r/BackpackingDogs • u/PartyRequirement4458 • 1d ago
Cold Paws
I just started hiking with my dog and started looking into how to make sure he's warm and safe if I went backpacking. Luckily, for a school project at CU Boulder, I had to work with Sundial Dog Gear for a semester long project. I was basically forced to write a blog but then I started researching and actually looking into paw care and realized how important it was. I'm sure other people were in my same shoes so I wanted to share a blog about it. Full transparency: I'm not trying to sell anything. Just thought that more people should make sure to keep their dogs warm. Blog
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u/IFigureditout567 7h ago edited 7h ago
What are you looking for here? The blog is pretty much just marketing material, and doesn't address the issue in your title. I've got my dog's layering fairly well dialed in, but I'm concerned about his paws, so I'd hoped for something informative.
The Sundial gear looks damn decent. For the price of the puffy, I'd like to know what insulation and what weight I'm getting. If it were Apex or Primaloft, they'd say so. Comparing to puffys like Magnet Designs' Canis Quilt or the now defunct Groundbird Gear Turtle-Top Quilt, the puffy doesn't seem to adapt well to a comfortable sleeping quilt, which is a shame.
The fleece is obviously an excellent material, I think I'd prefer that over my dog's Alpha Direct fleece for a number of reasons, though I'd like to see an option to cover the meaty part of the hips.
Same with the shell, material is ideal and the weight is the best I've seen, but I'd like an option to cover hips and belly etc like the Montbell and Woofo options.
I understand the price and don't hate them for it. If I had an extra $415 burning a hole in my pocket, I'd be glad to give it a try. The fleece is the only one I'm super interested in because by itself, it beats out my Alpha fleece and is more durable. The Alpha is difficult to layer on and can get twisted, ride down and caught up on his fur and doesn't always fit the way it should because of the way it "sticks" to him.
All in all, it's great to see more options on the market and to see people actually developing true UL gear for dogs. It's fantastic to see, actually, really REALLY great.
I still want to dial in protection for the feet, so if you have any info that actually pertains to the title of your post, please share it.