Gear Review: Active Accessories For Four-Legged Trekkers

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By Kim Fuller                                                                       Published in Snowshoe Magazine

The first time I put the Kurgo Loft Jacket on our dog, Jack, the air was pushing its way into the negative digits outside our home in Minturn, Colorado. It was early November, but after a temperate and sunny Indian Summer this year, the first snowfall and cold snap hit with hard and fast. On this early morning, I bundled into a down jacket, and was happy to be able to put Jack into a cozy Polytech-fill shell of his own.

The Loft Jacket is simple and fast to put on, a necessary feature amidst the uppity nature of a dog before his walk. The quilted shell is reversible (which I didn’t realize until recently), and made from a rugged, ripstop material, which Kurgo calls Microtomic. It’s lightweight and surrounds a dog’s front legs and chest snuggly, and the shell covers the back but keeps the rear legs free for ease of walking and leg lifting.

You can adjust the jacket from both sides, so wraps around Jack’s core nicely. He usually shakes once I put it on him, but it stays right in place even as his head and tail fur flies up, electric with static. I haven’t washed the jacket yet, but it’s about that time, which is seemingly simple according to the machine washable instructions.

Jack likes to leap before he looks, so the reflective piping keeps him visible in sporadic flashes as I chase after him on the back streets of Minturn at night. If it’s snowing, the waterproof shell effectively slicks off moisture, so Jack stay dry on the road and on the trail.

The two-way zipper along the spine of the jacket is very helpful when using Jack’s leash, as it slips right through the gap, and would be perfect to incorporate with a harness (if we ever need to use one), as well.

Also, the jacket looks good. Now that it’s almost officially winter, every time we go outside he has it on. If he somehow makes it outside without it, he looks underdressed, and probably feels it, too.

We’ve also tried out Kurgo’s Atomic Drop Zippy Bowl, which is a lightweight and stowable water or food bowl. It’s very convenient to carry in a pocket or by its carabiner, so it’s ideal for snowshoeing if you pack the water and food separately.

We took the bowl with us on a trip to Jackson Hole, and it proved to be a little tippy once Jack was done sipping from it in the car (and I didn’t want to waste the water by dumping it). Same spillage happened on occasion in the hotel room, and we decided it was a bowl that was meant to be used one drink session at a time, rather than leaving it out for Jack’s paws to step on and spill.

The 48 ounce bowl is waterproof itself, so it can stand on packed snow nicely, it’s machine washable and is BPA free.

For more information on these Kurgo products and more, visit kurgostore.com.