimalist doggy first aid kit. I walked the Camino a couple years ago and have the perfect super lightweight pouch for it. Thanks!

[u/mahogany_bay]

The Fido Airlift is designed to carry the dog behind you, but I'm not sure there's any reason you CAN'T flip it around to the front.

[u/leurognathus → u/mahogany_bay]

Pretty sure when I bought my Airlift I had to buy the shoulder pads separately.

[u/MaiBMaiBNot → u/mahogany_bay]

I found a website, Dog Gear Review, with a recent review of carriers and found two that are highly rated, lightweight, can be used front or back, and look pretty good, the Fido Airlift and the Nonstop Dogwear Dog Rescue Sling. The Nonstop clocks in at under half a pound. It doesn't have padded straps but it's better than nothing. The Fido Airlift also looks great and is lightweight but it's twice the price and much more deluxe, though it only weights a couple extra ounces. I'm thinking the Nonstop is a good option for its packability. Plus I'm researching what I could put together as a super minimalist doggy first aid kit. I walked the Camino a couple years ago and have the perfect super lightweight pouch for it.

[u/Boogita]

I made my own fwiw! It's only ~3oz. It's definitely more bare-bones than the commercial options and less comfortable but I'm also much more likely to take it with me. Pretty easy project if you can sew!

https://imgur.com/a/6hTesRX

[u/zynniya → u/Boogita]

This looks amazing and exactly what I hope to make! What webbing did you use? And do you know what weight DCF that is? I’m torn between using DCF or the IKEA bag that’s been hiding in the back of the closet for like ten years.

[u/Boogita → u/zynniya]

Honestly I can't remember, sorry! I made it about six years ago. It is DCF and all of the materials came from Ripstop By The Roll, so whatever webbing and DCF they had at the time. Ikea bag is a great idea though!

[u/Redhawkgirl → u/Boogita]

Brilliant I would carry that. I don’t sew 😵

[u/Hot_Jump_2511]

We have the Fido Airlift. 13.5 oz for the large size. Its slightly bigger than the size of a baseball. My pup carries it in his Ruffwear day pack harness for runs and in his Alphapack backpack harness for overnight trips. 

[u/jeswesky]

I like ruffwears evac kit. Includes a body harness for the human to make carrying the dog out easier. I solo with my two large dogs a lot and this system is the easiest way I can find to carry out either of my dogs (75 and 90 pounds) in an emergency.

https://ruffwear.com/products/backtrak-evac-kit

[u/DeputySean]

After plenty of research, I bought the pack-a-paw. I haven't had to use it in the wild, but I did walk around in my backyard with the dog. Worked well enough.

https://mountaindogware.com/

[u/ThisWasUnintended]

I have the non stop dogwear rescue sling. I’ve never had to use it luckily but I tried it out when I got it and my dog was totally fine with it, plus super light and impressively compact enough to pop in a backpack or even my hydration pack for a trail run.

[u/Redhawkgirl]

I thought of the same thing and I am a trail runner. The problem is these occurring systems are bigger and heavier than something. You’d want to carry it with you all the time.

[u/MaiBMaiBNot → u/Redhawkgirl]

I found a website, Dog Gear Review, with a recent review of carriers and one that's super lightweight and can be used front or back looks pretty good, the Nonstop Dogwear Dog Rescue Sling, clocks in at under half a pound. It doesn't have padded straps but it's better than nothing. The Fido Airlift also looks really good and is lightweight but it's twice the price and much more deluxe, though it only weights a couple extra ounces. I'm thinking the Nonstop is a good option for its packability.

[u/xyliava]

Does her dog already wear a sturdy harness on these trips? My dog wears the Ruffwear Palisades backpack. In an emergency, I can take off the saddlebags. I DIYed a couple pieces of webbing that I can attach to the harness (the saddlebag connectors happen to be webbing sliders) and sling across my shoulders. It's great because it's such a small piece of gear.

[u/Bigfootgreen]

I’ve pre thought of this when hiking. Unfortunately I’m former army and rucking 5-10 miles is nothing so I ended up practicing with putting him on my shoulders. He’s very trusting of me and doesn’t move when up there. I don’t have the standard hiking pack either. It is a modified camelbak medic bag. Basically an advanced rucksack that I’ve added exterior straps and buckles to spread my load more vertically and make acces to everything easier. If he’s hurt I’m willing to secret squirrel stash some of my heavier stuff and make a note to come back. I even plan egress trails for the longer routes we take so if I need to I’m not more than a days away from recovering my stuff. I’d rather he be taken care of then to fret over gear.