Of course, the first gear we buy is for the dog. :)
With all of the goodies we earned from REI for going to the grand opening events, we were able to buy the
REI Ultra Dog Pack that is normally $75 for around $50, and even then I was
able to use promotional and gift cards to cover the rest of the cost. I ended up only paying $6 out of pocket for it. We're having a hard time deciding which size to go with. Sheila is a standard Australian Shepherd weighing around 50lbs. The pack says to measure around the deepest part of the chest, and she is just at 27in. This puts her in a “small” pack, which holds 8.5L. The pack fits very well in all areas except for the strap around her belly. It’s just a little too tight, and I’m worried about how it is going to affect her. There is a much more expensive Ruffwear pack online, which we might order just to see if it fits better.
The other items we picked up with our promotional gift cards include these sweet REI
dog food and
water bowls. They pack down slim and fit well even in the small dog pack. My only concern is that the rim around the water bowl does not dry quickly, but I’m sure it is not that big of a deal. We also purchased two 0.5L
Platypus bottles that fit nicely in the dog pack, that way she can carry her own water.
Also, I bought a nalgene (my first!) just because. We received something like 5 Camelbak Eddy water bottles for free, but I have an addiction and I’m not ashamed.
