We've tried three other companies' harnesses trying to find the right fit, but this Ruffwear harness has a few clear wins for us! First, the straps are far enough down on the belly that they didn't chafe in my dog's armpits. I've had major problems with that on other harnesses and was really excited to see no parts of this harness seemed to impede joint movement. Our first longer hike today was 3 miles, and there was no rubbing, hair loss, or scabs showing after wearing this harness that long (which has been a problem before in other company products sadly. Ruffwear for the win!).
Second, the handle is far enough down on the spine if something were to happen on the trail the my dog were to get stuck or injured, I can evenly lift a lab's weight from the handle's placement on the body. I also noticed as we walked that the harness kept its place even with a leash hooked on the back loop, so my dog was getting better signals from me down the leash than with other harnesses that slip around or twist more. This was an unexpected perk!
While it feels strange to see how small the sown panels are on the top and bottom, they are supportive and won't overheat my labradors while hiking which I appreciate more. My male dog was a little unsure with the first fitting since it goes so far back on his rib cage as that second strap approached the end of his stomach near his privates, but besides a caution when fitting short-torso male dogs, we've got two paws up here!