When I was in college, my Kenzie-dog traveled everywhere with me. Everywhere. And if you’ve read here very long, you know that we take Penny with us when we go hiking and camping. Then there’s Coal, who’s already covered a lot of miles since completing his puppy shots, (please be careful where you take your pup before his/her shots are up-to-date!) with many more to go! If you’re one of our regular readers, you also know that (except for books!) we tend to pare it down to the essentials when it comes to “gear.” 3 kids under 5? One diaper bag. Vacation for a week? 1 duffle bag a piece. Camping for the weekend? All supplies have to fit in the packs. We don’t put the back seats down for “gear” — we need them for people! {smile} So you won’t see us traveling with stuffed dog toys (although our HOUSE is littered with stuffed Kong toys!), or camping with dog sleeping bags, or installing a booster seat to help him see out the window. That’s just not our style.

So what do we consider essentials for the dogs when we’re out and about? Here’s our tried and true gear for the pack, when they’re traveling with our crew.

1. Good collar and leash

We use the 1 inch wide ones (like here and here), and as I mentioned last week, I stick with a 6 ft leash for walking anywhere but at home. At home, we’re mostly off-leash. We DO have a retractable leash that I keep with us when traveling to give them a little more room on potty breaks and rest stops, but it usually stays in the bag.

If you’re going to get a retractable leash, get a good one. When you’re dog goes after a squirrel (or a car, or a person!) and hits the end of that 16-20 ft leash at full speed, that’s a lot of stress. You want one for at least twice your dog’s weight, and definitely one with a brake you can set at any length (like this one here).

2. Packable food and water

We have several collapsible bowls that have accumulated over the years. I prefer fold-ables when we’re only gone for an afternoon (we have these, and they’re great). We use the sack-type if we’re gone for more than a day so you can store the food you take right in it (we have these). I also think these water bottle clip bowls are pretty cool! But we usually carry our own reusable water bottles and I can use a carabiner to do the same thing with our fold-ables. If we’re going overnight or on a full-blown, out-of-town trip, I’ll pack some rawhide chews.

3. First Aid Kit

With the farm animals, pets, and kiddos, we do a lot of first aid around here. I’ve pretty much put together our own first aid kits that we keep in the cars and one in the house to throw in a bag/backpack any time we’re going to be out and about away from the car. The Medical Kit .9 is the base, and I add real tweezers (those plastic ones are a joke!), styptic powder, hydrogen peroxide, and a roll of vet wrap. If you’re looking for an all-in-one, pre-packed kit, I would go with the Essential Pet or the Alcott Explorer. It will work for pets and people!

4. Tick Key

This little device was new to me last year, but this little sucker is amazing! Be sure you keep your pets on the appropriate flea, tick, and heartworm medicine before you take them out and about. For their own good, as well as everyone else’s! (Fleas are particularly easy to pick up with casual contact.) I’ve also read suggestions that you keep copies of your dog’s vaccination records with you when traveling. Probably not a bad idea, although I admit I don’t. I have them filed neatly at home and my vet’s emergency number on speed dial, and I consider that enough. My pets ARE vaccinated, and if I had to I COULD prove it. (Update: I’ve since gone ahead and added photocopies to our vehicle glove boxes. Better safe than sorry!)

5. Toys

Eh…not a big deal for us. But we’ll pack something if we’re going out to actually play. A tennis ball, disc, or water bumper if that’s what we’re heading out to do. For “vacation” travel, we don’t take toys. It’s just one more thing to lose, and the dogs will already be plenty stimulated by regular exercise and a new environment. They won’t be bored. We’ll just take a chew bone for traveling crate time. (I’m a fan of these Merrick real meat bones. We haven’t noticed much splintering, but I do generally supervise and pick up sharp-looking pieces if they break off.)

6. Carry All Backpack

So, you’ve got all this “gear” for the mutt. Now you have to put it in something to keep with you. I use this little daypack and love it. I just keep it packed for the dogs and hanging in the mudroom all the time, since Coal and I are always off adventuring lately! Just add water bottles and a few treats. There’s plenty of room to throw in my keys, wallet, and phone.

When we’re gone longer than the afternoon, or when we’re camping, guess what? The dogs carry their own gear!

7. Dog backpack

Penny has this saddle-style backpack, which we’re very happy with. She carries water bottles, food, and her own bowls. You can take the packs off and just leave the harness on when she’s resting, and I LOVE the top strap for grabbing her if necessary. Once adjusted, we had almost no slippage. Penny wears a Large. We also have an older version of this pack by Outward Hound from my Kenzie-dog–it’s too small for Penny, but I think too big for Coal. I’m waiting for him to finish growing before we fit him for one, but it will most likely be this one.

8. Dog Crate/Kennel

We don’t use the dogs’ kennels for a day hike, but we definitely consider them essential gear for dogs that travel. Crate training starts at home, but if done properly, you can break down that crate and carry it with you anywhere. Proper crate training guarantees that you have a dog that is a great house guest! Also, on long trips, our dogs travel in their crates in the back of the car or truck. This keeps them secure (no doggie seat belts here) and contains any accidents–like getting skunked, or car sick. (Ugh! We’ve had both!)

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9. The infamous baggie

Ok, ok, I’m not a scooper. It’s a personal failing, I know. That’s why I saved it for last. But when we’re out and about, we try hard to be good canine citizens too! I have a pack of poop bags at the very bottom of my pack, just like everyone else. They’re nicely scented (doesn’t help!) and I keep two heavy-duty quart-size freezer bags to double bag the…crap…until we find a trash can. I also try my very, very, very best to make sure my dogs go on our own lovely green grass before we head out for the day! But if…stuff…happens, we’re prepared.

And that’s pretty much it. We keep a couple old towels in the back of all our vehicles (for dogs OR kids!) and we keep an old fleece blanket in each vehicle to cover the seats (fleece catches all the fur!), but that’s it for us. We usually travel light, especially when it comes to the dogs. No toys, no clothes {smile}.

Do you have any dog traveling gear that you love? Does your four-foot go with you everywhere? Are you partial to any particular companies or brands? I find myself going back to the same handful most of the time. Kong, Ruffwear, Outward Hound…how about you?