With winter comes shorter days as the night arrives around 5:00-5:30 o’clock, often leaving us to take our walks in the dark. Walking at night can be relaxing and fun, but also dangerous and scary if the proper precautions aren’t taken. Such as walking with a friend or a group and wearing proper reflective/L.E.D gear. Personally, I prefer L.E.D lights over reflective gear, but both is even better and with the Reflect and Protect Vest from Kurgo I got both!

The Reflect & Protect vest (affiliate link) has an L.E.D strip along the back and reflective lining on the back, sides, and front strap. It’s also a bright orange color, making it highly visible any time of day. Other features as listed on Kurgo’s website:

– 360-degree reflectivity
– Soft, lightweight fabric
– Up to 1,000-foot visibility*(battery last up to 50 hours)
– Side and back mesh sections for added breath-ability
– Adjustment points at the neck and chest, both with perfectly fitting flexible webbing for ultimate range of motion

And, as the box reads, it’s PVC Free, Phthalate Free & BPA Free. Awesome!

I’m not sure what the intended purpose of that clip is, but I’m thinking I might get one of those L.E.D beacon light things and see if I can attach it to that, since the reflective strap, though nice and wide, sometimes gets buried in collie fluff (I had to hold her fluff up to get these pictures, lol).

I would also add that the L.E.D strip has three different light up options: fast flashing, light flashing and solid light. Which you can see in the video below (it’s a little too dark to tell, but it’s Petal in our dark backward, patiently standing there while I literally push her button. 😉 )

(If the video doesn’t show up click here to watch it).

Press once for fast, a second time for slow, a third time for solid and once more to turn it off. When you first remove the vest from the box for use you’ll have to activate the L.E.D strip by pulling out the clear tab with a red arrow on it. It’s very simple to do.

Unvelcro the narrow pouch that holds the light strip in place along the back, remove the plastic sleeve containing the light strip. Remove the tab with the red arrow from the light strip then slide the light strip back in the plastic pouch and seal shut (this protects it from moisture). Making sure the lights and control button are facing up, insert the light strip back into the vest and Velcro shut. Now you’re ready for some night walking!

“Can you see me?!”

We have been putting this vest to good use lately and I must say, I love it! I love the different light options. I love that it’s a light weight and breathable fabric; I can use it year round, whether it’s warm or cold. It’s a breeze to put on and take off Petal (slip neck strap over her head and buckle the middle strap around her chest). Most importantly, it is highly visible even on a long coat breed. I reviewed an L.E.D collar a couple years ago and while it made the white collie mane glow red, it wasn’t nearly as visible as this vest because the collar was lost in fur and considerably smaller than a vest. I highly recommend this vest to anyone who walks their dog at night, during hunting season, or any other time that being highly visible is important. I especially recommend it for fellow long coated breeds! Don’t bother with an L.E.D collar, just go straight for this vest. You can buy it on Kurgo’s website (affiliate link) for $28.

Their website also has a size chart for the vest. It goes by neck and chest size. If your dog is like Petal though and their neck measurements calls for a small vest but their chest measurements calls for a medium vest, go with the medium. As the helpful folks at Kurgo told me, the chest size is the more important size.

Thanks for making it easier for us to stay active, Kurgo!

note: I was sent 1 (one) Reflect and Protect Dog Vest from Kurgo in exchange for my honest review. I was not compensated in any other way. All opinions expressed here are entirely my own based on my own experience with the product.

P.S. Tomorrow is Petal’s birthday! I say this all the time, but I seriously can not believe she is going to be five. I think she will forever be two years old on the inside. Little stinker.

Today we are staying fit and joining the FitDog Friday blog hop hosted by SlimDoggy, My GBGV Life and To Dog With Love. Thank you hosts!