Ruffwear Highlands Dog Sleeping Bag

An oval, packable synthetic down sleeping bag for dogs, with a half length zipper, a neck baffle and a sleeve for a sleeping pad.

Who it suits

Dogs that camp or backpack in cool weather, especially short or single coated dogs that curl up to sleep. Two sizes, Medium and Large; there is no size for very small dogs.

Key facts

• Filled with 120 g of recycled polyester synthetic down that compresses well (Ruffwear)
• Half length zipper, neck baffle that folds in against drafts, and a sleeve for the Highlands Pad, sold separately (Ruffwear)
• Medium weighs 1.6 lb (725 g), Large 2.2 lb (997 g); compression sack included (Ruffwear)
• 75D polyester shell and 40D nylon lining, both with a water repellent finish; wash cold on a gentle cycle and tumble dry low (Ruffwear)

What reviewers say

Treeline Review: Jae Thomas, a Certified Professional Dog Trainer, used five dog sleeping bags with her short coated Border Collie mix and her Rough Collie on car camping and backpacking trips, and ran warmth, water spray, zipper and abrasion tests (published 28 September 2026). The Highlands was her best overall pick. She bought hers years ago and has used it for more than five years on trips and as a bed at home. She praised the compression sack, the dog shaped oval and its warmth, second only to the down bag in her heat test. The slim zipper on her medium bag came off its track on one trip.

TrailGroove: Aaron Zagrodnick has used the bag on many backpacking trips with his dog (March 2024). The medium suited his 40 to 45 lb heeler well. He found it too bulky to balance in a dog pack, so he carries it himself, and uses a dry bag because the stuff sack is not waterproof. The review does not say how the bag was obtained.

We did not test it ourselves.

Pros

• Oval shape suits dogs that sleep curled up
• Compresses small for a synthetic bag
• Pad sleeve for extra ground insulation
• Top pick in a dog trainer’s hands-on test

Cons

• Slim zipper can come off its track
• No size for very small dogs
• Bulky to carry in a dog’s own pack

Good to know

• A bag is only part of keeping a dog warm; dry your dog before bed and use a pad under it.
• If your dog keeps shivering or seems weak or slow in the cold, warm it up and call a vet.