The Hurrta Body Warmer is a dog bodysuit, designed to provide extra warmth underneath a waterproof dog coat. It can also be used for dogs in need of extra warmth for muscle care during rehabilitation.
Minnesota winters can be cold and my dog, Glia, is a short-coated dog. With the right gear, I typically stay warm on our winter hikes. You know the saying, “there is no bad weather, only bad gear.” However, finding gear to keep Glia warm enough in low temperatures can be a struggle. So when we found a Hurrta Body Warmer on sale at Tractor Supply (of all places) during black Friday week sales, we decided it was the perfect time to add an extra layer to Glia’s winter wardrobe.
We took this Body Warmer on a couple of hikes before ultimately deciding to return it (the size we purchased wasn’t the right fit). Despite the fact that we ended up returning this product, we found the quality of the body warmer to be excellent. Below we will discuss the Hurrta brand, features of the body warmer, how the body warmer is sized, and overall fit and function for Glia.
About Hurrta
Hurrta is one of the big names in warm weather dog clothing. If you have a short-haired dog like Glia and you have searched for winter gear to keep your dog warm in Minnesota winters, you have probably heard about Hurrta’s dog coats.
Hurrta is a brand from Finland, or as they call it “the wild North.” The cold weather of Finland inspired Hurrta to create gear to help protect dogs from the changing, extreme conditions that come with winter in northern climates.
Originally, the makers of Hurrta were in the human clothing industry. As they worked to make functional products for their own dogs, they also began developing dog gear that is marketed globally.
Many of our favorite dog gear reviewers recommend Hurrta products, so we couldn’t wait to give this well-reviewed dog gear company a try.
There are two Hurrta websites for those in North America to be aware of. The original Hurrta website is for those based in Europe but still has good details about the products for everyone else. Hurrta America is the site to order gear from for those of us based in North America.
Body Warmer Features
The Body Warmer overall is a multi-purpose product suitable for an active dog’s muscle care, and for providing extra warmth under a waterproof jacket or overall. It is also ideal for ageing dogs, and dogs undergoing rehabilitation. The foil material on the inner surface reflects the dog’s body heat and provides extra warmth. Smooth and elastic material makes the overall very comfortable to wear. The overall has an adjustable belt and collar. Reflectors on the seams make the dog more visible in the dark.
https://www.hurtta.com/global_en/body-warmer or https://www.hurtta247.com/product-page/body-warmer
Our first impression of this Hurrta product was favorable. Even the packaging was nice, as the Hurrta Body Warmer arrived in a stuff sack on a cardboard hanger.
After unpacking the Body Warmer, we could appreciate the nice feel to the fabric and see the foil lining that is intended to reflect heat back to the dog’s body. The quality of the material was well worth the price tag.
The zipper worked well and the snap over the shoulders was easy to secure. The only initial drawback that we noted, was that the adjustable drawcords around the neck and waist area have to be knotted by hand.
We show these features of the Body Warmer in the following video:
More About Sizing
As we briefly mentioned in the video above, the Hurrta Body Warmer sizing is organized by back length. Measure your dog from the withers (shoulders) to the base of his/her tail in order to get your dog’s back length. Other places to measure are around your dog’s neck, around their chest, and leg length.
Check Hurrta’s video on measuring your dog for more detail:
Last year, we debated between a Hurrta Extreme Warmer coat and Muttluk dog boots to keep Glia warm in the winter. We tried on the Extreme Warmer and Glia was in between a size 20 and 22. We planned to go longer, as we figured extra fabric would only add more warmth. At that point though, she needed better dog boots more than she needed another coat (even such a nice high-quality coat). We purchased Muttluk’s dog boots and planned to come back for the Hurrta coat later.
This year when winter rolled around, we decided to try the Body Warmer instead of the coats, so we still have a Hurrta winter coat on Glia’s wishlist.
Unfortunately, none of our local stores carried the Body Warmer in store, so we had to order it online without trying one on. This seems simple, but then we realized that the Body Warmer comes in a LOT of sizes. This is intended to help each dog get a better fit, but it makes ordering and measuring a longer process.
Below is just part of Hurrta’s Body Warmer size selection (there are a few larger sizes not pictured at the bottom of this chart):
We figured that since Glia was a 22 inch (or 55 cm) back length in the Hurrta Extreme Warmer, then she would probably be a 22 inch in the Body Warmer.
But then we had to decide if she was an M or an L. The length of the legs of the L were definitely longer than Glia needed. But we liked that the chest and neck circumferences were smaller on the L compared to the M. Since Glia is a slender dog, we chose the 22L.
Unfortunately, the back legs of this size were much too long and ultimately, the poor fit in the back end is why we did not keep the product.
In the pictures below you can see that when standing the back legs almost touched the ground for Glia. And when she sat, her knees popped through the area that should have been against her thighs. I think this size was also a little too long for her, which contributed to the looseness in the hind end.
Function on the Trail
Despite the long back legs, we were determined to try this product out on the trail. So we rolled up the back legs at the cuff and pinned a little of the fabric in the thigh area to the fabric along her abdomen.
We hit the trails this way and the Body Warmer mostly worked, but I noticed that Glia would occasionally take a hopping step with her back legs and it didn’t seem like she had easy full range of motion. That didn’t stop her from cruising down the trail though.
You can see some of her movement on the trail in our video above. Particularly her hopping skips with the back legs are visible above. But for reference now, here are a few photos of her moving in the Hurrta Body Warmer.
As pictured, Glia was still happy to run around, but the well-fitted Body Warmer on the border collie in Hurrta’s official video (see above), looks like it offered less restriction in both shoulder and hip joints.
Fit aside, the Body Warmer did seem to keep Glia significantly warmer. When we stopped hiking, she would still shiver some, but she took longer to start shivering and the shivering seemed less intense when it occurred. Especially after we layered the Body Warmer underneath her fleece sweater, she truly seemed warmer than when she only wears a fleece sweater. For reference the day we took the Body Warmer out on the trail it was around 10 F.
Another thing to note about this product is that you have to leave the neck open if you are using a collar attachment, as there is no hole in the Body Warmer through which to attach a leash. We would likely use a harness over the Body Warmer for regular use, but it is something to be aware off for those that like to use collars.
Overall
Overall, we really wanted to love the Hurrta Body Warmer. It is just what Glia needs to layer underneath her coats and sweaters to help keep her warm on cold winter hikes. And the reflective liner and leg covering fabric really did seem to help with warmth.
Unfortunately, the 22L really didn’t fit Glia well and she didn’t seem that comfortable wearing the Body Warmer. So we have returned our Body Warmer for now and may try a different size in the future. Or maybe we will just try one of Hurrta’s winter dog coats instead.
Want to see how this product fit some other dogs? Check out RobinVentures‘ review of the Hurrta Body Warmer.
