BFS Captain's Package

Somebody you know just got a boat, or just got a dog, and either way the same thing is about to happen: a dog is going on the water. The Captain's Package is everything that moment needs in one box, the First Mate life jacket in your pick of size, a 15-foot floating long line for swim sessions and ramp practice, and a 5-foot quick-dry coated leash for the dock walk in and out. Bundled, it costs less than collecting the pieces one by one.

Each piece covers a different distance. The jacket is the non-negotiable: closed-cell foam, high-vis orange, and a grab handle for the lift back aboard (full sizing chart on the First Mate page, measure girth first, and go up a size if you're between). The floating long line clips to the jacket's D-ring for first swims, so a dog still figuring out water can explore with you holding the other end, and because the line floats, you can always see and grab it. The leash is the everyday workhorse: coated webbing that doesn't soak up salt water, doesn't grow that wet-leash smell, and wipes dry on your shorts.

As a gift, it solves the whole problem at once, which is exactly what you want a gift to do. Pick the jacket size by the dog's girth if you know it, or by typical breed weight if you don't; the chart on the First Mate page covers both. Rinse everything fresh after salt days, and this kit lasts as long as the boat payments do.

What you're getting

• Complete kit: First Mate life jacket + 15 ft floating long line + 5 ft quick-dry leash
• Bundle pricing beats buying the pieces one by one
• Floating line clips to the jacket's D-ring for first swims and recall practice
• Coated leash shrugs off salt water, no soggy-leash smell
• Jacket sized girth-first XS–XL; chart covers gift-buying by breed weight
• The housewarming gift for anyone whose dock just got a dog