Walking the Dog in the Spring: Gear Edition

Earlier this year, I wrote up a post about what my outside gear is for winter dogwalking. Things are starting to warm up, so I thought I'd write a little bit about our gear looks like in the spring.  Here, spring is crazy variable. Sometimes it's warm, sometimes it's still near freezing. Sometimes it's raining, sometimes it's dry. Sometimes it's sunny, sometimes it's cloudy. So, if you're me, that means you need options.

Top Options

1) Ororo heated vest

I mentioned my heated vest in the winter roundup, but it's still going strong. Right now as I type this, it's sunny and 65 degrees and I just wore my vest to do Hannah's afternoon walk.  Last night when it was not quite freezing AND IT WAS SNOWING, I wore it underneath my rain jacket. It's a versatile piece and I've been pleased with how much use I've gotten out of it.

2) REI lightweight down jacket

This is my spring/fall down jacket. It's not as hardcore as my winter jacket, but it really is warm enough for me if the temperatures are above freezing. I don't even know if REI makes this jacket anymore, but it's incredibly lightweight and I love it. It has a hood and I wear it pretty regularly.

3) Patagonia Rain Coat (it's an old model, but the current model is here)

This was my new March purchase. I got it on clearance at REI and I like it a lot. It's lightly insulated with down and is absolutely waterproof. I've really been looking for something like this for years and it's crucial for when it's forty degrees and spitting rain or snowing a really wet snow. My winter coat and the above lightweight down coats aren't waterproof and would quickly get soaked through, so this has changed things for me and Hannah when the weather is gross.  

I will say that it has taken me a few wears to figure out how to adjust the coat so everything fits me properly. You have to adjust the hood and cuffs and that took me a little bit of trial and error, so it wasn't a perfect fit as soon as it came home.

I tried for years to do the thing where you're holding an umbrella and walking the dog and I'm excited that this coat will make that a thing of the past.

Footwear options

1) Columbia winter boots

Most days I'm still wearing my winter boots. Because it's frequently wet in the swampy area where we live, I like the waterproof nature of these boots. I'm much more likely to use these boots unlaced now, though, so I can just slip them on and off as I run out the door. 

2) Hunter rain boots

On days when it's raining, though, my winter boots don't cut it and I wear my Hunters. These are not ideal for me because there is no support in the footbed and there's not enough room in them for an insert, so even if I just do the quarter mile turn around the block, my feet hurt. However, no water gets through them, so I frequently end up wearing these when it's raining cats and dogs.

Accessories

1) Gloves and hat

At some point many years ago, I went to Target (I'm feeling quite nostalgic for browsing in stores and I'm pretty sure I'm never going to be an in-person browser ever again) and purchased a huge pack of multiple pairs of those thin, stretchy, one size fits all gloves (just like this). I have a pair stuffed in every coat pocket that I own. Some days I need the gloves, but some days I don't. Regardless, they're always with me. I don't always wear my beloved windproof Craft hat, but on cold and windy days I definitely wear it under my hood.  

Dog Gear

1) Apoquel

When we regularly get hard frosts, I take Hannah off her allergy medication. It costs about $1.50 (I just did the math - it's $1.43) a day and that really adds up, so for a few months I give myself the relief of not giving it to her, but as soon as I see her chewing at her paws, I bring it back.  This stuff is magic for Hannah and I wish all dogs got the same level of relief that she does from it.

2) More regular grooming

During the winter, we get lazy about giving Hannah weekly baths. Her skin doesn't seem as irritated and she doesn't get as stinky. But last weekend we realized that the whole house smelled like dog and it had been a very long time since she'd had a bath. It's better when we can just hose her off in the driveway, but it's still too cold for that, so we're off to the doggy car wash on a weekly basis. We use fancy shampoo for the dog, but it's been sold out for months, so we're using a less fancy, but still spendy shampoo for her. I'm also brushing her daily now that she's shedding her winter coat.

Other than that, Hannah gets her harness and a glow collar if it's dark and that's all she needs for spring.  

What's your favorite springtime accessory that you are excited to bring back now that the weather is changing?