Review: Kurgo Dog Gear

Here at O/B, we've long been fans of Kurgo, a small, family-owned company that makes everything from dog collars to travel beds, play toys to water bowls, carseat barriers to backpack carriers. Every year they surprise us, devising some new and clever item to add to their already-impressive inventory. With winter on its way out, and hiking & camping season soon upon us, we rounded up a few smaller Kurgo products for day-to-day use. Here's a rundown.

The RSG Sling Thing ($38) frees your hands, transferring the leash to your waist, shoulder, whatever, while offering MOLLE attachment points for other necessities. Reflective tape and an integrated bottle-opener mean you'll be both safe and happy come sunset. To deal with unfortunate inevitabilities, slip the Duty Bag ($10) onto the Sling Thing or any other leash and keep a roll of poop bags at the ready.

For long days on the water, bring along some Skipping Stones ($13), non-toxic chew-toys that you can fling into the water when sticks are hard to come by. Brightly colored, positively bouyant, and extremely durable, Skipping Stones can be skipped across the water like rocks, so you can have some fun while playing fetch, too. 

Later in the season, when the intermittent streams dry up and your pooch is panting hard, pull out a Zippy Bowl ($10), a compact, packable bowl that holds a whopping 48 ounces of water (or food). Then cool 'em off even further with the Mud Dog Travel Shower ($13), a mini-showerhead that screws onto a standard bottle to disperse cool water—or to clean the spring mud off your dirty dog's paws, before it leaps onto your freshly cleaned back seat.

Last but not least is the Kibble Carrier ($15), a lightweight, waterproof bag that folds up air-tight and holds five pounds of dog food. The ripstop nylon can take the inevitable beatings that will come its way, and two pockets—one zippered on the side, one open sleeve on the bottom—allow you to keep additional items secure.