Hurtta Gear Review
While we don’t have a bonafide hunting dog (yet), we do involve our two dogs in our outdoor lifestyle as much as we can. For us, this includes shed hunting, upland game hunting and all our backpacking adventures. We feel that our companions should have the same high quality of gear that we do and have been using the Hurtta line of products for over 5 years. We have been lucky to have a very supportive relationship with Hurtta and all of this gear has been gifted to us over the years. Here I will break down the Hurtta hunting gear and our go to pieces for each activity.
The Hurtta Hunting Line
- Polar Visibility Vest – A warm, water resistant hi-vis vest
- Ranger Vest – A lightweight, silent and water resistant hi-vis vest
- Worker Vest – Super durable Cordura bottomed hi-vis vest with GPS loops
- Swimmer Vest – Neoprene hi-vis vest with integrated flotation panels
Polar Visibility Vest
This vest is a favourite of ours during the early spring shed hunting season. The vest is extremely visible allowing us to keep track of the dogs even in the thickest trees and grass. The vest is made of a silent soft shell fabric and it is encased with Hurtta’s Houndtex, a water resistant layer. This vest provides some good warmth in the cooler months without being so insulated that the dogs would overheat. The vest comes in 4 super bright colors: yellow, orange, kiwi and lupine (pictured below).
Ranger Vest
The Ranger Vest is a multi-purpose vest for us. We use it once we get into the warmer summer months shed hunting and in the early fall out grouse hunting where warmth is not a concern. The vest is comprised of a lightweight and durable shell that is designed to stretch making for a very comfortable fit. One super great features of this vest is the velcro neck adjustments. It allows a customizable fit and provides the dog the ability to break free should the vest become snagged on something (if you’ve ever met Pippin, this is a very handy feature).
Worker Vest
The Worker Vest is a beefed up Ranger vest. It is a longer design, covering more of your dogs underbelly providing additional protection. The underbelly is a durable wear-resistant Cordura fabric that will stand up to the abuse of rough terrain and dead-fall. This vest also comes with integrated straps for a GPS collar. This is a great feature if you use your dog for tracking (this is legal in some areas) or for the hunters that rely on their hounds! We run the Worker Vest when we are grouse hunting in old cut blocks to protect the dog’s bellies from the sharp and rough debris left behind.
Swimmer Vest
The Swimmer Vest is a neoprene vest with integrated floatation panels along the back of the vest. This provides a small bit of assistance to reduce the energy required for the dog, allowing them to swim longer without fatiguing. This is great for dogs who spend those chilly mornings retrieving water fowl. The neoprene is a warm and insulating material that is non-absorbing, keeping your dog warm without weighing them down. This is great for the early spring when Took cannot wait to go for a swim in the lake but temps are still cold. The vest also has low profile reinforced handles on either side of the zipper allowing you to pick your dog out of the water if necessary.
Both the Worker Vest and the Swimmer Vest have longer underbellies. They come pre-marked with lines that require you to cut back the vest for your male dogs. It is a super easy and quick process. This ensures the most protection for each individual dog without interfering with natures call.
The Ranger and Worker vests are available in high-vis orange camo or in a green camo. We opt for the high-vis orange as we have smaller dogs who love running through the tall grass and woods, this helps us keep track of where they are and is a great safety tool when out small game hunting!
For those who use all the daylight hours and then some, the Swimmer Vest, Ranger Vest and Worker Vest all are compatible with the Polar LED light. Visible up to 1.5 miles and waterproof to 100m this little LED will allow you to keep track of your dog while setting your decoys or on the long walk back to the truck once light has faded.
Overall, we love having the ability to tailor our dogs gear to each of our specific activities. The quality of the materials is excellent, from the thick brush to the rocky terrain in Alberta’s coulees we have seen no noticeable wear and the vests all hold up after multiple washes without losing any of the brightness in colour.
Hopefully this highlights a piece that will make your dog more comfortable and will give you some additional piece of mind while out enjoying all your outdoor activities. As always, if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out.
Cheers
-R
