Walking the Dog in the Winter: Gear Edition

I feel like I need to preface this by saying that I live in a place where winter happens - snow, wind, cold. It's rarely below zero, but it  does happen for at least a few days every year.  I grew up in a cold weather place and I'm used to winter, but I hate being cold. I mean, not hate it enough to move south or anything, but I do my best to stay toasty, even when it's cold outside.

Our yard is sort of oddly designed and we don't have it fenced because of this shape, so Hannah the Dog gets walked three times a day, rain or shine, snow or cold, heat or (okay, I did skip a walk once during a tornado scare). She's generally pretty good about tolerating most weather* on walks and I don't want her to have any accidents in the house, so that's where we're at.

Here is what I've found makes winter walks fun for both of us. There's that saying "there's not bad weather, only bad clothing" and I feel like someone in the path of a hurricane or tornado would disagree with you that some gear could help them, but I see the logic when talking about winter weather (negative twenty below or colder aside!).  

For People

1) Good winter coat

I have a coat from Lands End that my sister bought for me (remember when I ripped it within months of my sister buying it for me?) nine years ago. It doesn't look like they make that exact kind anymore, but here is a newer version. I think that its price per wear is pennies at this point.  Key things to look for in a winter coat: length, temperature rating, hood, and pocket placement.  

I want a coat that is long enough to cover my ass. I'm not going to tell you how many winters I spent freezing my butt off, literally, because I thought winter coats just came in waist length.  I want a temperature rating to include until about -10, but I have a fall/spring down coat that's rated for slightly warmer weather.  I need a hood because no matter how nice a hat you have on, there's NOTHING better than a hood over a hat to make sure that precious neck area is covered. And I like regular pockets on each side AND some sort of internal pocket, but ymmv.

You can get a very solid winter coat for $150-200, which may seem like a lot, but if you are a person who is outside walking the dog three times a day, it will only be a few years before that already mentioned price per wear will be negligible. Invest in a good coat - it will never hurt you.

Nine years old and still looks pretty good! (Lands End - down - very warm and light.)

2) Good winter boots

I have a pair of Columbia boots that have this weird omni-heat technology. As long as I'm wearing a decent pair of socks with these boots, my feet have NEVER been cold, even in last year's arctic blast.  You probably want water resistant boots, if not waterproof.  I would put in a call here for some nice wool socks, too, but you can get away with cheaper, thinner socks if the boots you choose are quality.

3) Windproof hat

Generally speaking, I am wearing multiple hats during the winter.  My base layer hat is a Craft hat that my husband bought for me when we were dating (so, fifteen years ago?).  I wear this hat most days of the year.  I love the windproof nature and because it's designed to fit under bicycle helmets, it also fits just fine under other hats.  Huge thumbs up.

Recycled photo from my Dec. 24, 2021 run. I'm always wearing the Craft hat if the temperature is below 60.

4) Winter hat

I love a cute hat with a pompom, but I understand that everyone has their preference. I mostly just need to reiterate that your winter hat should be fleece-lined on the inside. I also prefer my winter hat to have ear flaps, but I know they annoy some people, so choose wisely. (Also, I've lived in the midwest for so long that I have approximately eight billion winter hats.)

The winter hat I've managed to hold on to the longest is one I bought at the Gap in downtown Minneapolis in March on clearance after I left my hat on the bus. It was an emergency buy, but it was a great $10 purchase.  

Recycled from a post in 2014. You GUYS. I love this dumb hat, although it's getting a bit raggedy these days. I'm wearing the Craft hat under it, of course.

5) Long underwear

I wear long underwear every day during the months of October through April.  I am a fan of SmartWool long underwear. I have merino wool 150 pants and 200 pants and probably a half dozen tops in various colors. I cannot understate this to you enough - I am always wearing these in the cold weather months - inside and outside. I'm wearing the 200 weight pants RIGHT NOW as I type this.

When I first moved to Minneapolis, I quickly realized I needed to invest in some long underwear and I bought some Cuddl Duds from Target. They were fine, but the fit was really bad and they sort of smelled bad after a while. When I could afford to upgrade my base layers, I did so as soon as possible. Spend the money and get some good base layers - it's worth it!

6) Yaktrax

Ten years ago, I fell on the ice and broke my leg. I was very nervous about walking around when it got cold out after that. Several years ago, my husband discovered Yaktrax and I've never looked back. I've purchased three pairs of walking cleats since then (they do get rusty and fall apart if you don't clean the salt off of them and I don't clean them regularly because I'm lazy and when I get home from walking the dog I don't have time for that nonsense) and don't remember the last time I stumbled. My husband prefers the more heavy duty Yaktrax, so there are various options depending on your need.

7) Heated vest

One of my Christmas presents this year was a heated vest. I was not certain if I would like it, but I wear it around the house now as if it is permanently attached. It's warm even when I don't have the heating elements on. On a walk with the dog, it keeps my core warm and I am obsessed with it.  I think this is absolutely optional, but it is REALLY nice.

8) Hand warmers

I have two rechargeable hand warmers, one for each pocket. One of my hands is always holding the leash and the other is wrapped around a hand warmer. They aren't as warm as some others, but they definitely make scooping poop out of snow much more desirable than without them!

Three levels of heat. Rechargeable.  Fantastic for cold days.

9) Gloves/Mittens

Here is where my system breaks down. I don't have a good glove situation, which is why I rely so heavily on the hand warmers. I have gloves, but I don't love them and there are dog walking situations that make their use challenging, like picking up her poop, holding the leash, and attaching/unattaching her leash. Basically, I need gloves to be warm, but also allow my hands to be agile. I've yet to find this combo. (I'd also LOVE to be able to use my phone with gloves, but that seems like asking for way too much.) If you have glove/mitten advice, feel free to leave a recommendation for me. 

For the Dog

Hannah the Dog is a big dog and she doesn't require that much during the winter, to be honest.  Here are the few things we've invested in to keep her comfortable.

1) Musher's Secret - This is a wax that you put on dogs' paws to protect their paws from the cold, ice, and (important around here) salt. It was originally developed for sled dogs to use.  Hannah doesn't LOVE it, but people use a lot of salt on sidewalks and roads around here, so we put it on her fairly regularly.  We also use it because sometimes her booties (item #2) irritate her dewclaws.

The look she's rocking when there's snow and salt, but it's not that cold. Booties and glowing collar.

2) Booties - We have purchased QUMY booties for Hannah. I wrote about the training process for her to wear them here. This year on the first day it was below zero, we just put on her booties and it didn't require any further training. She seems to remember. (I have a lot of quibbles with these boots, but the main one is that if the velcro gets wet, it no longer works, so Hannah's had many a walk with only three boots on and we've lost a few. Hannah has skinny legs, I guess, because we should really size up her boots to keep them from rubbing on her dewclaws, but if we do this, the velcro will be too long to stick. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like there's a particularly good solution for dog boots, so we keep on with this brand. I would happily take recs for a better brand, if you have some!)

3) Winter coat - Last year there was a stretch of a week or two when temps were dipping below -20 and once you factored in wind chill, it was really, really, really cold. We bought Hannah a HURTTA isulated dog parka and she hates it when we're putting it on in the house (I honestly think she just gets overheated), but once she's outside, she's so much better off. She just shakes off the cold and wants an adventure. We really don't use it unless it's below zero and/or wind chills below zero, but she is the coolest looking canine in town when she wears it.

This photo was taken in February 2021. We don't have that much snow yet this year! She's wearing her booties and her coat here.

4) LED collar - Look, I actually use this collar year-round when I take Hannah out after dark. It's not necessary and it's absolutely not just winter gear, but the visibility is worth a lot to me.  I like for people to see us coming and if Hannah ever got away from me (I honestly think she'd come right back, but you never know, particularly if she was spooked by fireworks or something), I like knowing I'd be able to see her from far away. I got this as a gift from my sister a couple of years ago and I don't remember the exact brand, but they're available for under $20 at Amazon and Chewy.

Do you have any winter weather gear you rely on? If you live in a warmer climate, aren't you jealous that I have a heated vest? Ha!

*I mean, it was just about zero this morning when went for a walk and she good-naturedly did her business, but decided she didn't want to walk around the block and immediately went back home, so she does have limits. I put her boots on for her afternoon walk and she was fine.