Ruff Wear Track Jacket Review

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Ruff Wear continues to prove its leadership in providing quality active gear for our favorite four-legged friends. If your pet’s safety is a top priority, Ruff Wear’s Track Jacket receives a two-paws-up from the dogs here at Active Gear Review.

Especially during the winter months, I am always active outside well beyond sunset.  Lets face it, if you want to enjoy some fresh air before or after work, you are doing your favorite activities in the dark.  I am dressed head to toe in flashy colors with enough reflective trim that a car might mistake me for the sun.  My dog Bentley, however, with his jet-black coat, tends to disappear in the dark, making him impossible to see at night.  I am very concerned about my dog’s safety during our runs, and Ruff Wear’s Track Jacket provides me with a little parental peace of mind.

The Track Jacket is essentially a safety jacket that helps you and others see your dog in a variety of low light conditions.  The Track Jacket comes in two high-visibility colors: Fern Green and Blaze Orange.   Being from North Dakota, where hunting is commonplace, I appreciate the protection that Blaze Orange in particular offers your dog from hunters who could otherwise mistake him for a different animal.

Along with the bright colors, the Track Jacket has 3M Scotchlite reflective trim along both sides of the jacket, as well as on the Ruff Wear Logo.  The trim compliments the Track Jacket in a thin arc on both sides. This reflective trim offers enhanced visibility, however, it would be nice to have bigger striping or more reflective trim added to other parts of the jacket for extra visibility.

Another safety feature of the Track Jacket is the designated light loop on which you can place a light beacon.  I love that there is a secure strap built into the top of the jacket to make it beacon-ready, so that you have the option available if you need to take heightened safety precautions.  The beacon will always be seen because it will stay securely in place on top of the Track Jacket  (note:  the beacon is sold separately).

The first time I placed the Track Jacket on Bentley, I noticed how easily it went on. There are two straps to the Track Jacket. The first one goes around the neck, and the second one goes around and under the chest. The buckles are easily adjustable, and are durable enough to stay secured when Bentley runs off into the brush or plays with other dogs. If your dog is as active as Bentley is, you will appreciate how well the Track Jacket stays in place. The straps only buckle and adjust on one side, which might offer some limitations when trying to get a perfect fit.

While the Track Jacket is first and foremost a safety jacket, it does offer your dog protection from mild weather conditions such as wind and rain.  The Track Jacket’s lightweight nylon shell is water-resistant and thick enough to be worn as a windbreaker.  I am using the Track Jacket for added safety, and not as a jacket to protect him from the weather.  If you are looking for a jacket specifically for cold climates or incement weather, Ruff Wear has other products that are well-designed for this purpose.

The Track Jacket comes in sizes Small, Medium, and Large. Bentley is a 114 pound Black Lab/Mix, whose body is very long.  The Track Jacket in size Large fits Bentley perfectly around his chest, but falls a little short in length.  The Track Jacket does not seem as long as Ruff Wear’s other jackets, so I like to think of it as Bentley’s ‘safety vest’.  The Track Jacket always stays in place while running and hiking, however, on windy days the back end of the jacket tended to flip up. I would like to see Ruff Wear add some extra sizes to increase the range, so our smaller and larger canine friends can sport a perfect fit.

The Ruff Wear Track Jacket is a perfect safety jacket to help keep your dog visible in low-light conditions.  Whether you’re hiking trails or running/walking in the streets, the vivid colors and reflective trim will help your dog glow in the dark.

For more info on this and other Ruffwear products visit www.rei.com/ruffwear or www.amazon.com/ruffwear.