The Furness™ Jacket: A Game Changer for Cold-Weather Exploring

Ruffwear Ambassadors Katie & Quinci are desert-dwelling, trash collecting, and community-loving outdoor enthusiasts. They live in Arizona and spend their time hiking, paddleboarding, climbing, and backpacking. Katie shares how Ruffwear's Furness™ Jacket has kept Quinci warm on cold & windy excursions.

My biggest adventure comes in a 10 lb package, full of terrier and spark. But, this 10 lb desert-loving package tends to get cold on adventures – just like me. So, it’s safe to say that we love the new Ruffwear Furness™ Jacket.

I adopted Quinci, as a 10-month-old terrified terrier. She was born into a hoarding situation, before being surrendered to a rescue – with many other dogs in the home. I was the first person at the rescue that she allowed to interact with her, she immediately crawled into my lap. And that was that.

It took many months before Quinci had the confidence to walk on a leash, potty outside, or be able to handle even the sound of leaves rustling on the ground without pancaking to the ground in fear. Now, at 8-years-old, she is a feisty, confident, outgoing package of love and sass. (She still has a fear of strangers approaching and dogs she doesn’t know, but has come so far – and is affectionately known to many as the raptor!)

Quinci is my right-hand woman, joining me on all adventures – from hiking, backpacking, paddleboarding, and camping to climbing and road trips. As desert-loving souls, we tend to freeze in any weather under 80 degrees. Typically, I pack layers upon layers for Quinci and myself. Even with a coat on, Quinci would still prefer to curl up in the tent or be held to keep her from shivering.

However, Ruffwear’s new Furness has been an amazing solution to this problem. This coat has incredible coverage – from a higher neck, to partially down front legs and all the way back to cover her hips. Game changer!

Quinci is an XXS is most Ruffwear gear, and the same goes for this jacket. It fits her snug and proportionately. While the snug fit keeps her warm, she still has enough mobility to move around and even hike while wearing it.

The straps on the back legs ensure that the jacket stays in place – however, I do take the straps off while she is being active. This jacket is ideal for smaller dogs, with thin and short fur coats. It insulates well and holds in her body heat.

So far, we have used this jacket for camping, climbing days, and short hikes. It is ideal for when we visit higher elevations that have cooler days, cold nights, and windy weather. Wind is tough on Quinci, but on our latest day at the crag I bundled her up in the Furness Jacket in cold and windy weather. Instead of running to the tent, she stayed right where she was to watch us climb and make sure we were doing our safety checks!

Our upcoming adventure is going to be a 7 day, 6 night backpack on the northernmost section of the Arizona Trail. This jacket packs down small, and light enough, to bring with us for the cooler evenings. I believe the full coverage of the jacket will keep her warm and help her muscles rejuvenate each evening. This will be our go-to jacket for many, many future adventures.

Stay warm friends,

Katie & Quinci

Follow Katie & Quinci's adventures at @trustyourtrail.