Gear Review: Keeping Warm in the Backcountry with the Ruffwear Climate Changer

Even in balmy Southern California, it gets chilly at night, especially in the mountains. I generally avoid putting clothes on Robin except when weather necessitates it, but for his first backpacking trip, I knew a packable but warm jacket would be a necessity.

I've had the fleece Ruffwear Climate Changer in mind for a cool-weather layer, and finally snapped it up on sale just in time for our trip. Here's our experience:

Chilly camp morning - Mt Lowe Trail Camp

Fit: At an 18.5" girth, 14.5" back length, 12" neck circumference, Robin fits an XS like it was made for him. The length is ideal and his curly tail doesn't fold the jacket back. It's a tiny bit roomy in the chest and belly, which makes it easier for him to run around. Potty clearance is perfect. Reviews on Ruffwear's site are all over the place fit-wise, so apparently we got lucky with Robin's body type.

Chest view of the jacket

Design: The zipper is an elegant solution compared to the velcro closures on most dog clothing, and it never unzipped by itself. The athletic cut is flattering and the reflective piping is surprisingly visible at night. It's hard to find dog clothing with sleeves and these are well-executed. The fleece is thin but dense and feels like it will resist pilling. If there's anything to nitpick, I was disappointed that the trim on the triangular zipper flap at the neck isn't too durable- I snagged it the very first time I unzipped the jacket. The cover could be cut back farther to reduce zipper interference.

This is the first time I've ever gotten him something in gray when it came in orange, but I didn't like the shade of orange on his fur, and the orange color seemed to emphasize the bagginess.

Robin awaiting his breakfast from my hammock - Mt Lowe Trail Camp

Function: I'd heard stories of this jacket keeping dogs warm down to 40 degrees, but they must have more hair than Robin. Nighttime temperatures were probably just below 60 degrees in our camp. He stayed warm on top of my sleeping bag for most of the night with just the Climate Changer, but by morning he was chilled and didn't stop shivering until he finished breakfast.

The jacket brushed remarkably clean of dirt and leaves. However, it's shedding season so the inside is hairy, and the hair doesn't come off as easily. Since Robin doesn't shed for most of the year, I'll wait and remove it with tape.

Packability: The XS Climate Changer weighs about 3.5 oz and packs into one side of Robin's XXS Approach pack with room to spare. Fleece doesn't compress too well, but the efficient cut makes it relatively small when packed.  It's thin enough to fit under his pack if we ever go hiking in freezing weather.

The XS rolled jacket takes up just over half of the 1L bag on his XXS pack.

Takeaways:
Good for: Trim body types, keeping bald chests and bellies warm, a baselayer under a pack or heavier jacket.

Not ideal for: Extreme temperatures without a top layer, bulky or muscular body types, zipper chewers.


Updates: 
06/07/2015 added packed size and chest fit photos