Most dog hiking gear is optional. A few items genuinely change what you can do safely, and a couple are worth carrying for the day something goes wrong.
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A harness with a handle
The most useful single item.
A rigid handle on the back lets you lift or steady a dog over a stile, a scramble, a stream crossing, or a gap in rocks. It also gives you a way to hold a dog securely when something unexpected happens — livestock, a cliff edge, another dog.
Look for:
- A padded, load-bearing handle, not a decorative loop
- Four points of adjustment, so it fits properly
- Wide chest and belly straps to spread load
- No rubbing at the armpits, which is where hiking harnesses cause sores
- Reflective panels
- A back ring for a lead, and ideally a front ring for control
rabbitgoo No-Pull Dog Harness
Padded with four adjustment points and both front and back rings. The adjustment range is what matters on a long day — a harness that shifts and rubs over eight hours will take skin off.
Water, and enough of it
Do not rely on streams. Leptospirosis, giardia and blue-green algae are all genuine risks, and hill streams below farmland are not clean.
PupFlask Dog Water Bottle
Bottle and bowl in one, with a pour-back so an unfinished drink is not wasted. Small amounts offered frequently is the right way to water a working dog, and this makes that practical.
Carry more than you think. A dog working hard in summer drinks a great deal.
Paw protection
Balm before and after. Protects against abrasion on rock and scree, and against hot ground.
Musher's Secret Paw Wax
Rub it into the pads and between the toes before setting off. Originally developed for sled dogs working on ice, and it does the same job on granite and gritstone.
Boots for genuinely rough terrain, dogs with previous pad injuries, or hot rock. They need a fortnight of introduction — one boot, in the house, with food, ten seconds at a time.
Check pads every couple of hours. Dogs keep going long past the point of damage.
A carrier, for the dog who cannot walk out
Worth thinking about before you need it. A dog who cuts a pad four miles from the car is a serious problem if you cannot carry them.
Kurgo G-Train Pet Carrier Backpack
A carrier backpack for small dogs — genuinely useful for a small breed on a long day, and it means an injured dog can be carried out rather than the day becoming an emergency.
For larger dogs, a lightweight emergency sling or a large scarf that can be improvised into a carry harness is worth having.
Dog packs
A fit, adult, conditioned dog can carry roughly 10 to 15 percent of body weight — their own water and food, typically.
Rules:
- Skeletally mature only. Never a growing dog
- Condition gradually — empty pack first, then adding weight over weeks
- Balance the load evenly
- Check for rubbing at every stop
- Take it off at rest breaks
- Not in hot weather, where it restricts heat loss
Do not use a pack to make an under-exercised dog tired. That is not what it is for.
Long line
For control in open country where recall is untested, or in areas with livestock and wildlife.
Dog Training Lead 30ft Long Line
Freedom to range and sniff without relying on a recall you have not proofed in that environment. Keep it clear of trees and rocks, where it tangles.
First aid, specifically for the hills
The items that actually get used:
- Vet wrap and non-adherent dressings, for a cut pad. The most common hill injury by a distance
- Sterile saline pods, for flushing wounds and eyes
- Blunt-ended scissors
- A tick hook
- Tweezers
- Styptic powder, for a torn nail
- A foil blanket
- A muzzle that fits. A dog in pain bites, including yours, and you may need to handle an injured leg
Plus your vet’s number, your out-of-hours vet’s number, and the microchip number.
Visibility and weather
- A light on the collar, because you will finish later than planned
- Reflective harness
- A coat for thin-coated dogs in cold or wet conditions
- A cooling vest for hot weather, used damp with airflow
Ruffwear Swamp Cooler Dog Vest
Evaporative cooling, which works with the dog’s own mechanism rather than against it. Soak, wring out, and re-wet through the day — a soaked vest in still air insulates instead.
Wipes and towels for the car
Earth Rated Dog Wipes
For legs and paws before the dog gets in, and for cleaning around a cut so you can see what you are dealing with. Keep them in the boot, where they are actually useful.
What you do not need
- A dog-specific sleeping bag, for a day walk
- Branded collapsible everything
- A pack for a dog who is already at their limit
- Boots you have not introduced properly, which will be carried rather than worn
The checklist that matters more than the kit
- Is your dog fit enough for this route, honestly?
- Is it too hot?
- Are there livestock, and is the lead going on?
- How far is the nearest vet, and do you have the number?
- Could you get your dog out if they could not walk?
Answer those five and the gear list becomes much shorter.
