u/Responsible-Check921

Hi everyone,
I’m looking for some urgent gear advice for my 2-year-old Vizsla x Springer Spaniel. We are leaving to hike the West Highland Way in 10 days. He isn't used to wearing a harness, but I bought him a Ruffwear Front Range Day Pack for the trip.

I was doing some weight training with him, aiming for a total goal weight of 2 to 2.5kg. The sizing of the pack seemed great—I adjusted it so there were about 3 to 4 fingers of space at every adjustment point. I made the mistake of letting him run loose while wearing it, and by the time I noticed the friction burns in both of his front "armpits" (see attached picture), he was only carrying 1kg of weight.
He will not be wearing the pack again until the sores are 100% healed. However, I still really hope for him to walk the WHW with the pack on if he heals completely in time. If he doesn't, he will walk it gear-free, but I still want to use this pack for future hikes.

For future reference and for the upcoming trek:
- Was 3–4 fingers of space actually too loose, causing the pack to slide around and chaff while he ran?
- Is there any way to modify the straps (like fleece padding) or use an anti-chafe balm so he can still safely wear it on the WHW if the skin heals in time?
- Is the cut of the Front Range Day Pack notoriously close to the legs for deep-chested/athletic mixed breeds like Vizslas?

Would love to hear your experiences with this pack, similar dog shapes, or tips on preventing trail chafing!

Thank you.

Hi all! This summer my partner and I are hiking the Great Glen Way with our 1-year-old in tow, and we’re on the hunt for a bit of kit.

We have most things sorted, but we’re still searching for a toddler sleeping bag. We’ve fallen for the Morrison Outdoor toddler sleeping bag, but shipping from the US makes it pretty pricey once you factor in delivery and import tax.

So before we go down that route, we thought we’d ask here first:

- Has your little one outgrown theirs?
We’d love to buy a second-hand one.
- Got one sitting in storage waiting for a future family member?
We’d consider a short-term hire too.

If either sounds like you, please send us a DM!

Also happy to hear any other sleeping bag recommendations or toddler camping tips in the comments — we’re still learning as we go!

A couple of months ago, I made a post asking for advice after I had a pretty scary experience whilst wild camping.
https://www.reddit.com/r/wildcampingintheuk/comments/1pbcok9/how\_do\_you\_deal\_with\_fear\_when\_wild\_camping\_alone/

Now I’m happy to say that last weekend I went wild camping by myself again for the first time in about 4 years.

A lot of you gave me really helpful tips. One recurring suggestion was to bring a dog I’ve now got a 2y/o pup, so this buddy definitely joined me. Another common tip was to camp closer to home, so I could always pack up and leave in the middle of the night if things got too scary.

I decided to head to Dartmoor. It’s one of the few places where wild camping is allowed, and while it isn’t exactly close to home, it’s only about an hour away from my partner’s family, where she stayed for the weekend.

I set out on Saturday, but after about 6 hours of hiking in heavy rain, I was absolutely soaked. I even got wet underneath my raincoat, which honestly was the first time that had happened in about 4 years of using it. Even worse, the only towel I had in my bag was no longer enough to dry the dog either. So I decided to call it and drive back to the family house to try again the next day.

Still, it felt really good to refamiliarise myself with Dartmoor, as it had been years since I’d last been there.

So on Sunday I headed out again — dry, reset, and ready for the night.

It was only a tiny adventure, but a great one. I also got to test some new gear. I bought a new 2-person tent because my old one didn’t have a single functional zipper left, and I didn’t fancy sharing a 1-person tent with the dog. I went with the Lanshan 2 Pro 2026, and it performed really well. Fair to say it’s a great tent for the price.

I also decided to seam seal it myself. It was easy enough to do, although it looks pretty messy, and I still haven’t fully tested whether it’s 100% waterproof yet.

Another piece of gear I tested was my new Hyberg Attila backpack, which I absolutely loved. I was a bit worried because it doesn’t have a frame, but honestly it didn’t bother me at all.

Thanks again to everyone who gave me advice and encouragement to get back out there again.