Sleeping Bag for Dog?

I read something about Montbell releasing some next year. They will only have 3 sizes, but they adjust accordingly to fit different breeds. :-p

I got a coleman sleeping bag for dog at amazon.com. Works great. Not exactly an ultralight sleeping bag, more like the old fashioned sleeping bags but sized for a dog, and easy to clean (wash).

http://preview.tinyurl.com/6obnbs

I just carry an extra piece of closed cell foam for underneath, and my old MB UL Down Inner, which can be snapped close to make ~ sleeping bag, or just piled on top of the dog. I think a dog bag would be a very good beginners MYOG project too!

Karl,
Slight thread drift here…

Be sure your 10 year old dog is up to a backpacking trip.
Nothing is more woeful that a suburban marshmallow floundering halfway through the trip.

My apologies if he is rough and tumble and ready to go. :-0

Yeah, agree. MYOG possibilities are plenty. Another option that I’ve done for my dog was to go to Goodwill and buy a fleece pullover (they are almost a dime a dozen). I cut the sleeves off just above her elbows. The only other mod was to make about a 10 inch cut at the bottom front of the fleece (dogs waist and stomach area), take some of the girth out and sew it back up to make it fit more snugly. It doesn’t have to be pretty. I put that on her and give her a pad to sleep on. I put it in a gallon size ziplock bag and she carries it herself. She’s a Golden, so she has a little bit longer hair than your dog, so not sure if it would work for you. But it’s cheap.

I've heard the Jacks at Jacks'R'Better are working on a wearable canine quilt, so the poochies can take care of their nature calls during the night on their own.

I guess the main problem is finding something small that will stay securely over the dog. An 8-12 ounce down blanket would probably be perfect until the dog shifts around and it falls off him (nylon ripstop is too slippery…). Depending on your dog's personality, your best solution might be to snuggle up next to each other and lay your own sleeping bag over both of you like a quilt.

What about a little cheap fleece blacket? Light, tough and probably would stay on okay. Fleece doesn't pack the smallest but it would be better than down for a dog. Plus you could even hand sew little clips/straps on it if he had a hard time keeping it over him.

My pup doesn't use a blanket anywhere even though he's spoiled and sleeps on our bed at home. If he gets really cold, he'll just squeeze in between my wife and I in the tent or slide up next to one of us.

There's nothing wrong with carrying a little blanket for him, just that dogs usually don't "need" one in temperatures that most of the backpacking population goes out in.

Go for the Cadillac. Just get your dog a really nice Western Mountaineering Down Comforter that they can use. I am sure the dog will be really warm no matter where you are.

http://www.westernmountaineering.com/index.cfm?section=Products&page=Cloud%209%20Comforter

There has to be a niche there somewhere. Nunatak, do you realize how many doq sized quilts you can make with the down and Epic fabric it takes to make one of your quilts? I'm astounded at some of the prices of dog packs, so I'm sure you'd get a few buyers.

There's quite a few dog blankets and booties out there, I don't know how packable and light they are, as far as fitting into a dog-sized pack.

I kind of like this. :-)
http://www.jefferspet.com/product/snow-angel-heated-parka-20152.cfm
Look through their dog clothes section and I'll bet you could find something at a reasonable price. I think a coat and some booties would keep Rover barky.

This place has some nice stuff to.
http://www.k9topcoat.com/group.asp?grp=14

I will need to hide this thread from my canine hiking partner. My loyal dog will request a trade or file for free agency if she finds out that not all dogs have to sleep on what nature provides. No need to buy a canine sleeping bag, buy (adopt) a tougher dog :).

My wife just zipped her jacket around our dog on one trip.
Its front legs in the sleeves.

Greg:

No marshmallow he. He pulls hard on walks and still runs like a pup. It's his master who, in comparison, might be thought a marshmallow.

Karl

All:

I looked at the recommended web sites and marveled at what is available: even wetsuits for dogs! And an electric parka!

On the observation that dogs indeed can be comfortable in uncomfortable-to-us temperatures, I think I'll begin simply (a foam pad and some sort of blanket) and work up from there, based on how he seems to tolerate things.

Karl

One of my friends has a dog who is super fit (no extra fat) and is very short haired.

Poochie would shiver all night long! How unfair was that…so beyond a pad (which all dogs deserve!) she had a sleeping bag added. No more fitful sleeps – pooch went off to doggie slumber, content and warm.

If you have an extra old down jacket consider that – it packs down and the dog can carry it as well.

So worth it to avoid a cold stinky dog trying to get in your expensive sleeping bag (or digging claws into the outside!) ;-)

These might be something worth looking at –
http://www.dogbooties.com/products/dogblankets.html

Also, just my 2-cents if you're using the dog booties with the hard rubber soles you might want to consider something else. In my experience (and that of thousands of other dog mushers) the flexibility provided by a cloth boot is the way to go (they're also much lighter for the dog!).

http://www.dogbooties.com/dogbooties.html

One of the best pieces of advice I've ever gotten re: working with dogs – Is to know what normal is, so you can recognize when something is wrong. i.e. know what your dogs pads and toes, etc look and feel like at home, so you asses their condition on the trail.

Here are a couple other good sources of dog gear –
http://www.howlingdogalaska.com/supplies.html
I have this dog coat –
http://www.coldspotfeeds.com/product_info.php?manufacturers_id=4&products_id=643

-matt

hi

When I started taking my dogs winter camping I made doggie horse-blankets out of an old synthetic sleeping bag. Fastex buckle underneath and around neck. Simpler solution, bring an extra old-ish fleece or down vest. Size medium seems to work for 60-90 pound dogs. See!

.

"Alaskan sled dogs are able to sleep outside, directly on the snow, in sub freezing conditions. No sleeping bag, no booties."

Just to be clear, most sled dogs are given straw and dog blankets (coats) to sleep on and wear booties the majority of the time they're out on the trail working. Only really specialized dogs like Will Steger's "Polar huskies" or some old-school indigenous dogs are comfortable directly in the snow. Also, keeping in mind these dogs live outside year round in this environment and are conditioned for this type of thing.

So the bottom line is, give your dog what it needs to be safe and happy out on the trail with you. I think dog blankets are a good idea for the majority of dogs when things get cold and windy. And booties are a good idea any time you're asking your dog to walk/run long distances. Regardless of how tough your dog might be.

Also, the primary function of dog booties is to protect their feet from abrasion, not necessarily to keep them "warm".

-m

my gf is a vet, i'll ask her about this

I'm not a dog person, and if I have a dog, it's an outside dog. (I live in the country.) Two years ago, I inherited an old dog, when it's owner died. The poor guy was just miserable in the cold weather. I put a lot of blankets and such in his dog house, but it didn't seem to help. I then rigged the dog house up with heat. It was toasty in there. The formerly frozen and sluggish boy went from the state of curling up and shaking to laying on his back with his feet up in the air enjoying the warmth, and he became happy and playful again. Well, the next thing I knew every dog in the neighborhood had found his house and it turned into a party pad. I never did have much luck with running his new friends off.

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Indeed. If someone posts something which you believe is wrong or even dangerous, just point it out in a calm and respectful manner. Personally-directed comments usually just lead to a bit of a flame war and everyone goes home unhappy (including other people reading the thread!). We're all here to help each other, right?