DoggyStyle: Dog Gear for Walking, Running and On a Budget

The pups wearing their "Fashion Coats": RC Pet Products Poncho

Lately our inbox has been flooded with questions about our pups' dog coats. Living through many a Chicago winter, our pups have tried a few things. We definitely have not tried everything out there, but these have been our experiences trying to keep your pup warm while playing, going for daily walks, or on a budget:

On a Budget:

The pups wear their infamous hoodies

Sometimes it can be hard to believe that a dog coat can cost as much as our own coat, and with all of those other expenses that can add up we like to find lower-cost items where we can. Especially having to buy gear for more than one dog.
We are huge fans of the Zack and Zoey dog hoodie which can run a mere $12.
They can be worn on their own, or layered under a dog coat.
We also like they are customizable and once we discovered the ease of iron-on's we were quick to make retro team hoodies, Thing 1 and Thing 2 costumes, and these sports team costumes (sports-team apparel is the perfect-gateway for anyone hesitant to put gear on your pup).
For reference, our pups are about 65 lbs, Miss M is "boxer size" and Mr B is shorter and wider and they both wear size XL. Our former foster Levi was 50ish pounds  in this photo and he was a Large in the sweatshirt.

The only problem is being sweatshirts, they aren't suited for the rain or playing in the snow. 
We do have these inexpensive packable rain ponchos from RC Pet Products (I think they run about $15) that could be a layering option. 

They are a bit flimsier and they wouldn't offer a lot of protection for a dog who is our running and playing but they would work as an extra layer on walks. 
We wrote a more complete about the ponchos here. 

Just for Walking:

The pups try Canada Pooch dog parkas

We see our other dog coats as falling into two categories: durable coats for running and playing or fashion forward coats made just for walking.
Since our pups aren't really romping in the yard, and we use our coats primarily when we are out on our daily walks, you will see more photos of the pooches in their fashion-walking coats.
Our pups wear the RC Pet Products Skyline Puffy Vest, we wrote more about them here, and the Canada Pooch dog coats that we wrote about here. 
The main issue is that these coats both use velcro closures which will cause a wardrobe malfunction with any heavy running or deep snow. And they probably won't last as many years as coats with clip closures. They are slightly less-expensive and they have been holding up well for our low-key walks.

For Running and Playing:

Our pups wear vintage Ruffwear coats

These are the most expensive of the bunch, but we found that they are often worth it just to pay a lot of money upfront for the type of coat that can do it all.
We bought Ruffwear coats for our pups about 6 years ago. Ours are the older version of the K9 Overcoat. The only malfunction we have had is one prong of a clasp breaking off which can make taking it off a bit more difficult. Beyond that, they are well made, they are waterproof while being warm, and they won't fall off if the pups run. We wrote this review of Ruffwear's current coats, the Quinzee and updated K9 Overcoat, here. 
The other brand we've been introduced to is Hurrta.

Hurrta slush-suits

This is a company from Finland that designs gear for active and working dogs. The gear they make is comparable to a high-quality coat you would buy for a human. They take every detail into account, even considering the proper size cut-outs for bathroom breaks. We tried out the slush-suit which is a thin all-coverage for grime and we wrote about it, here. 

These are just our experiences, but we have also found Heather at Fit for a Pit to be a really good resource. She knows a lot about high-quality dog gear designed to fit larger and barrel-chested pups.
We have also written here about dog sweaters, our update on dog snoods, and our choice for dog boots. 
Plus our thoughts on finding things that fit larger dogs. 
And how we have saved money by using 'human products' for dog gear.

These are just our experiences. What has everyone else found out about dog coats? And what are your recommendations?

Also: Check our Facebook page for more photos, comments, and story lines beyond the blog.