Best Dog Jackets for Winter – Ruffwear Dog Coats

Say RUFFWEAR Instead of Dog Jackets for Winter

It’s that time of the year again when the skies let down a powdery substance that covers the land and makes things generally difficult (but fun for some). Temperatures are the opposite of friendly and copious amounts of chocolate, in its various forms, is consumed.

Whereas you might be having the time of your life, a member of your family wouldn’t appreciate it if you handed chocolate to them. They might prefer you to open the door in the morning, and they will come running out like the athlete they are, just to jump into the snow and plop around in it.

Well, that would be the dream. However, not every dog has the thick coats of a malamute or a Samoyed. For the dogs challenged on the fur and protective layers front, the uncontrollable shivers are not something every dog parent would like to see.

Luckily though, there are a bunch of pet lovers out there who have dedicated themselves to ensuring your pup is protected during the cold season. They make dog jackets for winter, and Ruffwear, which has been providing warmth to countless pets since 1996, is presumably the best.

So here, let’s explore some of the best selling Ruffwear winter clothing for your canine buddy. Great if this is your first attempt at buying a winter coat or jacket for your dog because you just can’t go wrong with Ruffwear.

Crucial Steps Before the Shopping Fun

There are a few questions you need to ask yourself before you begin shopping for a dog jacket for the winter season. Otherwise, it can be frustrating to choose the right coat even though there are only 9 winter jackets offered by Ruffwear. And worst of all is getting one that doesn’t quite meet your expectation.

But don’t worry, it’s easy, and you’ll be glad you took these pointers into consideration.

Consideration 1 – The Warmth & Weatherproof Meter

What’s your dog’s health condition? Is it an old dog? Is it prone to sickness when the weather turns cold? Do you need your dog to stay in the freezing cold for an extended period? Does your dog even like the cold weather (long or short hair breed)?

In other words, how much warmth do you want for your dog? You will get an idea of the type of winter coat to buy when you ask yourself some of those questions.

Also, do consider the type of activities that entail with the particular weather condition. Do you anticipate a weather change or a possible venture into a wet environment (wet snow)? Besides keeping your pup warm, protecting its body from getting wet makes a happy dog enjoying its play in the snow.

When keeping your pet’s body warm and dry is not an option, then the jacket that offers a high degree of warmth and useful waterproofing feature should be your priority. But the two attributes hardly come hand in hand, which means you will never find an extremely thick coat and water-tight fitting design. You will need to strike a balance between warmth and weatherproofing.

A furry dog like a golden retriever probably doesn’t need the highest level of warmth. But adequate protection against the rain and wet snow are more desirable.

Consideration 2 – Coverage and Size

A furry dog may not need excessive warmth compared to a short-haired breed. So choose the right coverage, or it can become pretty uncomfortable when the body heats up after some play. Sleeveless coats are more suitable for those long-haired hounds, like the Pomeranians, Samoyeds, American Eskimos, and many others.

But short-haired breeds like Greyhound or Labrador will need more coverage. So you might want to consider a jacket with sleeves to keep them warm and comfortable while out in the cold.

Also, it depends on the dog’s shape and size. In particular, those with broad chest and shoulder, such as Pitbull or Rottweiler, a sleeveless jacket allows for freer movements and without feeling the tightness.

Again, it depends on your dog’s condition. Knowing how your dog will fare in those chilling weather conditions will help you choose the right winter jacket as a dog parent.

The RuffWear Dog Coat Collection

Ruffwear boasts of a vast collection of dog coats that have been specifically designed to meet the various needs of dog owners, and more importantly, the dogs themselves. It’s evident that every pup has different likes and dislikes, and these Ruffwear jackets are meant to enhance and protect them while they’re out there doing what they love.

Let’s go over 8 of the best dog jackets for winter the company has produced. And if you are still unsure which to pick, the comparison table below provides an overview of features to help you choose.

RuffWear Stumptown Jacket

It’s hard not to imagine how your pup would look like when he or she finally gets to don this beautiful jacket. The usual variety of dog clothes are usually an adaptation of what a human would wear, just tailored to fit the dog. A good example is the numerous pups that are posted online donning red flannel shirts. As cute as they may look, they’re just not the best for your dog.

What you get with the Ruffwear Stumptown Jacket is a jacket specifically designed to meet different pups’ requirements. Whether it’s just lounging and enjoying the fireplace’s warmth, or out for a walk, the Stumpdown is an excellent choice.

A leash portal sewn onto the back of the coat provides good handling and comfort for the dog. This makes it usable over a wide variety of harnesses, while still protecting your pup from the elements.

The jacket is made from recycled 300D polyester, one of the least allergic materials for the dog’s skin. So chances of your dog getting the itch and starts scratching are relatively remote. Plus, it is soft, lightweight, and abrasion-resistant, which offers better comfort and protection.

On the protection front, polyester is also an excellent insulating material. It will thus keep your pup warm when the weather dips below desired temperatures. This adds to the warming credentials of this jacket that also comes with a water-resistant coating.

So if your pup decides to take a small detour into a light drizzle, it will come back nearly as dry as it left. Though the hocks will be wet, the body is kept dry and warm.

The best feature of this Stumpdown Jacket is that it comes in a vest style. What will fit your terrier will definitely be a tight fit for a bigger dog, says a Great Dane. The vest style means every dog that wears this coat will not have to get a custom size, and the roomier option adds that desired comfort to your pup.

The jacket comes with additional, well thought out features that only a caring dog parent would have thought about. The sides come with quick-release buckles, so when your pup begins to feel claustrophobic, simply click, and she’s off to enjoy her freedom.

There is also reflective trim added to the coat. This is best for low light situations, and anyone passing by will get a glimpse of the pup. It also comes in a choice of two cool colors. These are Larkspur Purple and Metolius Blue.

Powder Hound Jacket

From the first look, you can immediately deduce that this was purposely made to fit the active dogs out there. It is normal to find that most dog clothes are just meant to keep the dog warm whenever they’re out for their daily walk or relieve themselves.

Once in a while, though, you need to get away from what you consider your usual surroundings. This may mean a trip into the woods for a nice cabin vacation or even attempt to scale the Catskills, Eagle Mountain, or even set up camp somewhere in the Rockies. There’s one member of your family you dare not leave behind, but they need protection.

This Powder Hound jacket has 250g of polyester sitting in between your pup and the weather. It acts as a shield against the elements. This is a proper coat that wraps around your pup’s body and utilizes a zipper to ensure a snug fit.

That’s not all; the short sleeves included complete the protection package. The snug fit means any heat generated will be maintained within the jacket, instead of being expelled out when the 10-year-old pup moves around.

And as intended, the designers decided to add a blend of nylon and spandex to accommodate the stretch and free movement when your dog is enjoying its freedom. The athleticism of your furry friend will get its maximum exposure with this Powder Hound jacket.

There are reflective accents on this jacket as well. In case your pup decides to go after the squirrels in low light, it can be visually undetectable. The light reflective accents on the jacket will definitely help check its movement.

The only downside to this Powder Hound jacket is that it does not have a leash portal to allow you to slip the leash through the harness’s coat. Unless your pup is well trained to walk beside you, this is best left for the adventure outings or close areas where a leash to a harness wouldn’t be required.

This jacket comes in three color choices; Sockeye Red, Blue Atoll, and Forest Green.

Ruffwear Fernie Jacket

The people at Ruffwear for sure are dog lovers. The effort that they put into the design is a tad above what others are doing. All this effort shows in the products they put out, a good example being this Fernie Dog Sweater.

This Fernie is a technical sweater, designed to operate entirely on its own when you’re out for a hike or a casual stroll. In case the weather decides to make the day miserable, it can be comfortably worn underneath some of the other Ruffwear jackets. This is all down to its sweater knit fabric, which has the benefits of providing warmth to your pup while keeping the weight down to a negligible level.

If you’re at the beach or other area where your pup is likely to get wet, you won’t have to worry as the material dries quickly. And goes back to performing its primary function, providing warmth. That’s the other advantage of the sweater knit design.

The jacket is made from 100% polyester, an excellent material that is the least allergenic for dogs.

The main feature of this jacket is the fleece lining that’s sown into it. The choice of high-quality fleece means that this jacket has almost negligible weight but can still provide warmth to your beloved pup.

With constant research and feedback from customers who love the product, the overall length was actually shortened. The sleeves have also been improved to give a better fit for a vast number of dog breeds. And this sleeved style, combined with the zipper design, is made for keeping your canine friend warm while covering a greater surface area of the body.

And all this is proven as the product was trial-tested to ensure it matches everyday users’ expectations. As this is one of the most popular products from Ruffwear, it is available in various colors. These are canyonland orange, Hibiscus Pink, Larkspur Purple, Tumalo Teal, and Twilight Grey.

Cloud Chaser Jacket

If this is not an apt description of what a dog is likely to do, then something is wrong with this world. While some dogs are tailored to bark at and chase anything that moves, a cloud would be a bit too difficult for them to get to.

What they can do instead is enjoy the products of clouds. Some rain here, and some snow there, some dogs sure do love playing in the rain and snow. Though this situation is not ideal for them, they may enjoy it, but shiver the ticks off them afterward.

Here is where the Cloud Chaser jacket comes in. Why restrict your dog to a few minutes to re-live themselves when you can give them some protection from the elements and play their hearts out? This jacket was made just for this purpose.

To begin with, the problem of playing in the rain and the snow is getting wet. Well, this jacket takes care of that problem as it is made to be waterproof. This jacket comes in two parts. The upper part is made from a softshell fabric that is purposely designed to be waterproof, windproof, and at the same time, breathable.

The lower half of the jacket has been designed to shed water, dirt, snow, and other debris that may make its way into the jacket. With these features, playing in the snow, or when caught in the rain, be assured your dog is protected from the soaking rains and wind chill factor.

While the outer covering takes care of the elements, it is the inner parts of the jacket that keep your pup warm. In this regard, the jacket is lined with fleece. This is an excellent material that keeps your 4-legged friend warm, no matter the conditions you’re both facing.

The fleece by itself is not as effective, but add it to a snug fit, and it begins to make sense when it comes to maintaining the body’s core temperature. All this is made possible by a zipper that keeps the jacket hugging the pup.

The designers had in mind that the pup would be out and about being active and living the best days of its life right next to their human buddy.

But how then do they avoid injury to the skin?

Regular clothing doesn’t stretch when the dog is active, but not this jacket. The fabric is made to allow stretching, giving the pup greater flexibility.

This jacket comes in two colors. These are Blue Moon and Sockeye Red.

Quinzee Jacket

Among the many things available in this world, very few would be quite satisfying to a dog parent. One of the things they would love to see is a product that has been purposely designed for their dogs. And not just an adaptation, but also stylish from every angle you look at it.

If you’re such a parent, you will be glad to know that Ruffwear has the product that meets your expectation.

The Quinzee jacket is probably one of the best Ruffwear dog coats on the market at the moment. It is not just an eye-pleasing jacket, but both form and function received equal attention when designing this product.

First and foremost, the Quinzee jacket is made for the pups who love to play in areas where they are likely to get wet or caught in the snow. Whether you’re taking a casual stroll down the streets of New York in the rain or out in the snow of Minnesota, your pup will be protected.

This is a testament to the fact that this jacket is built using 75D polyester, which is then backed up by 250g recycled high loft polyester. The design objective is simply to provide your pup with all the warmth needed during that outing in frigid weather. All this is made functional by the vest-style design, which provides enough room to fit a variety of pups. Even the fussy ones will feel comfortable.

In case your canine buddy is a bit too large or too small for their jacket, the inclusion of side straps makes this jacket adjustable. And it caters to dogs of every form and shape. In case your pup starts to fuss about with their jacket, you can use the side releases to set them free before they do anything dangerous that will hurt them.

The one thing that makes this a functional jacket to use is the inclusion of a leash portal. That means you can put a harness underneath the jacket and thread the leash through it. This leaves your pup looking like a fashion icon instead of having the harness on the outside.

This jacket comes in a choice of three colors. These are Sockeye Red, Cloudburst Gray, Huckleberry Blue.

Ruffwear Vert Jacket

Vert is the French word for green. This is the color most associated with something new, fresh, life, renewal, new energy, among many other things. However, the funny thing is that you’d expect this jacket to come in that color green. Surprisingly, it doesn’t. What it does come in instead is Sockeye Red and Blue Atoll.

That’s a surprise that no one knows how to feel about unless you start considering what it is that this jacket does. It is then that the name Vert and the associations with the color green start to make sense.

Here is a fresh approach to how dog jackets are designed. It’s not enough to just look at whether it will fit a dog of various sizes, but should also be functional in the environment the dog is expected to be in. This is addressed by the features of the jacket.

The coat is meant to be one of the best dog winter coats, and that’s what it is precisely. The first feature is that it is windproof. So when you’re planning an alpine hike, you don’t have to leave your pup behind in fears that windchill will get to them.

The other feature of this Vert jacket is that it is waterproof. When you get caught in a sudden deluge while you are out enjoying the hike, your pup is well protected. And even if the weather permits them to run around in the snow and be the happiest child, you won’t have to worry about poor ventilation over the dog’s fur and skin. The breathability of this coat is one of the best in class.

One feature that you won’t find on most dog jackets is the inclusion of leg straps. It’s not a secret that when you’re out there doing your thing in the not-so-beautiful weather, the wind will tend to blow over the coat and lift it away from the pup’s body. The leg straps help to hold it in place. In this way, body heat is maintained, and waterproof protection is kept in place.

Even if, during play, water does make it to the inside of the coat, the fleece lining’s water repellant nature will help minimize any soaking that may have happened.

Overcoat Jacket

When it comes to designing winter dog clothes, not many designers will go into the nitty-gritty that paves the design objective. For some, that flannel shirt coat may be the warmest on the planet but is only functional indoor or controlled outdoor environment. So what about when you want to take your pup through a nature trail in the woods?

There’s a lot of things that will attract your pup’s attention, and they will just thrash through every bush presented in their path. What happens to the flannel shirt then? It gets picked at, needless to say. Here’s where the Overcoat Jacket comes in.

This jacket is designed to deal with the reckless nature of a dog’s journey through the woods. One-track mind Max will squeeze through the bush’s tiniest gaps to get to the other side. Think of this coat as a bash plate meant to protect and keep your pup warm.

The jacket is built using abrasion-resistant material on the outside and soft on the inside with the fleece lining. These materials also have the added waterproofing ability when sudden deluges happen and keep your pet toasty warm.

As covered before, the jacket is kept snug to the pup’s body by utilizing a vest style design. This offers the desired comfort and prevents various forms of chafing when the dog runs along the hiking trail. In case the jacket is a bit of a loose fit, or even too tight, there are side release buckles that you can use to adjust the jacket to be the perfect fit.

It’s not every dog that will appreciate being in a jacket for extended periods. Some will gnaw at the jackets to try to get them off. At this stage, some anxiety will set in, and the resulting actions may result in injury. In this case, your quick response to get to the side release will help put the dog at ease as this allows for prompt removal.

Besides, this Overcoat jacket has a feature that allows a harness to be worn underneath the coat. A leash can simply be slipped through the portal in the back.

This Overcoat Jacket comes in a choice of three colors. These are Baja Blue, Red Currant, and Twilight Grey.

Overcoat Fuse Jacket

The Overcoat is the middle-of-the-road design for warmth and waterproofing. Plus, the abrasion-resistant material on the exterior makes it the perfect winter jacket for hyperactive dogs that prefer running and sprinting more than just walking. Almost a must-have if you have a young and active dog regardless of hair length.

Likewise, for this Overcoat Fuse Jacket, based on the Overcoat design, Ruffwear has added an integrated webbing harness for a more secure connection. It’s a harness-coat combo if you will. Now you don’t have to bother putting on a harness underneath the coat.

And the jacket has 2 leash attachment points; one aluminum V-ring on the back and a reinforced webbing loop on the chest. The signature Overcoat vest style provides adequate coverage with side-release buckles for an easy hook on and off.

Two low-profile zippered pockets for carrying small essentials like pick-up bags add to the convenience features. And for just $12 difference, no wonder the Overcoat Fuse Jacket is sidelining the earlier Overcoat version. Like the Overcoat Jacket, this one also has reflective trim for visibility in low-light conditions and a light loop for attaching The Beacon.

The Overcoat Fuse Jacket comes in Purple Sage, Canyonlands Orange, and Cedar Green.

Climate Changer Dog Fleece Jacket & Pullover

As the name goes, it’s a subtle reminder of impending weather changes ahead. But, that’s just the name, and it’s always a good idea to be well prepared for the weather god’s mood swings. Not the warmest of jackets you would count on for the ultimate protection, it sure comes in handy when you are a little far away from home’s convenience and comfort.

On days at home during winter and fall, this Climate Changer jacket makes a good cover for the morning chill when you are going about the chores around the house or homestead. Or going for a leisurely walk on a clear day, it makes the perfect grab-and-go jacket.

The recycled polyester fleece with sleeves and a full-length zipper is made for quick-drying and provides adequate coverage and warmth for your dog. It can be worn as a standalone or with other coats over it for added warmth and protection.

Comes in 2 versions – Climate Changer Dog Fleece and Climate Changer Dog Fleece Pullover.

According to Ruffwear, the latter is ‘inspired by springtime blooms,’ which makes a great last piece of warm clothing your dog needs before Summer. Unlike the former, the pullover is designed with an open cap-sleeves to allow for a wider range of movements, and an excellent fit for broad shoulders that needs a cover.

During springtime, dogs are generally more active and almost unstoppable to have fun. The pullover has an underside panel that retains warmth and repels water that comes its way.

Both the Climate Changer Dog Fleece and Pullover comes in Cedar Green, Glacier, Blossom, and Canyonland’s Orange.

Comparison Table – Warmth, Waterproofing & Weather

Wrapping Up

As you can see, Ruffwear is pretty comprehensive in its range of winterwear for your pet buddy. Each design is made for a specific situation, and almost all-inclusive of dog size and breed. So whether you are just taking a leisurely stroll or an adventurous hike, you can easily find a coat or jacket that suits the situation.

And it’s not uncommon for a loving dog owner to snap up two or more from the collection, each for a different occasion. It all depends on the protection level you want for your four-legged buddy at any time.

If this is your first attempt at buying a dog jacket for winter, it is highly recommended to start in the middle. The Overcoat Jacket or Overcoat Fuse Jacket is an excellent piece to start, as it provides moderate warmth and waterproofing level. And the abrasion-resistant material on the exterior makes it durable for any kind of play.

Need a bird’s eye view of everything? Check out the Comparison Table.