After mountain climbing the Appalachian Path in 2015, I turned devoted to the mountains. Tenting was not only a passion for me, it turned my motivation to stand up within the morning—I  found a very 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 strategy 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 dust street earlier than we pull as much as a dusty Colorado campsite. Bowser whines the entire means, realizing he’ll get to stretch his legs and sniff every thing within the forest when the automotive involves a halt. The mountains are our glad 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’d 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 strategy 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 finest nights. He’s at all times looking out for a resident bear or, God forbid, a moose! Because of the brand new campsite and all the brand new sounds and smells, he’s often wired for half the evening earlier than I persuade him to go to mattress.
Enter the Highlands Dog Sleeping Bag from Ruffwear, which has utterly 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 lowering your extremely anxious canine’s stress, however apparently it will possibly.
On our subsequent journey, Bowser initially ignores the sleeping bag. I slide the bag subsequent to mine, ready for his traditional 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 possibility 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 smooth, which is precisely what we’d like since we frequently discover ourselves in unforgiving terrain. Realizing that the Highlands canine sleeping bag is bolstered 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 underneath $100, and is constructed for some critical utilization: It has what it takes to deal with Bowser’s scissorhands. It felt like straightforward cash to spend for his (and my) consolation.
One other bonus: The bag is water resistant—important for Bowser, since he by no means shies away from a great dousing. In reality, I usually discover him mendacity in puddles simply to take a sip of mud water. Happily, his sleeping bag’s inside is stuffed 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 difficult to find out whether or not or not it’s sufficient for, say, the Rocky Mountains’ mercurial situations. Nevertheless it does characteristic an built-in sleeping pad compartment that permits me to bump up his system with extra heat. (It suits the closed-cell Highlands Dog Pad, however you would additionally create a DIY sleeping pad in your pup, like I did.)
Beforehand, I’d had some dangerous experiences washing delicate sleeping baggage, noticing afterward that the down had grow to be 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 realizing 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 submit Gear I Hold Dear: My Ruffwear Highlands Dog Sleeping Bag appeared first on Uncommon Path – An REI Co-op Publication.
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