While I thought we were already quite experienced with cold weather, after experiencing the #5 snowiest winter in Chicago's recorded history, and living through temperatures rivaling those of the South Pole (twice!!) we are now rethinking some of the different types of gear we might need for our daily winter walks.
We were super-excited when Fit for a Pit --an online store carrying specific products for often hard-to-fit pit bull-type dogs--asked if we wanted to try out a slush suit from the Hurtta line of products.
Hurtta is a company in Finland designing gear for active and working dogs. They really put a lot of thought into the details to make sure their gear is comfortable and practical for dogs on the go.
Seeing we were now facing everything from extreme cold to melting grime, we decided to try the Hurrta Slush Combat Suit which offers full-body coverage.
At first we were a bit confused that this coat doesn't come with any padding; it's made from a thick, windbreaker material that you would find on a human coat. Then we understood this gives it the versatility: for extra warmth you can layer with a hoodie underneath and the windbreaker material is airtight to keep things warm.
Or for those days that it is really too warm for a thick coat, but the streets are filled with "Chicago Grime", it can be worn on its own so you don't need to give your pup a bath each time they come back inside.
The suits feel substantial and sturdy and comparable to a high-quality coat you would buy for a human. They also have all types of little details to allow you to individualize the fit for your dog and really work for active running and playing. We like that they have a full zipper and button closures to make sure there are no wardrobe malfunction; they even have a drawstring at the waist to adjust to your individual dog so they won't pee on the suit.
Even the legs have two levels of snaps to make sure the suits stay up for your pups' specific legs; you can see how we were able to adjust them for Miss M's lanky legs and Mr. B's T-rex stubby legs.
You can also make them look like harem pants!
The neck also comes all the way up and has a drawstring to keep snow out. Though we kind of like the 'popped up' look that reminds us a bit of the "Sprockets" skit.
The coats are a bit confusing to put on at first since they unzip all the way flat and your pup needs to stay still long enough to allow you to put each front leg in the sleeve. It still takes me awhile to figure out how to put them on. Hurtta did add a little snap at the top to help it stay in place while you add the back legs. It has been a bit time-consuming as we're getting the hang of how to put on the coats, but I think it definitely saves time that now all the dirt stays on the suit and we don't need to clean the slush and mud off of our dogs when we come back inside.
Since the coats are full-coverage, it initially took them a bit longer to get used to wearing them, much like when they first tried wearing boots. Miss M spent some time doing the awkward duck walk...which happened to be especially entertaining while being done in 'harem pants'.
These coats do run a bit pricy, but they seem to be well-made and the equivalent of a high-quality human jacket and I can see them lasting for the lifetime of the dog.
I also keep thinking how these could double as really funny Halloween costumes. Maybe they could go as Breaking Bad? Or the Village People?
Fit for a Pit has kindly offered to give away one Hurrta Slush Combat Suit to one lucky pup.
There are two ways to enter, and each person can enter two times.
Let us know: What would your pup enjoy doing with the Hurrta Slush Combat Suit?
1) Let us know by commenting on our blog post here.
2) You can also enter by posting a photo on our Facebook page of your pooch and letting us know what you would do with the new coat. (Even if you just posted a photo...we really do love seeing photos of your pups so much!)
Details:
-You have two chances to win: commenting on the blog and posting a photo on our Facebook page
-We will use a random number generator to randomly choose one winner from total blog and Facebook comments.
-You have until Tuesday, February 25 at Midnight (EST) to post your comment or photo.
-Winners will be announced on Facebook and at the bottom of this post. Winners are responsible for contacting us to claim your prize.
-Winners must live within the contiguous United States.
Seeing we were now facing everything from extreme cold to melting grime, we decided to try the Hurrta Slush Combat Suit which offers full-body coverage.
At first we were a bit confused that this coat doesn't come with any padding; it's made from a thick, windbreaker material that you would find on a human coat. Then we understood this gives it the versatility: for extra warmth you can layer with a hoodie underneath and the windbreaker material is airtight to keep things warm.
Or for those days that it is really too warm for a thick coat, but the streets are filled with "Chicago Grime", it can be worn on its own so you don't need to give your pup a bath each time they come back inside.
Even the legs have two levels of snaps to make sure the suits stay up for your pups' specific legs; you can see how we were able to adjust them for Miss M's lanky legs and Mr. B's T-rex stubby legs.
You can also make them look like harem pants!
The neck also comes all the way up and has a drawstring to keep snow out. Though we kind of like the 'popped up' look that reminds us a bit of the "Sprockets" skit.
Since the coats are full-coverage, it initially took them a bit longer to get used to wearing them, much like when they first tried wearing boots. Miss M spent some time doing the awkward duck walk...which happened to be especially entertaining while being done in 'harem pants'.
These coats do run a bit pricy, but they seem to be well-made and the equivalent of a high-quality human jacket and I can see them lasting for the lifetime of the dog.
I also keep thinking how these could double as really funny Halloween costumes. Maybe they could go as Breaking Bad? Or the Village People?
There are two ways to enter, and each person can enter two times.
Let us know: What would your pup enjoy doing with the Hurrta Slush Combat Suit?
Congratulations to CT who said "My pittie (a rescue) has been fighting mange, so her fur is sparse. This suit would allow her to get outside and enjoy the Cleveland winter!". Please email us for information to claim your prize!
Good luck everyone!
Also:
Our thoughts on these coats from Ruffwear.
These coats from RC Pet products.
These coats from Canada Pooch
Our thoughts on these coats from Ruffwear.
These coats from RC Pet products.
These coats from Canada Pooch
40 comments:
Brodie would wear her slush suit as she makes her daily rounds as Mayor of her town.
Love these -- and of course, the pooches look great!
Temperatures FINALLY got above freezing here yesterday, and while that seems like it would make walking the dogs more pleasant, it makes it so much worse (as I'm sure you know!). We have to battle so many slush puddles and general nastiness as the snow starts melting. This suit would be PERFECT!
This suit would be perfect for one of our pups. As the snow melts, our walks consist of trying to dodge deep muddy puddles every few feet. This suit would also keep my furry pups free from fur snow balls as they play in the snow.
This suit would be awesome for keeping the slush and the grime off widget as she follows her hound nose through the melting snow.
It could also easily do double duty as part of a Ghostbusters costume for halloween :)
My pittie (a rescue) has been fighting mange, so her fur is sparse. This suit would allow her to get outside and enjoy the Cleveland winter!
These suits look so cool!!! Comet wants one so he can look like a doggy NINJA in the snow! :-D
My pit Topper already has a Hurtta Winter Jacket that he loves to wear on cold day walks. He would like to have the Slush Combat Suit to keep him clean on walks when the snow is melting and when it is raining. He will hold it as long as possible before going out to do his business in the rain!
I love the idea of Jack looking like a doggie ninja (good call, Comet). Also, the big guy has short furs and gets super cold in the Maine snow! He'd be able to enjoy the outside a bit if he won one of these sweet suits!!
Carolina would finally be able to go hiking with me in the winter weather. NJ has some great trails, but this time of year, they are a snowy, muddy, slushy mess!
That is a very cool jacket! Love that it covers so much and it is great to see it on the perfect models Ms M and Mr B :-)
Amy would wear this suit so she could finally be happy in the cold weather when we walk through our local park.
My Koda would love this coat for winter! She would be able to finally stay outside for longer than 5 minutes to play with her longer coated brother!
Ella loves Spring - I would love her to stay clean - a win win with the Slush Suit!
Kenai would love to off road more in the gross leftover snow piles!
Those are hilarious but you wear them well. Bet it keeps you toasty warm
Lily
I LOVED all the pictures! You guys really make those look great, but I don't think a Corbin would be very happy all bundled up BOL.
-Corbin
I live in MN and we will have quite the slush season this year with more snow on its way today. My pittie Tasha has really sensitive skin so keeping her clean with one of these would be great!
Rascal would wear his suit outside when he is playing in the woods with his daddy or as he daddy says "helping him load wood onto the trailer" Plus he a very cold natured dog, and this would keep him warm!
They look like astronauts!!! I'm not sure if they make them in Jake size (i'll have to look) but this might help him to be able to stay out longer than five min in the cold!
My Sadie pup would love not to have to be wiped off after every walk. Also she loves having coats that make her look silly because then no one is scared of her big pit bull face.
My stylish dog Petey would love wearing this to prevent getting muddy "lowlights" all over his gorgeous blonde coat!
They look confusing but oh so cool! They look like Space Dogs. How clean did they stay?
The slush suit is a brilliant idea. I can't decide who looks cuter M or B.
We would love to be able to gone long walks and not have to get all grimy on our legs and under carriage. You know a Princess detests grime...yuck
Thanks for giving us an opportunity at this awesome product.
My dog Irving loves to eat snow, so this would keep him nice and toasty while he munches. Usually the snow balls up in his belly hair and make tiny little snow bullets.
My pittie Honey would be thrilled to wear this coat since she would be able to play with her Jollyball in any type of weather. Muddy days are the hardest on her because she has to stay inside. This coat would be the perfect solution to keep her clean and dry. So glad I found your site
Those are awesome and hilarious at the same time! I'm sure my dogs would hate wearing a suit like that but I would LOVE not having to do the major towel-down after every springtime walk in the dirty slush.
@Barbara...when we first got them I was completely confused; I couldn't even tell which was the front and which was the back. I've been getting used to them, and they really do a good job of keeping the dogs clean. We had this pipe burst in the street near our building and it has just been like walking though a swamp. We've been using the suits along with their booties to keep everything covered. There's basically just a spot around their ankles, where the boots and suit meet, that gets dirty, but that was it. The suits themselves are really easy to wipe down too. At first I wasn't sure if it was overkill, but just seeing how gross it is outside these are definitely working.
Lilah would love the Hurtta Slush Combat Suit, we have had a brutal winter here in Eastern Pa, and she is so bummed out that she can't stay out long because of all the snow..and now due to the higher temps and recent rain...it is all SLUSH. She could also wear it to the nursing home and impress all of her resident friends by playing some ball in the courtyard. Even though it will still be cold out, they like to watch her from the windows. With this suit she could handle the muddy slush out there. Thanks!
Eileen nrite71@yahoo.com on FB Life with Lilah
Well, I'm not sure if Walter would like this suit but I know his Momma would totally appreciate how clean he would be after prancing around in the slush and mud that we know is headed our way!
If they came in yellow Miss M and Mr. B could go as Devo for Halloween!
Roxy would wear her suit romping in the field with her friends in my first grade class. She loves to run with them at recess, but is all about reading when we come inside! It'd be so nice to have her clean and warm!
My dog would wear this suit on our walks in St. Paul, MN. The neighborhood dogs already yell "Yah, yah, purple booties" at him when he wears his Paws rubber boots. If he wore this suit, too, I can hear them yelling "Yah, yah, suit boy. What's under the suit."
My Laynie would love a suit to keep her belly warm while we play in the snow or go for walks. She is low to the ground and her coat doesn't cover her belly very well, so by the time we come in her poor little belly is always so pink
Bowie would use his Hurtta Slush Combat Suit to 1) go outside on cold wet slushy days, 2) add cold wet slushy days to his peaceful-protests-against-going-home action plan 3) and look stunning in the process!
Wow, western Pennsylvania certainly has it's share of winters grime, and Mr. Otto would most certainly be pleased to wear a Hurtta Slush Combat Suit rather than having to endure the indignity of me giving him a full body wipe down after walks.
Hi I'm Buddy, an adopted Pitbull. I live in Colorado, so I would wear my Hurtta Slush Combat Suit on every cold day to keep my pink belly warm. I love to play in the snow and pout when I get too cold and have to go back inside. Please, PLease, Please pick me!
I'm always getting compliments on my outfits and would love to spread the word by wearing and promoting your Brand! Thank you!!!!!!!!!!
XOXO, Buddy
As a city dog, we've had to find fenced in fields for Ivy to run freely to her heart's content. She would love to use the coat to roll around in the snow and puddles (ugh! i'm dreading that one)
This suit would be awesome for my pittie Jenna who loves to run, dive and crash in to the snow as much as possible. She gets cold quick and this would let her have fun much longer!
Well, my momma wants me to enter the contest, but I'm not so sure. I think my black fur is great cover for the winter slush. Unfortunately, after our last walkie I did a nice shake as soon as I came in the house and spattered mud EVERYWHERE, so now I think I'd better listen to momma and enter the contest or else.
Kisses,
Dexter
Brooklyn would love this! Her poor legs get so cold when walking through snow and she could roll to her heart's content and only get the coat dirty.
It's Pothole City here in downstate Illinois, with things beginning to thaw. The sidewalks are a flooded mess of snow runoff and slush. Blitz still wants to be out, so it would be great if he could have a slush suit to help keep down the endless clean-up routine we have to go through when he comes in.
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