15 Must Have Items For Adventuring With Your Dog!

One of the biggest reasons we purchased our Van was so Olive could travel with us. We love traveling (obviously!), but hated having to leave her at home. We found ourselves constantly saying things like, “Olive would love this!” “Olive would have so much fun here!”. All of you dog people know exactly what I’m talking about!! She has absolutely loved being on the road with us. She has been to more national parks than most people will ever see in their lives, has swam in the Atlantic, Pacific, Gulf, and countless rivers and lakes and climbed so many mountains. She is always with us and always game for a new adventure. we have really fine tuned the items we feel like are true game changers and totally necessary when traveling with her, so we compiled a list for you so you wont find yourself needing something, but not having it! Below you’ll find those 15 items you shouldn’t leave home without!

1 - Leashes

We take 3 different kinds. One 6 ft leash since that is what she is supposed to be on in any public area (especially national parks!). We have one very similar to this one and have had it for YEARS and it shows no signs of aging! We also take a long leash like this one for bathroom breaks and morning walks when we’re away from other people and want her to have a little independence! We also will sometimes loop this one around a picnic table when we don’t want to pull our her long lead at a campsite. Click here for the long lead. These are GREAT to have around. Super sturdy, can get wet and give you piece of mind when you’re at your campsite but don’t have your eyes on your dog. (We never leave Olive unattended anywhere other than in the van for a few minutes while we’re running into the store IF the weather allows).

2 - Bear Bell

We met a girl hiking with her dog in Oregon who had a bear bell hooked to her dogs collar…we immediately bought one for Olive. Its benefits are two-fold. Keeps the bears away and if she is off leash and gets out of our sight, we can still hear exactly where she is (please always be respectful of other people, their pets, and wild animals…we only take Olive off leash in VERY controlled environments AND she is well behaved and listens to our voice commands). Link here.

3 - Light Up Collar

This is one of our #1 most important items. We put this on her every night as the sun starts to go down so we can always see her. It can be a little nerve wracking when you’re camped on BLM lands and she wanders just out of view at night…this ensures you can always have your eye on your pupper! Linked here.

4 - Water Bottle + Collapsible Bowl

I’ve seen those water bottle/bowl combinations, but we’ve just always stuck with the tried and true collapsible bowl + a Nalgene we only use for her. We hook the bowl to the outside of our backpack to dry off. We keep a separate water bottle so we can dump the water she doesn’t drink back into the bottle. Water can be hard to come by when you’re on the road, so saving every last drop matters! Link for bowl here.

5 - Biodegradable Poop Bags

Always, always, always scoop the poop! It still amazes me the amount of dog owners who don’t pick up their poop. Make sure to keep extra bags with you and make sure they’re biodegradable! My favorite linked here.

6 - Dog Towels

Its inevitable…dogs are messy…they’re going to get dirty and muddy. We always make sure to keep towels on hand that we don’t use, that can be reused for wiping paws and cleaning up messes!

7 - Comfy Bed + Familiar Toys

aka Familiar items from home. This is so huge. As much as Olive loves being on the road, she also loves a routine and normalcy. Bringing items from home that she loves (like her bed + toys) really helps with this. We can always tell when she’s really comfortable and enjoying herself when she grabs one of her toys (we keep them in a small basket on the floor so she always has access) OR when she gets in her bed and flips over like in the picture above! I highly recommend bringing your pet’s bed from home to keep them as comfortable as possible!

These are some of Olive’s favorite toys:

**pro tip - try to avoid loud squeakers out of respect to any neighbors you might have! ((The cactus squeaker is very muffled…warning Lamb Chop is NOT muffled…but Lamb Chop is Olive’s favorite toy…so we let her have it occasionally at a time thats respectful to others))

8 - Mat For outside Or an elevated bed

For a while we used to bring her bed out and put it on the rug, but it just kept getting so dirty. I knew there had to be a solution and I finally found it at REI in Seattle. These beds roll up so they don’t take up much room, are water resistant on top, and have an anti-skid bottom thats also easy to just rinse off if it gets dirty or wet. Linked here! I haven’t gotten Olive an elevated bed for outside yet, but it is next on our list FOR SURE!! Linked here!

9 - Emergency Evac Sling

Another thing you won’t think you’ll need till you really need it. I like this one because it packs down so small and can easily fit in your backpack. It scares me to think about not having this on a trail. You never know when an accident might happen, and no one wants to be faced with carrying your dog down a mountain or even worse, having to consider leaving your dog behind. Buy this now.

10 - Boots

This is one of those things you may not use at all, but you are SO glad you have them when you need them. We are from the humid south, and there have been multiple occasions when Olive’s pads have gotten so dry they were hurting her OR its been so snowy that her pads just collect the snow and become like rocks between her pads. The boots fix both problems! She struggled with them at first, but now, when we bring them out, its like she knows they’re going to make her feet feel better and she’ll be able to keep having FUN! They have velcro closures and we’ve had great luck with them staying on her feet. Linked here!

11 - Paw soother

This goes perfectly with the boots! Sometimes we’ll even put the paw soother on her pads and then put the boots on. I’ve been amazed at how quickly this stuff will heal dry cracked pads. When she’s been in a dry environment, we’ll put this on her pads after she falls asleep at night and they’re almost always healed by the next morning. Linked here.

12 - Doggy First-Aid Kit

You never know whats going to happen…which is why you should keep a first aid kit with you! Link to one here. Make sure to include a spray bottle with water in it AND hydrogen peroxide. We have used the spray bottle to keep Olive cool in extreme temperatures. The hydrogen peroxide we keep just in case she eats something and we need to make her throw up and we’re too far from a Vet’s office. (Consult with your Vet first!!!)

13 - Shot Records

Some National Parks require you to show these to bring your dog in, plus it’s just a really good idea to have them with you just in case!

14 - Microchip + Collar with Identification

Same as the shot records…you never know when your pup could slip away from you and its so much better to be prepared before something happens than to wish you had!

15 - Nylon blanket for the bed

We already keep a sheet over our bedding to keep Olive’s dirt from getting directly on the bed…but the addition of this Nylon blanket has been a total game changer. Every morning, we just shake it off outside and all the dirt, grime and DOG HAIR come right off! This is HUGE! Other blankets collect the hair and dirt, but not this one! You won’t regret this purchase! similar linked here.

I’m not going to number this one, because I feel like all dog lovers should know this, but my last tip is to know you won’t be able to do everything you could if you didn’t have your dog with you. We make sacrifices to be able to travel with our Olive. We don’t get to do too much exploring in cities and National Parks can be limited…however it is TOTALLY worth it! There is PLENTY to do outside of National Parks and Cities and we never ever regret having her with us!

Happy Adventuring to you and your doggo!

XO - Madison + Bo + Olive