Our hiking kit list – dog edition
With so much dog gear available on the market now, we’ve learnt that it really is worthwhile buying things that will last. We’ve put together a kit list of everything we wouldn’t go without when it comes to travelling, hiking and adventuring with Poppy and Maple.
Note: there are affiliate links in this post and I may earn a small commission if you choose to purchase an item (at no additional cost to you).
Everything in the list below has been tried and tested by me extensively. I’d never recommend something I didn’t really love.
Dog Leads
We have sifted our vast number of dog leads down to 3 main ones now and they fall into 3 main categories: the ‘smart’ leads, the everyday walk leads and the hiking leads! They all serve a purpose for us in their own way and I’d really recommend all 3 of the below options. Firstly, the leather leads from Dogs and Horses are by far the most beautifully crafted, high quality leads we’ve come across over the years. We even used these leads for the dogs at our wedding!
The Halti training leads are just so adjustable that these really have become our every day leads – with multiple rings along the lead you can adjust the length, quickly clip around a table or chair and they’re so soft and comfy to hold.
The non-stop dogwear bungee leads are the perfect option for hiking and come in various lengths, plus they’ve recently released this in the most beautiful teal colour! We have the 2 metre 1.4mm option.
Dogs and Horses leather lead
Halti training lead
Non-Stop Dogwear bungee lead
Dog jackets/fleeces
Probably our most asked question on instagram is ‘where are the dogs fleeces from?’ – I found them on an Etsy shop years ago and they’re a really good price, made to measure and have lasted us years and years. I’d recommend to anyone (but make sure you get your measurements right!) We love these fleeces in the winter months to keep the dogs warm, dry and as free from mud as possible.
In terms of jackets, we’ve been really impressed with the gear from Non-Stop Dogwear. Maple is a very slim but deep chested dog so it can be difficult to find off the shelf options for her. Whereas Poppy is very little but quite long in the body, so some brands come up very short on her. The jackets from Non-Stop Dogwear are so adjustable that they’ve been absolutely perfect in all types of weather.
We use the Fjord raincoat for wet weather – it almost asks as a waterproof shell jacket and can be worn all year round as it isn’t insulated. We use the Glacier jacket for dry but cold weather – this is an insulated jacket so you could think of it as almost equivalent to a human down jacket. Maple wears a size 55 and Poppy wears a size 40.
Tailored Hounds pull on fleece
Harnesses
The dogs only really wear harnesses if we’re hiking in the mountains and we tend to walk them on collars in day to day life. However we definitely find them useful for being able to give the dogs a lift up over bigger rocks, as more comfortable attachment points on long lead sections and for securing the dogs in the car.
Poppy fits both Ruffwear and Non-Stop Dogwear harnesses really nicely, whereas Maple fits into the Non-Stop harnesses much better so just has one of these.
We really like the handle on the Rangemaster harness if we’re going to be doing a challenging hike, as the handle can come in really handy. Otherwise the line harness from Non-Stop is our preferred option as a lightweight hiking harness.
Other essentials
Tick removers are something I carry with me pretty much permanently – they’re super cheap to pick up on Amazon and really easy to just keep in your first aid kit.
Maple is very much ball driven (she’d take a ball over treats any day) and the high bounce balls from Sportspet are her absolute favourite! They seem pretty much indestructible, can be washed as they’re a rubber material and come in loads of different colours.
Hopefully you’ll find this list helpful in planning what your dogs might need for your next adventure.
You absolutely do not need everything on this list to enjoy the great outdoors, so get outside and enjoy your adventures with your dogs!
