After mountaineering the Appalachian Path in 2015, I grew to become devoted to the mountains. Tenting was not only a pastime for me, it grew to become my motivation to rise up within the morning—I  found a completely totally different way of life. So, when Bowser (half beagle, half pit bull) got here into my life, I knew we needed to discover a approach to journey collectively—for each of our sakes. Since then, we’ve made it a behavior: Each few weeks, we drive my blue Subaru Crosstrek down a ponderosa pine-lined filth street earlier than we pull as much as a dusty Colorado campsite. Bowser whines the entire method, figuring out he’ll get to stretch his legs and sniff the whole lot within the forest when the automobile involves a halt. The mountains are our pleased place … till it will get chilly.
When darkness descends, Bowser turns into a ninja. He’s so stealthy when the temperatures begin to drop that I barely discover him sneaking into my sleeping bag and kneading my ultralight sleeping pad together with his switchblade claws earlier than plopping down for the evening. He, like me, is a wuss concerning the chilly, so I perceive his dilemma. However after I hear a thump and a swoosh of air, I do know my sleeping pad is a goner. It’s time for a change.
On earlier adventures, I might use a spare sleeping pad and my puffy to tuck Bowser in for the evening. I’d wrap a jacket round him, fixing it in place with the jacket’s arms. Inevitably, he’d squirm till the jacket fell to the bottom. Then he’d make his approach to my facet to problem the sturdiness of my ultralight gear.
Bowser is such a diligent protector that he struggles to sleep even on his greatest nights. He’s at all times looking out for a resident bear or, God forbid, a moose! Due to the brand new campsite and all the brand new sounds and smells, he’s normally wired for half the evening earlier than I persuade him to go to mattress.
Enter the Highlands Dog Sleeping Bag from Ruffwear, which has fully modified our tenting expertise.
Recent out of the field, it puffs out into an oval form, with ornamental stitching all through the material and a grey inside. Taking a look at it, you wouldn’t instantly suppose it able to decreasing your extremely anxious canine’s stress, however apparently it could actually.
On our subsequent journey, Bowser initially ignores the sleeping bag. I slide the bag subsequent to mine, ready for his basic nerves to return out. His eyes widen once I start coaxing him inside. As soon as he’s in, I zip it closed earlier than he has the prospect to flee. Surprisingly, he grows silent in just some minutes and stays put for the remainder of the evening, resigning himself to his new outside mattress. I by no means even hear him budge.
Not like the fragile fibers of my überlight backpacking quilt, the bluesign®-approved 75-denier polyester of the Highlands Canine Sleeping Bag appears particularly tenacious. It handily stands as much as Bowser’s claws. The purple pooch pouch is sturdy and mushy, which is precisely what we’d like since we regularly discover ourselves in unforgiving terrain. Figuring out that the Highlands canine sleeping bag is strengthened additionally provides me the braveness to inch it nearer to the campfire on nights when s’mores and music are the main focus.
The value is correct too. The medium-size sleeping bag clocks in beneath $100, and is constructed for some critical utilization: It has what it takes to deal with Bowser’s scissorhands. It felt like simple cash to spend for his (and my) consolation.
One other bonus: The bag is waterproof—important for Bowser, since he by no means shies away from a superb dousing. The truth is, I typically discover him mendacity in puddles simply to take a sip of mud water. Thankfully, his sleeping bag’s inside is crammed with artificial down, which retains him heat even after he tucks his damp physique inside for the evening.Â
As somebody who’s traveled a number of thousand miles by foot, I’ll admit I initially winced on the Highlands’ bulk. At near 2 kilos, it weighs about the identical as my sleeping pad and quilt mixed. The sleeping bag additionally doesn’t have a temperature score, making it tough to find out whether or not or not it’s enough for, say, the Rocky Mountains’ mercurial situations. But it surely does characteristic an built-in sleeping pad compartment that enables me to bump up his system with further heat. (It suits the closed-cell Highlands Dog Pad, however you could possibly additionally create a DIY sleeping pad on your pup, like I did.)
Beforehand, I’d had some unhealthy experiences washing delicate sleeping baggage, noticing afterward that the down had change into limp and the heat deteriorated. Not like these sleep sacks, Bowser’s new bag is hand- and machine-washable, and comes clear simply. For small stains, I pull out a soapy rag to identify clear. After lengthy journeys, I stuff it into my front-load washer for a fast, chilly spin. After drying, the bag is fluffy and heat once more. And figuring out that the sleeping bag will contribute to a greater evening’s sleep for Bowser (and me!) the following time we exit for an journey brings a smile to my lips.
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The publish Gear I Hold Dear: My Ruffwear Highlands Dog Sleeping Bag appeared first on Uncommon Path – An REI Co-op Publication.
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