Every year I bundle the dogs into my car, and we embark on a road trip back to Saskatchewan, camping along the way! After doing it for several years I thought we had our routine nailed down.
This year our newest pup, Barney, was about five months old and having an active puppy along added a whole new challenge, as part of a camping road trip with dogs.
Set Your Puppy Up For Success
If you head out on a long drive, my first recommendation is to get your puppy comfortable with the car.
Any time I ran out for an errand or headed to the car, Barney was with me.
Sometimes I took him alone.
Sometimes another dog (or all 3) joined.
This helps with a camping road trip with dogs.
We needed to avoid issues after we hit the road.
That mattered for a three and a half day trip.
This ended up a lot more work than I had anticipated! Barney was scared of the car at first. And every time we would get close to it the fight would be on to get him inside and up onto the seat! Bribery worked well though. Every time he got into the car he got high quality treats, and throughout the drive, and by the time came to travel the big little man was a champion!
Plan, Plan and Plan Some More
Don’t underestimate the importance of planning for a camping road trip with dogs. With four large dogs I need to make sure that we are fully prepared. Grace is getting older coming up on 7 years old and she’s slowing down and needs more comfort. Barney being a puppy needs more care and attention. Sassy and Beau are both high energy dogs. There is a lot of gear and food that needs to be packed.
For a camping road trip with dogs, I pack the middle seat so the floor stays level with the seats. This setup gives the dogs space to lie down comfortably.
I cover it with blankets and pillows for a nice comfy space.
Grace and Barney ride in the middle and Sass and Beau ride in the back. But of course this leaves little room for anything else that we need to take along the way!
So most of our belongings and camping gear end up in the roof box, the biggest one I could find! Usually I will use the passenger seat for storage as well. But this year my daughter came along and that was no longer an option. And Grace is on some special food to help her lose a few pounds, and Barney is on puppy food so that required extra space.
What To Take
Choosing what to take in a situation like this is key. Particularly when traveling and camping in remote areas! Because it isn’t an option to just run out and pick up something you missed! I rely on lists to keep myself organized. One is for the mandatory items. And one is for nice to have but not necessary and these get packed only if there is room!
For a trip like this my mandatory items are:
– Tent
– Queen sized blow up air mattress and pump
– Sleeping bag, sheets and a pillow
– Towels for drying off after a swim stop or rain
– Leads to use at the campsites
– Small cooler with planned food for meals
– Dog bowls
– Water
– Dog food and treats
– Poop bags
– A toy or two
– Tablecloth
– Lanterns and flashlight
– Lighter and fire starter
– First aid kit for people and pets
– A camping pot and cast iron fry pan
– Grill for frying food over the fire
– Essential personal items
– Dog grooming tools
– A dish washing bin, dish soap and dishcloths
– Scissors
– Can opener
– Utensils
– Paper towels
– Solar powered light/fan
– Insect repellent, people and dog friendly
– Rain poncho and umbrella
– Utility knife
– Fold up camping chair
– Rubber mallet (for campsites with hard grounds to drive tent pegs in)
– Bungee cords and gorilla tape (you never know when you’ll need them and they come in handy)
– Small Coleman stove
– propane canisters
– handheld broom and dustpan
– Garbage bags
– Tinfoil
Optional Items
I also know some people like to bring raised dog beds and cooling blankets. But given our space restrictions there simply isn’t enough room for us to do this. And other than Grace who is a bit of a princess, the dogs don’t mind rolling around and getting dirty. So it hasn’t really been an issue. I also see a lot of very elaborate setups with screened tents for food areas. But since it is a one night stop only it isn’t worth it for us to have such a setup.
Another way to save space is with food and water if you can. Usually I take along dehydrated raw with just enough for the driving time and pick up more food once I get closer to home. For water, campgrounds have water stations. I find that filling water containers daily along the way means I don’t have to pack as much in the car.
Planning Stops
Stops along the way are another thing that needs to be planned out. It wasn’t as much of an issue when I was traveling with full grown dogs. But Barney still being a baby means he can’t hold his bladder for as long as the other dogs. I planned out stops along the way every 3-4 hours to stretch our legs and give the dogs a little break from the car and have some water.
Usually at these stops I would also fill up the gas as well since there were often long stretches without a gas station. And given the wildfire situation in Northern Ontario this year I didn’t want to end up being stuck somewhere on the road low on gas. My own rule of thumb (that my daughter mocks me for endlessly) is to look to stop at the nearest gas station once the tank hits half empty.
Picking the Right Campground and Site
Booking a good campsite when traveling with dogs is another important point to take into consideration.
So book early to get the best options.
This year I slacked on that part of it.
Usually I book my campsites early in the spring.
But that was when we were going through a lot with Benson’s cancer and passing.
You can read more about the profound loss of my big boy Benson HERE.
It took a long time to pull myself through that and I didn’t end up booking anything until June!
I got lucky though as I still managed to book some very good sites at nice campgrounds, even though we were starting out our travels on the August long weekend! Usually I try to find a large campsite on the edge of the camping ground or near the water. And I also look for shade and if it has the potential to flood. Privacy is also nice but not essential for us. The campsite where we had the least amount of success this year was right at the edge near the water but also had a trail right beside it that people used to take their dogs for walks.
This resulted in lots of dogs running to the end of their leads and barking. They also managed to catch my ankles on one of these escapades and I still have marks from the rope burn around them!
Another thing I like to look for is campgrounds that have radio free areas and as a result less of a “party” atmosphere. I’m not 19 anymore and enjoy the quiet time in nature out of the big city! It is also a lot more peaceful for the pups.
Be Bear Safe
Being bear safe is critical when camping with dogs. Always keep your dog on a leash or a lead to avoid an encounter. Last year there was a momma and baby bear at one of our campgrounds, and just after dark Grace started growling like I have never heard her growl before, right at the bush in front of the fire I was sitting at. It didn’t take long for the other three to take up the cause and run to the end of their leads barking their heads off. One of the bears had started coming into the campsite but retreated the way it came thank goodness.
When we camp everything goes back in the car when we are done with it – from all the people and dog food and treats, to food and water bowls and anything scented like toiletries and bug spray. Basically, anything that might smell and warrant inspection to a passing bear. The windows are done up and the car locked for the night. It is a lot of work? Yes. But my safety and the safety of the campers around me is the number one priority. You can read more on bear safety HERE.
Arriving at the Campsite
First thing I do when I pull into a new campsite after I have checked in is take a quick note of how the site itself is setup and decide where I will be setting up the tent and where the car will be parked. Once parked, my first priority is finding the dog leads and getting them set up. Typically I keep the leads under the passenger seat so that they are easy to find. I secure mine to the corners of the picnic table, and occasionally larger trees if there are some at the edge of the site. I also keep the bug spray handy just in case we get bombarded the second we step out of the car which has happened in the past. Dogs come out and get some water and the work begins!
Prioritize Shelter
Shelter is the next thing I need to do! Since it is a road trip and camping trip combined into one, rolling into a campsite between 4:00 and 6:00pm or even later isn’t out of the question. By getting the tent up I’m ensuring that we have a good place to sleep before it gets too dark! After shelter is taken care of, it’s food and relax time for the rest of the night and hopefully enjoy a nice fire under the stars.
Another caveat here is before dark I set out to find a nearby water tap and fill up my water jugs. Besides having enough water for drinking and cleaning, at the end of the night the fire needs to be 100% extinguished to prevent forest fires.
And the next morning we are up and at it bright and early to hit the road again! We emerge from the tent around dawn, food is eaten and the tear down commences. Everything gets packed back up into the car and we are off on new adventures again!
Be Flexible and Prepared for Challenges
As I mentioned earlier in this post, there were several challenges that we faced on the road this time that we haven’t encountered before! And some that we have. Like, I still haven’t figured out how to keep everyone from tangling their leads in about five seconds flat! The leads actually resulted in quite a few issues this year.
One campsite had a less than ideal location for the fire pit. It was also where I could tie everyone up, and I ended up with melted plastic on them. I wasn’t mindful of my feet when a dog walker passed. I greeted my first aid kit. The next morning, Barney and Sassy ran and played while I packed the car. The leads snagged my legs and I fell completely. We all stopped to stare for a moment. Then I picked it back up again.
The Great Tent Debacle
But the biggest setback was with the tent this year. This is the second year I set out with it and it was large enough for my air mattress and the pups. But last year I didn’t have my daughter with me and the dogs repeatedly tried stealing the mattress space from her if she needed to get up during the night. And on the way back I was solo, and the very first stop one of the tent poles that was bent had almost sheared off completely.
I fought for my life trying to get that tent up but the broken leg kept bending and swinging the wrong way, taking the entire thing down again. People were watching, not quite comprehending the struggle. Finally, using the gorilla tape and bungee cords I managed to get it up for its grand finale. I knew once it came down that I was never going to get it back up again.
One Person vs Two
Good old Canadian Tire to the rescue! There was one along the highway about an hour out from where we were, so everyone leashed up, went in and bought the biggest one in there! A twelve person one no less. Which at the time I didn’t even comprehend what it would be like to set up alone. Seeing how big it was almost had me in tears, but I figured out that instead of having two people, if I pegged in one side of it to the ground then went and lifted the back side one pole at a time it was totally doable.
Looking at the rain fly almost had me right back in panic mode! The tent is so tall (and I am not) that I briefly considered driving the car up beside the tent to get it on! But I managed to finally figure that out as well, and it was upside down but it was on! Taking mental notes, the little velcro ties on one side attach to the poles to get the orientation right. And once they are on for one side, it is fairly easy to drag it across to the other side.
Wet and Sandy Bed Anyone?
I think the only other real problem that came up was at the very first campsite the first day of travel. An absolutely stunning campsite, right on the beach facing west on Lake Superior. Which has amazing clear (and cool) water. So of course we went for a swim! With the dogs…After everyone was happy, wet and sandy. And the tent was set up, Grace headed straight for it and wouldn’t come out for the rest of the night.
When my daughter and I went to go to bed that night, we found Grace sprawled across the bed and all the bedding…which was now SOAKED and sandy. I was prepared to just deal with it, but my daughter was not. Luckily it was warm out and we didn’t really need all that much in terms of covers, and I had another throw blanket in the car. The next day there was so much sand in the tent it was laughable. And me without a handheld broom and dustpan. It has been added to the list!
So that pretty much summarizes this year’s great road and camping trip with the dogs! And with Barney being a puppy it made it a little more chaotic at times, but the biggest challenge with him ended up being the driving schedule. Were there other challenges? Yes. Did we manage them? Yes! Would I do it again? Absolutely!
