The Happy Camper: Camp Gear for the Dog
I’ll admit that I splurged a little on my dog for the upcoming summer season. I ordered way too many dog gadgets for our canoe trips. But Angel deserves it. After all, I have great gear to make myself cozier out there. Why shouldn’t she?
Here are a few pieces I got for Angel. Don’t judge—my dog is amazing and she deserves to be spoiled now and then.
Ruffwear Jet Stream ($40)
Angel is black, so she can overheat while sitting in the canoe on a hot and humid day. I’ve always placed a dollar-store umbrella over her, strapped to the gunwale. It helps with the burning sun but not the humidity. That’s why I splurged on the new Ruffwear Jet Stream. It’s designed to efficiently cool dogs down during low and high-intensity adventures. Its three-layer evaporative cooling chest panel disperses heat from the dog’s core. To activate the Jet Stream, soak it in water, wring out, zip it onto your dog and go. It seems similar to those cooling towels I’ve worn around my neck, which work well.
Ruffwear Kibble Kaddie ($40)
I’ve given up eyeballing how much kibble to give Angel during a trip. I’m always second-guessing if I have enough by the end of trip or if I’m giving her too little for the energy she puts out during the day. That’s why I ordered the Ruffwear Kibble Kaddie. It’s a great storage bag for her food, but it also dispenses her kibble through a side-mounted chute. The top-loading, roll-down closure secures the food and decreases the size of the bag as food is gobbled up. An extra bonus is that it’s waterproof. I’m done trusting those extra-large zip-lock bags to keep my dog’s kibble dry in her pack. The moment we finish a portage, Angel leaps into the water, and then rolls in the mud-caked shoreline.
Ruffwear Bivy Bowl ($25)
Another added gadget—the Ruffwear ultra-light, durable fabric Bivy Bowl. Welded, collapsible, single-wall construction keeps the bowl simple and clean. Capacity is 1.8 litres and it weighs 84 grams.
