Hurtta Downpour Suit

Fall is quickly approaching and with it, rainy season! Personally, I love the foggy mornings, the colorful leaves, and the empty trails but I dread the exponential increase in dog bathes. For us, it is equally important to have a functioning dog jacket for changing weather conditions as it is for the human’s to have a weatherproof shell! Dogs that Hike offered Ellie and Kato the opportunity to test the new Downpour Suit from Hurtta America.

The suit is made for wet weather. The material is a laminated fabric with a breathable, waterproof and dirt-resistant membrane to protect your dog from the elements. If you’ve familiarity with the Hurtta brand, you’ll notice the Downpour Suit is an upgraded version of the Slush Combat Suit. In the new design, Hurtta addressed some common issues such as leg length. It features a highly adjustable fit with cinch points at each leg, the neck, the shoulders, and the waist. It is currently available in two colors: black and green camo. The camo has been treated with Permethrin for protection from insects.  As the jacket is designed mainly for rain protection, it offers little to no warmth. If your dog has thin fur or is easily chilled,  I recommend layering up with the Hurtta Body Warmer or looking into the Hurtta Drizzle Coat.

Over 21 sizes are available for backs from 10 inches to 28 inches as well as sizing specific to shorter legs. As with most Hurtta gear, the key to sizing is measuring your dog’s back length – from the withers down to the base of the tail.  The Downpour Suit runs true to size. I downsized Ellie to a 14M because she has a very high set, curly tail. The smaller size allows her tail to be unobstructed. A 14S may have fit her better due to her tiny legs. I tied each leg cinch as tight as possible which brought the suit up to her carpal and tarsal joints. The 16M perfectly fit Kato with minimal adjustments needed

Compared to other jackets we’ve tried, the Downpour is much more time consuming to fit for the first time and slightly longer to put on the dogs after fitting. When first fitting, I highly recommend to start with the shoulder cinch point as it both lifts the jacket on the chest and pulls it forward on the back – this is the most critical adjustment. Next, adjust the waist, the legs, then lastly the neck. Kato barely needed any leg adjustment with his stilt legs but Ellie’s little stumps required the cinch as tight as possible.

Below is a little video of some of our adventures and experience with the Downpour Suit.