Bishop’s BirdDog Review
The new Bird Dog canine lifevest from Astral has hit the scene recently and over the last couple months my boy Bishop and I have been putting it to the test. Our first impression was how classy the style was, flashy but not over the top and it follows the same rad design theme we’ve come to love from all our other Astral products. After slipping it on and seeing how well it fit and allowed for full range of motion we immediately started to feel like the Bird Dog had a much wider range of possible applications than just use on the river.
Although Bishop and I are full of passion for the river and being on the water we have to admit that we are not only committed to the lower aspects of mountain watersheds. We are constantly drawn to the higher ridges and mountain tops where the whole runoff process begins. Since moving to California recently we have had some amazing opportunities to climb up and ski down some of the Sierra Nevada’s most dramatic peaks. High winds, extreme temperature ranges, sharp jagged rocks and ice, exposure to long falls and slides, etc. are all part of the game when traveling in alpine environments.
On our first big mountain of the spring season I decided to give Bishops new vest a try and strapped it on as we started before sunrise on an alpine start of a 13,000 ft peak. Throughout the day I was constantly impressed by how naturally Bishop moved in the vest and how he seemed to have more confidence with his new protection from the elements. Over the past few weeks we have taken a dozen alpine trips and the Bird Dog has become an essential piece of gear. It provides impact protection from the aggressive rocky scree fields, it gives me a much better visual on Bishop from a distance as he might wander off a bit to choose different approach line better suited for a 30 pounder, and its obvious it cuts the wind and limits his heat lost during rest stops.
The Bird Dog has turned out to be the perfect piece of performance gear to help him charge up snowy mountains and fly back down in style and comfort. We have also tested it on over night river trips and I was at ease with Bishop sitting up at the front of the raft crashing through class 4 rapids with his Bird Dog on. Snatching him up out of the water and back in to the raft when he fell out was a breeze as well. After testing and being fully stoked about the Bird Dog we can confidently say that whatever you and your dogs style is if y’all charge in the outdoors they will love the new canine lifevest.
Have fun-be safe-charge,
Gareth and Bishop.
