Having dogs along in your RV can make life more complicated, but I find having the right gear for our two dogs makes life easier for us and for them (although they don’t realize it).
1. REI Adventure Dog Dream Bed
Our two dogs each have an REI Dog Adventure blow up bed. These beds are great for outdoor use because of the double-sided cover: one is fleece and the other is nylon. The fleece side seems comfortable for them and the nylon side is water and abrasion resistant.
The dog bed can also be deflated and rolled up for easy storage. (REI discontinued their version of the beds but we found these on Amazon that are pretty much the same thing.)
2. Nalgene Container
We use this Nalgene container as their truck water bowl. We were tired of tossing out leftover water from a non-watertight container. Now we just put the lid on and leave the water for next time.
This container is tough enough to tumble around in the truck and it’s watertight (so long as you occasionally clean grit out of the threads of the lid).
3. Safety Vest
A dog safety vest is the most important piece of gear for us when our dogs are hiking or cycling in the outdoors during hunting season! It’s an absolute must-have to keep them safe and visible.
4. K-9 Float Coat Ruffwear Lifejackets
A doggie lifejacket keeps our dogs safe when we’re paddling, but it also makes it easier to haul them back in the boat thanks to the handle on the jacket. Another plus is it helps our older arthritic dog stay afloat without having to swim as much so she can play in the water for longer.
5. Nite Ize SpotLit Clip-on LED Light
We clip this LED light to our younger dog who likes to explore when we’re boondocked in the woods. Having this clipped to his collar helps us keep track of where he is at night. It also provides entertainment watching the ever changing colored light pop up randomly in the dark.
6. Summit Trex Ruffwear Booties
Booties are great for our dogs for several reasons: they protect their paws on rough terrain while hiking or cycling, prevent ice balls forming in between their toes when walking in the snow, don’t let their paws get covered in road salt in the winter, and help our older dog from grinding her toenails down to the quick when she drags them due to her weak joints.
7. Tupperwares
We’re never sure if we’ll get to their food in time to feed them dinner on traveling or exploring days. So we keep two small plastic Tupperwares filled with a dinner for each dog in the truck. Now they never have to wait for their dinners!
Visit here for more must-have dog accessories when camping.
