A Dog-Owner’s Top 10 Camping Essentials

My husband and I love camping, and we try to take one big camping trip to the mountains or various National Parks per year. We adopted a dog during the first round of quarantines of the COVID-19 pandemic, and it was one of the best decisions we have ever made. Our pup did have some health issues when we initially brought her home, but she was ready for camping– and eventually a 14-mile hike– by summertime hit.

After a summer full of social distancing, camping, hiking, & training, here are the essentials we discovered:

1. Collapsible water bowl

This was nifty, because it clasps right onto our backpack or her harness. There are other cool dog-water-bowl-bottle-combo like this (link), but those were bulky and took up more space. Plus, she did not like drinking out of something we were holding onto. (Link to our bowl)

Tip: Use your travel water and food bowls for the week leading up to your camping trip or hike. Many dogs do not like switching and need some time to get used to these bowls. You do not want your dog trying to get used to them in the middle of a trip or refusing to drink water during a long hike.

2. BringFido App

We ended up needing to stay in a hotel for a few nights and the area of Colorado we were in was surprising not dog friendly. We used the app to figure out which hotel to stay in with her and it also gave us an idea of the hotel’s fees. We didn’t want to leave our pup at the campsite or even in a hotel for any period of time, so we used this app to also identify any restaurants or breweries were dog friendly. This ended up being invaluable!

3. Adaptil Collar (link)

This was initially recommended to us by another dog owner and it is worth every penny. She cautioned that it is important to buy the name-brand product, because generic or knock-offs do not work as well. This other dog owner uses the Adaptil collar when she boards her pup or when there’s thunderstorms, and she recommended it to us when I was complaining that our dog doesn’t eat as much when we’re traveling. Similarly I have heard that this spray is helpful for dogs that do not like traveling in the car (link). If your dog is really anxious about traveling, you might want to talk to your veterinarian about an anti-anxiety medication or CBD supplements for dogs.

4. Long-lead Leash

This is the perfect thing for hanging around your campsite in areas where leashing is necessary or required. We just attach the log-lead to a stake or picnic table and then our dog is free to roam around the site. It’s so much easier and less restrictive than a typical 6 foot leash. However, keep in mind that some campsites require dogs to be on a leash no longer than 10 feet. We initially bought this 30-ft leash when we were working on training at a park by our home and it’s been useful when camping as well. Link

Some of our friends swear by this bungee leash for hiking and running, but we stuck to trails where our dog could be off-leash. She’s the type of dog that likes to stop, sniff, and then run to catch up, so hiking with a leash is not ideal with her.

5. Bandana for cooling

There are numerous products that are meant to keep dogs cool or prevent them from overheating on long hikes. For example, I’ve heard good reviews about this particular cooling vest. While I am sure these types of products are great, we just brought a bandana that we would soak in cool water (even streams or rivers) and tie around our dog’s neck. This was certainly a cheaper option and seemed to work just fine. The important thing, after all, is to be making sure your dog is getting plenty of water to drink!

6. Quilt or Blanket

When traveling with our dog, we always lay out a large quilt over the backseat of the car to ensure she’s not getting the seat muddy or hairy. Again, this is another place where you could splurge and buy a back-seat cover or specific dog bed like this one, but if you are looking to save some cash, I recommend finding a large (queen or larger) quilt to use instead. We then bring the same quilt into the tent with us, folded several times, to be a dog bed. We don’t typically travel with a dog bed since it seems to get dirty quickly. This way the quilt can provide some warmth if needed and also has a familiar smell and feel. This is another thing you might consider bringing in the home or in the car for some time leading up to the trip so that the quilt smells like home to provide some comfort.

7. Nexguard (or another flee & tick preventative)

When we first adopted our dog, she had heartworm and a tick-born illness. It was an extremely tough recovery, so we are very careful to use the right medications to prevent anything like that from happening. It’s important to remember that you should NEVER spray your animals with human insect repellant, like Off, because anything with deet which is very toxic to dogs.

8. Extra Towels

Everyone has a few old towels that they don’t use much anymore, right? We bring those for the dog when camping! I can’t tell you how many times she has jumped into a mud puddle or waded through a stream and then rolled around in dirt. A few extra towels are a must-bring.

9. Dog First Aid Kit

When I asked other dog owners about essentials for our upcoming trip, almost all of them recommended a pet first aid kit. They told me stories of how these have come in handy (& many of them come with an extra collar too, just in case). Amazon has several ones at varying prices:

We did consider buying this emergency harness for pets to take with us on the long hikes. I think this would be a fantastic idea (+ absolutely worth the price) if our dog was older.

10. Research Dog-Friendliness

As you are planning your camping trip or scoping out the best hiking spots, keep in mind that many places are not dog-friendly. For example, many National Parks do not allow dogs on trails or in campgrounds (except for service dogs of course). We were surprised to find this out, so we spent time researching which National Parks, State Parks, and National Forests would be the most dog-friendly. It seemed at the time that all National Forests allow dogs, and some allow for them to be off leash as long as they were always under voice control. National Parks are much more limited. For example, at Badlands National Park dogs were not allowed on trails, and at Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, there are only a handful of trails that dogs can be on. It’s important to do your research ahead of time so you pup does not end up spending time left at your campsite or alone in a car.

What essentials did I miss? Leave your tips in the comments!