Do you go Car Camping with your Dog?
Have you ever been camping with your dog? Or want to and don’t know where to start?
It can be so daunting and the list very long… Hopefully, this helps so you can make a plan to get out there and camp at some of our amazing locations in NZ.
I have been lucky that I grew up camping at ‘The Lakes’ as they are known, aka Lake Aviemore near Kurow and we would have our caravan, awing, canvas (I know… canvas) tents and camp stretchers. Looking back mum must have put so much work into what to pack, how to ensure it didn’t go off, what to cook each day and then pack enough food for kids that are out swimming, running, biking and water skiing all day… Exhausting! But we had fun! 🙂
Fast forward to today and my version of camping is to grab my hiking tent and gear, throw it all in the car in my gear container, ensure I have a gas canister and lots of water… Afterall, if you’re car camping near a town you can just zip in and grab food or coffee if needed right!
My essentials are… Dog, Car, Tent (obviously), sleeping mat and then because we are car camping we can take some extras such as your pillow and bedding to ensure a comfy sleep, as we all know we might have an early night, but that also means it will be an early morning.... I then ensure I have a power bank, head torch, spare batteries and a light for in the tent, big tip I sleep in my clothes as it’s just easier.
That’s me… how about Gordo?? Again, as we are taking the car he has his swag to sleep on and his Stoneycreek jacket to keep him warm and cosy. Even though I know he’s comfy and cosy, he will also steal my blankets and as the tent is a two man, he tends to sleep close to me.
The other important part of camping is food… I find when I take Gordo on adventures that he can either be more hungry or his eating pattern changes, so likely he will only eat at night and not in the morning as he’s just wanting to adventure. What I do is take his kibble, freeze dried food and snacks… He especially loves the Topflite Hound toppers and snacks… I use these to ensure he’s getting the calories in, as when we are camping he is always active.
When I started hiking and overnight hikes I slowly built up my kit and these work just as well for my car camping as they do a day hike or multi day hike with or without Gordo (let’s face it… there is no without now!).
If you’re starting out I recommend keeping an eye out for any gear by Sea2Summit, as a self proclaimed fan… so much of my gear is from them, I was also living in Sydney when I started hiking and collecting my kit and have had most of it from 2018 and still using today. There are so many amazing NZ companies, and camping shouldn’t be expensive there is amazing gear now at Kmart, The Warehouse, Bunnings and more.
I am a fan of quality, long lasting, light gear, especially as this is very handy for hiking and I’ll talk about that more in my next instalment.
If I was to have the ideal setup… I’d have a 4WD that the canopy was kitted out for camping, a small BBQ, canopy for shade and shelter and then very likely my container full of hiking gear so I can pack my pack for an adventure as I need to.
Any questions on how to start pop them in the questions and I’ll happily answer any that you have!
So proud to work with Topflite Hound on this project and excited to write and share more knowledge with everyone on adventures with our dogs.
