Anyone have any good ideas on a lightweight backpacking sleeping bag for a cold natured 65lb(ish) short hair canine? I need something she can carry on her own, of course... so it has to pack small yet keep her warm in freezing temps.
Thanks!

My dog Sherpa has an old Sierra Designs top lid with bottom fast bag. I can totally zip him up or only use as a quilt if its warm.

I use an Uhlr gear dog bag that I got from Campmor. I bought the large, but it was huge so I exchanged for the medium. It's perfect for a 75 pound Weimaraner. I strap it to the outside of his pack in a waterproof bag.

I didn't like the pad that came with it, it's a bit bulky. I replaced it with a piece of foam underlayment for laminate flooring.

He loves the thing. His preferred position is to bury his head into the fold and have his back toward the opening.

I can't find anyplace that has the mediums!!!! That is the bag I really want.

I think they stopped making the medium. You might call Campmor and ask about this.

I checked Uhlr's website, it looks more like they stopped making the small. Their current small is the same size as my medium, 24" X 34". It's plenty for a medium sized dog, the large is really huge at 36" X 50".

You might try emailing them directly to verify. Uhlr Gear

I did email Uhlr and got a response pretty quickly... seems they never really made a medium size. Just small and large. The rep says some companies call their small a medium, then he recommended the large size. 50 inches is 4 feet long and that's larger than her bed here in my house!!! Too big for backpacking, for sure... so maybe I will try the small and see how that works.

I tried looking at my old Coleman sleeping bags to see if I could make something out of those, but they don't compress much at all and I don't want to have to strap a huge honkin' bag to the top of her pack.

I do like the Uhlr sack... but this one is similar and a bit bigger than the Uhlr small. Know anything about this brand: http://www.alphadogtoys.com/dog_pet_sleeping_bag_travel_camping.html

How big does the small Uhrl pack?

It doesn't stuff very small, it's about 8" diameter by about 15" long.

My dog is about 28" tall at his back and about 34 inches long from the base of his tail to the tip of his nose, he weighs about 75 pounds. He easily curls up inside it. He was swimming in the large, it's more for a good sized German Shepherd or Husky.

This might be the perfect opportunity to unload my i.d.i. gear bag I got on sale from STP a couple years ago. It was "space age," rated at 30, 2# and loft? it didn't have any -- less than half an inch. It compressed to the size of a nurf football.

We used it on a 4 day backpack; the first 3 nights in the 40s no problem, but it was in the mid-30s the final night and we froze.

I figure if I was dumb enough to buy it, that if I offer it cheap enough, it's still possible you can foist it off on your dog with some treats and a little sleight of hand.

i am not familiar with the i.d.i. gear bag... I googled it and got this: http://www.idigear.com/allinone.php

hmmm... I wonder how small it would get in a compression sack?? I think it weighs 2 lbs... which is perfect. Elliot is about 65 lbs, 28 inches long so if your dog fits, then mine should and in the tent/vestibule she does curl up and doesn't sleep stretched out.

Thanks, you have been a big help!

Whenever we put a blanket on our dog at night she always tossed and turned and it fell off her by morning. So you might try a dog coat instead. Just put it on the dog at night.

She has 2 coats...a softshell and thicker one. But those don't keep her warm low temps at night. She carried a light fleece blaket this past weekend and slept under it all night... still shivering.

E-d:



In mid-May of '06 a thread was started here called "Has anybody heard of i.d.i. gear?"

There was lots of discussion, not much of it positive, and I think I was the only one to admit being gullible enough to buy a couple of those thin bags (on closeout, mind you.)

I guess it has morphed into that company at the link you've got there, although I think my bags were filled not with Insultex, but Insult-ing. (Wow, surely you can use that convertible, multi-use new product of theirs as a hat -- or roofing material, too!)

Joking aside, they really are tiny and light and great as a 45-degree bag (NOT 30), although that insulation makes them a little stiff, i.e., uncomfortable. Sounds like you've got a nice dog, so I wouldn't want to pawn one off on him -- afraid we might meet on the trail someday and he'd take out his revenge on me or my backside.

you are hilarious! elliot might lick you to death but thats about all the harm she could do. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I tried a bag but my dog wouldn't stay in it so I went to the thrift store, bought a childs pair of fleece bottoms and fleece jacket and made him some pajamas. He has a docked tail so the bottoms didn'r require any modification. I cut the jacket down so it was less baggy. Took less than 30 minutes to do it. Dog looks like a dork in them but he doesn't care, they keep him warm.

One caution though, make sure dog has evacuated his bowels and bladder before putting the pants on or things could get messy.

Do you have a picture of these pajamas on your dog? (Or did you make a pact not to embarrass him further?)

I had some pictures of dog in his pajamas but lost them when my harddrive crashed. Unfortunately, I didn't have them backed up.

He doesn't accompany me on my trips anymore (health reasons) so he hasn't worn them in a couple of years. I think I still have them, I'll have to look. If so, I'll dress him up, take a few pictures and send them to you.