Product Review: Spindrift Fleece-Lined Cozy Collar

Spindrift's Fleece-lined Cozy Collar is made in the USA, as evidenced by the American flag right on the label. This collar is made from strong, soft tubular webbing. The fleece padding is comfortable for sensitive skin, but I believe the current version is lined with neoprene. Spindrift collars currently come in three sizes to fit necks 17-26" around, I believe they are reworking their smallest size right now. The collars come in a variety of fun colors and patterns.

Photo by Erin Koski

I first started noticing Spindrift's products in stores because they were so clearly different from everything else on the shelves. The company started with one guy just making stuff that worked for him and his dog, and he didn't want to make something he could just buy at the store. I can appreciate that sort of thinking.

Spindrift collars are not folded back on themselves to provide for size adjustment. This is important for a padded collar, as with a typical nylon quick-release collar the padding made just end up touching itself instead of the dog. Instead, each collar has a 3" non-padded adjustment section. The strap slides through the adjuster and a keeper prevents the end from flopping around. This ensures that the padding is what touches the dog most of the way around, the drawback is that it reduces the size range of each collar.

This is a distinctive-looking rugged outdoor brand. My collar came from a thrift store, and it is faded and dirty but still serviceable. I have no idea how much wear and tear it took for it to look like that, but if I bought one new I'd likely go with a darker color to avoid it looking too dirty too fast.

Photo by Erin Koski

Pros: Comfortable lining is easy on sensitive skin and coats. Made in the USA. Adjustment design keeps padding against the dog. Comes in some really fun colors.

Cons: Not padded at the buckle or tag attachment points, which is where my dogs are most likely to have issues. Each size only adjusts 3". Sizing seems to run very small, though this issue may have been fixed in more recent versions.

Bottom Line: Order big, the closer you adjust the collar to its minimum size, the less unpadded part there is on your dog's neck.