Dog Gear

Featured review by Sheila Bergin Goss

When I was notified that we would be reviewing the Ruffwear K-9 Float Coat as Gear Brand Ambassadors for Backcountry K9, I was quite enthusiastic. Many others who paddle with their dogs had insisted that this canine life jacket is the best available. Now I would have a chance to test it out, and find out what all the shouting was about…well, now I am shouting! This is certainly a great life jacket for your dog.

We have canoed with our dogs for many years, and have always put them in a dog life jacket. We have not been dissatisfied with our current brands, both of which have served us adequately. However, as soon as I opened the box and closely examined this life jacket, I could see that the Float Coat was made with high quality standards, and I was excited to let Gryphon test it in the boat. Gryphon is a big-chested yellow lab mutt, with a thick ruff. He weighs approximately 72 pounds, and has a long body, and is not much of a swimmer.

Read more: Ruffwear Float Coat reviews (4)

Reviewed by Sheila Bergin Goss

The Ruffwear Kibble Kaddie is a waterproof, durable, and convenient way to carry your dog's kibble while traveling or camping. We have used it for winter hut camping, canoe camping, and car camping. I can recommend this bag to those looking for a way to securely transport their dog's kibble, keeping it dry and fresh.

With our two active adventure dogs, my husband and I are frequently traveling for car camping, pop-up trailer camping, winter hut camping, and back-country canoe camping. These trips require organization and planning, as they may last three days for a local camping trip, or up to three weeks for a cross-country trip. One of the keys to the success of our trips is keeping the dogs happy...a happy traveling dog makes life easier and more enjoyable for all. Since our dogs are rather food-oriented, and pretty obsessive about feeding times, the ability to have fresh, easily accessible, and dry (!) food for them is essential.

Read more: Ruffwear Kibble Kaddie review (1)

Reviewed by Sheila Bergin Goss

The Ruffwear Haul Bag is a large capacity (37L) duffel style bag, designed for convenient carrying of an assortment of dog gear. This bag is perfect for car camping or road trips, consolidating all your dog’s gear and accessories in one spot. The bag is well-designed, sturdy, and easy to carry. It makes a nice companion item with the Ruffwear Kibble Kiddie dog food bag, facilitating travels with any adventure pup. Ruffwear describes this Haul Bag as an improved version of previous models: "Fall 2019 brings a complete redesign with sturdy, waterproof material that's easy to clean, a removable shoulder strap, and more room for gear." This is the first Haul Bag I have owned, and I can say I am quite impressed with it, and can recommend it to others who adventure with their dogs.

Are you drowning in a sea of dog gear? Do you spend hours looking for that extra leash? Do you find yourself saying “I know there are more poop bags here somewhere!”                                     Okay, so I just want to know where the food is! Well, I am quite familiar with the above scenarios; though I am an extremely organized person by nature, our extensive dog gear collection somehow seems to end up stored in various crates, packs, drawers, shelves, and boxes.

Read more: Ruffwear Haul Bag review (1)

Featured review by Mbarcus

I love this pack!!! This thing has made it through hell and back and keeps goin. I sprayed a little silicone waterproof on and it can handle quick full submersions in creeks or whatever. The cinch straps make the load very solid which is very important with a dogpack. Due to the size of the terrier that wears this it drags on rocks and whatever else is close to the ground but 3 seasons and still rollin. I really like the reflective stripe for visibility it has held up to all the scrapes as well.

Read more: Mountainsmith Dog Pack reviews (4)

Reviewed by Sheila Bergin Goss

Our dogs are out with us in canoes and kayaks 3-4 days per week, and we need a durable, safe, reliable life jacket for them to use. We were not too familiar with this dog jacket until we won it from Get Outdoors in North Carolina. We have been very impressed with its quality, and the freedom and security it provides for our dog Edgar.

We received the Astral Bird Dog Canine Life Jacket together with the previously-reviewed Astral Ronny (human) PFD and Astral Brewer water shoes, from Get Outdoors, a North Carolina-based gear supplier. We consider ourselves fortunate to have won such high quality canoeing gear. We sized the jacket for my husband’s dog, Edgar, a smaller-than average 55 lb. Black Lab mix, in a very attractive red color.  The large size fits him very well.  Edgar used to wear hand-me-down jacket  from my dog, Gryphon.

Read more: Astral Bird Dog review (1)

Reviewed by BigRed

A rubber shower head for standard thread bottles, meant for dogs but works great for dog owners too!

Backpacking in hot weather is great if your day ends at a lake or river deep enough for a rinse-off before bedtime, otherwise you may be in for a sticky, grimy night. And in cooler weather it can be nice to get clean as well, but full immersion or a cold splash bath may not be entirely pleasant. This little doggie shower works just as well for humans, and offers a way to wash up in less than ideal circumstances. Our dear departed Ralphie would have hated it, only because he didn't like being washed in any way, even though he loved swimming.

Read more: Kurgo Mud Dog Travel Shower review (1)

Reviewed by Karl Snyder

Won't rub your dog the wrong way. All the buckles and snaps have a protective pad, that keeps them from rubbing directly against your dog.

This K9 backpack was all I expected it to be and more. Out of the box, I put it on my Black Lab Zeus. It adjusted quickly and fit great. It took him a few days to get used to it, because it made him over twice as wide as he was used to. I would highly recommend getting your dog used to this new wider profile than he/she is used to, before heading out on trail.  The packs themselves are quite large. He was able to carry his own bowl and food for our weeklong trip. I especially like the handle on the top, between the packs.

Read more: Mountainsmith K9 Dog Pack review (1)

Reviewed by Bob Peltzer

When used with the TT15 or T5 dog tracking collars this is a great tool for those off-leash moments when hunting or just enjoying recreation with your dog. The Alpha 100 receiver can also function as a stand alone GPS with mapping.

The Alpha 100 with the TT15 tracking collar allows you to track up to 20 dogs within a 9-mile range. It displays the track of each dog in a different color and lets you know when the dog has stopped and when the dog is barking. It has a training mode that can deliver a variable vibration or shock to the collar BUT I caution against using the shock unless you really understand dog training. Most dogs will never need such a correction. 2024 Update: I lost my hand unit in 2022 during a leek picking outing.

Read more: Garmin Alpha 100 review (1)

Reviewed by Sheila Bergin Goss

The Kurgo Journey Air harness is a lightweight (8 oz/ 226 gm) dog harness designed for outdoor dogs who like to hike and snowshoe, romping through woods and streams. According to Kurgo, the Air Journey is an upgrade from their Journey harness; this newer version has more padding, and is made lighter by the use of aluminum hardware. We have been testing this harness on Edgar, our 55-pound lab mutt—who is an active, tough, serpentine hiking, pucker-brush plowing, often hard pulling adventure dog—since the end of May 2020. Year-round, Edgar is out hiking 3-4 days per week on the trails of Vermont, New Hampshire, and the Adirondacks. While hiking and snowshoeing, each of our dogs is always on a trekking line, connected to us, so a well-fitting, strong, and reliable harness is essential. We hike in all conditions, so this harness has had a good workout so far. I like this harness, and more importantly, Edgar seems to also. It is comfortable for him, provides solid security, and seems durable despite its lightweight ventilated construction. We have successfully and confidently used this harness throughout the summer, fall, and into early winter, on our daily hiking and snowshoeing outings.

Edgar is an active outdoor dog, who participates in hiking, snowshoeing, paddling, skijoring, and kicksledding. He, and our other dog Gryphon, has a number of activity-specific harnesses, but the style harness that he uses most frequently is a hiking harness. We were excited for the opportunity to test out a Kurgo harness this spring. We have successfully used Kurgo products for years (such as car seat covers, car restraints, bowls, leashes), but neither of our dogs had used a Kurgo hiking harness before.

Read more: Kurgo Journey Air Harness review (1)