The only thing better than camping with your family or friends is taking your dog with you. However, it’s not exactly like Fido can pack his own gear, leaving you to do it for him. What gear does your dog need for a fun outdoor excursion?
Here is must-have equipment when bringing your dog camping:
- Collapsible dog bowls
- Dog collar light
- Doggy waste bags
- Food storage
- Photo of your dog
- Durable leash or harness
- Escape-proof collar
- Doggy first aid kit
- Tether or stake
- ID tags
Keep reading for more information and product recommendations so you can bring everything your four-legged friend needs the next time you two adventure in the great outdoors!
What Equipment Do You Need to Take Your Dog Camping?
Collapsible Dog Bowls
Your dog has got to eat and drink when camping, just as you do.
However, you only have so much room in your backpack, and the thought of carrying around your pup’s metal bowls and having them clang together all day is not very appealing.
Fortunately, you don’t have to bring their bowls from home. I recommend collapsible down bowls since you can compress them down in your backpack. They won’t take up nearly as much space.
The Gorilla Grip collapsible bowls come in four to a pack for under $12. Each bowl is made of lightweight, durable silicone.
If you’re worried about BPAs, don’t be, as these bowls don’t have ‘em. They’re food-grade and safe for pets (including cats!).
To give the bowls some structure, each has an ABS plastic frame. Included as well is a carabiner clip that allows you to attach these collapsible dog bowls anywhere.
You can connect them to your dog’s leash or your backpack or wear them on your body attached to your belt loops.
Your dog might not care much about the colors of their collapsible food bowls, but you do, which is why it’s nice you have options.
You can select from black and royal blue, black and turquoise, pink and turquoise, or royal blue and green.
Dog Collar Light
If you’ve ever walked around the woods after dark, you know how disorienting it can be. Now imagine you can’t find your dog.
You could search with a flashlight, but with all those sights and sounds captivating their attention, your dog might not feel inclined to stay in one spot for long, making it harder to track them down.
That’s why a dog collar light is essential when camping with Fido. They’ll always have a light on them so they’re harder to lose and easier to recover if it comes to that (which, hopefully, it won’t!).
If you’re looking for a clip-on light, I’m a big fan of the Nite Ize SpotLit LED collar light. This carabiner clip with an LED built-in attaches right to your dog’s collar, which they should wear at all times when camping (even if they don’t when at home).
To activate the LED, push a button on the light, and voila, you’ll see your furry friend no matter how dark it is in the woods. You can select from one color for the LEDs or a rainbow of hues using Disc-O mode.
The carabiner is made of stainless steel, so even if your dog is like Houdini, they can’t chew through this attachment. The carabiner is also weather-resistant.
To power the LED, the Nite Ize SpotLit collar light includes lithium batteries that last for 20 hours at a clip. Replace the batteries when they die to continue using the light.
You can also upgrade your dog’s collar to something with illumination, such as the Blazin LED light-up collar.
Promising visibility from 1,000 feet away, the Blazin LED light-up collar has an on/off box and lasts for eight hours at a time.
Select from three unique modes: blink, strobe, or on. You can pick from all sorts of LED colors too, including yellow, red, purple, pink, green, and white.
The available collar sizes are extra-small, small, medium, and large.
Doggy Waste Bags
The policy is to leave no trace at a park or campsite. That goes for everything from food wrappers to dog poop.
It’s especially egregious to leave dog poop. If it rains, the poop can get washed into waterways, where it then enters the water supply.
While you can always bring plastic bags with you, the problem with plastic is that it takes forever to biodegrade. While plastic bottles can biodegrade in about 450 years, it takes more than twice that for plastic bags, up to 1,000 years.
That’s why I recommend Ley’s dog poop bags.
For one, the bags come in a 360-count, so you shouldn’t need doggy waste bags for a long, long time.
More importantly, these eco-friendly bags are biodegradable. Unlike regular plastic grocery bags, Ley’s dog poop bags will break down fast.
Here’s something else you can feel good about. The roll cores and packaging Ley’s uses are recycled.
Each doggy waste bag is nine inches by 13 inches and made of ultra-thick plastic that won’t leak and will hold up even if your dog makes a huge mess. You can choose from scented or unscented varieties according to your preferences.
You can fit these bags in any leash dispenser. The bags tear off from one another and open effortlessly so you can quickly clean up your dog’s mess before the stench fills your nostrils.
Food Storage
You’ve got dog food bowls to keep your pup fed for days, but how will you carry their food with you? Dog kibble bags are large and unwieldy, and you worry about tearing the bag.
Plus, what will you do when you have to open the bag? A food clip might not hold it as the bag rustles in your backpack, which puts you at risk of spilling dog kibble all over the contents of your bag. You’ll dig out stray pieces of kibble for weeks.
It won’t come to that with the KONG kibble storage food travel bag. This portable bag is available for under $15, so it’s cost-effective and sure to keep your food and your dog’s food separate in your backpack.
The 0.29-pound bag (when empty) features a polyethylene terephthalate base that makes it water-resistant.
I should mention that water resistance and waterproofing are two very different things. When an item is waterproof, it’s constructed that way to always repel water. Water-resistant items usually have a coating to slough off the water.
Once that coating wears away, the item can easily get wet, so keep that in mind.
The KONG food travel bag can store enough food for a medium-sized dog to stay fed for up to three days. If you have a smaller dog, they can feed for longer, but you’ll need to restock sooner for a large dog.
The bag measures 7.08 inches long by 5.51 inches wide by 6.69 inches tall. It features a translucent pane so you can track how much dog food you have left and refill the bag.
The KONG kibble storage food travel bag has an included carrying strap for hands-free travel. You can adjust the strap as needed.
Photo of Your Dog
Just because you hope the worst won’t happen doesn’t mean you should be unprepared if it does.
I know it hurts to think about but imagine what you would do if you lost your dog. You already have an LED light to make finding them easier, but what if you have to rally around others? They need to know what your dog looks like.
Before you venture out, take a picture of your dog on your phone. The photo should be in good lighting. Snap several photos showcasing your dog from the front and side.
If your pup has distinguishing characteristics such as unique coloration or patterning, make sure to photograph those areas specifically, as they can help others identify your dog.
Durable Leash or Harness
I’m sure your dog already has a leash and maybe a harness too. However, there’s a difference between walking your four-legged friend around your neighborhood and a campground.
A campground has a lot more open areas, as I’ve already established, which means more places for your dog to escape to. Campgrounds also have an abundance of smells and plenty of wildlife that can make your dog dart off in an instant.
That’s why your pup needs a more rugged leash or harness.
If you like leashes, the Blue-9 multi-function hands-free dog leash won’t disappoint.
Why is it called multifunctional, you ask? The leash extends, for one. It begins at three and a half feet and can double in size to six feet so if you want to give your dog more leeway while they’re still attached to their leash, you can.
Dual bolt-snap attachments let you double-clip the leash to a harness or loop the leash. You can also use the attachments to control the length of the Blue-9 leash.
With nylon construction, the Blue-9 leash should hold up for a while. It’s also easy to wash in between camping trips.
You can choose from leash colors like black, purple, sky blue, and red. The leash is available in sizes small through large.
For the harness fans out there, the Blue-9 buckle-neck balance harness won’t pull on your dog and leave them with a sore neck.
Like the Blue-9 leash, the harness has six adjustment points for a customized fit for your canine companion. The harness also features a Y-neck design that won’t chafe or choke your pup. They can freely move their neck and the upper half of their body.
The neck of the harness comes with a front buckle clip so your dog can wear this harness more like a collar without you having to pull it over their head.
Once again, you get a full range of colors to select from, including blue, black, hot pink, orange, purple, red, sky blue, and hunter green.
The available sizes are:
- Extra small (for chests 13.5 inches to 18 inches)
- Small (for chests 17.5 inches to 25.5 inches)
- Medium (for chests 21 inches to 32 inches)
- Medium/large (for chests 24 inches to 35.5 inches)
- Large (for chests 29 inches to 43.5 inches)
Escape-Proof Collar
Of course, any harness or leash is only as good as the collar it’s attached to. If your pup can easily slip right out of their collar, you have to buy them something better before taking them camping.
This Downtown Pet Supply Martingale collar might only look pretty at first, but it’s also weatherproof, escape-proof, and ideal for training your dog.
Made of tough polyester, the Martingale collar tightens if your dog begins to tug. Otherwise, it fits loosely – not so loose that your pup can escape though!
I also adore the pattern and color options. You can outfit your dog in everything from a space-themed to a tropical pineapple or floral-patterned collar!
Doggy First Aid Kit
Remember, preparedness is key when camping with a dog, which is why you must travel with a first aid kit.
Whether your pup is dehydrated, overheating, or ill, you should have something in your kit that will help them feel better until you can get them seen by a vet.
The PropEff first aid kit is a phenomenal solution. It includes 52 pieces to treat your canine companion no matter what’s ailing them.
Some of what’s included in the kit are:
- Molded splint
- Emergency leash
- Thermometer
- Styptic pen
The case itself is built from hardy 600-denier nylon so you can beat it up a bit without worrying about damaging the contents inside.
Tether or Stake
No camper leaves home without stakes. You never know when you’ll have to hammer your own tent down or someone else’s tent if you’re staying in your RV.
Well, make sure you have a couple of more extra stakes for your dog.
While you or someone else should always keep an eye on Fido when you’re camping, you can’t hold their leash 24 hours a day. That simply isn’t feasible.
With a stake (a tether works just as well), you can hammer it into the ground, attach your dog’s leash, and give your hands a break.
ID Tags
Last but certainly not least, you should bring ID tags for a dog-friendly camping trip.
I know you already took a few photos of your dog, but that’s not enough. ID tags help those at the park or campsite know your dog’s name. That, combined with their picture, increases their chances of being found.
What if you already have your dog microchipped? That’s great, and I commend you for it, but not everyone at the campsite knows that. Besides, a microchip doesn’t tell someone the dog’s name and address…well, at least not without a microchip reader.
GoTags stainless steel pet ID tags are an inexpensive product to consider. For under $10 per tag, you can add eight lines of customized text to the tag.
For example, you can put your dog’s name on the front and then your name, address, and phone number on the back so that if someone finds your dog, they instantly know who to contact and how.
You can also choose from an assortment of fun shapes for the ID tag, including stars, round, rectangles, house-shaped, heart-shaped, flower-shaped, dog bone-shaped, or bowtie-shaped.
Conclusion
Camping with your dog should be a fun experience for everyone, especially your furry friend. If you stock up on the gear I recommended in this article, you’ll be ready for lots of weekend camping trips with your pup.
You’ll have options for hydrating and feeding your dog, cleaning up their waste, preventing them from getting lost, and treating them if they get injured or sick.
I hope this article helps you start camping with your dog, as it’s truly an unforgettable experience.