Our Story
We started Surfdog Australia when we made a Drying Coat and this still remains our top selling product, we now have surf dogs all over the world.
There is nothing more joyful than seeing a dog running having fun the beach. In Australia the beach is where we walk every day. I had got to the point where I put off my dog walk as I just couldn’t cope with my car being wet all the time or the stress involved in drying my big floofy dog! My car and home were too often sandy, and had that wet dog smell!
We made the original ever first purpose made Dog Drying Coat. 15 years ago the only dog towels available were those with bunny ears that looked like kids bath robes and were useless for my dog. So I got out my sewing machine and designed a perfect fitting coat. It had to cover him completely and had to be comfortable. He needed to be able sit, walk and sleep in it.
My friends loved it and wanted one. Our first test trip to the beach ended up with a carpark fashion show as dog owners swarmed around the back of our car to find out where it came from and how it worked. It seemed I was on to something. I made a batch of yellow in size large and soon we had dog owners of all sizes asking for them. At that point Surfdog Australia was born.
Our first ever drying coat.. we have come on bit since then!
The Surfdog Difference
Because our drying coats were made for the love of our dog they have many features to make them comfortable, effective at drying and easy to use (that feature was actually for me!). Please see all these features in our movie.
Fabric is the key difference. I set out thinking it had to be nothing but the best Egyptian cotton which I loved for my own towels, but I soon found out this was not an ideal solution as cotton gets very heavy when wet. Our dog ran into the surf and almost disappeared under the weight of his cotton drying coat. Cotton towels also snagged - we needed a better solution. After extensive research and throwing heaps of hideous nasty cheap micro fibre in the bin we came across a manufacturer of baby and sports products that made a unique ‘virgin’ microfibre, less chemicals and eco friendly manufacturing. Because this fabric has a deeper denser pile than others it is an exceptional wicking microfibre. You cannot dry better!
THE TECHNICAL DETAILS
The moisture wicking fabric we use excels at drying. This is only possible owing to the depth of its pile which is 3 times thicker than most. Our Drying Coats do not absorb water. Instead, the fabric forms minute droplets on the inside surface of the fabric. From here, it is pulled through tiny spaces in the weave through capillary action until it reaches the outside surface. Once exposed to the air, the droplets evaporate. This enables thr fabric to absorb up to 7 times its weight in water whilst remaining light. This is achieved through its unique structure of tiny, split fibers. These split fibers create a large surface area that readily absorbs moisture, and their small size allows for rapid evaporation. Compared to traditional cotton and microfibre towel towels, this microfiber's density and structure allow it to wick away moisture faster, reducing drying time and preventing frizz. Most cotton and microfiber towels are created with thin threads woven into loops to make it appear thicker and do not have the same wicking ability.
Your dog dries first and very quickly! Followed by the drying coat which dries itself by allowing the water to evaporate
Cotton is a classic example of an "anti-moisture-wicking" fabric: It gets completely saturated with sweat or water and then takes forever to dry. Its fibres hold the water in the coat and against your dogs fur and skin.
In 2025 we have our Groodle India. She is an expert and getting wet and a great product tester.
We have added a few more products for beach loving dogs to our range. All created by us with the same principles of quality and design as our Drying Coats. All in stock and despatched from Western Australia.
We take great pleasure in making you and your dogs happy.
Sara x
