Hiring a Campervan? Packing Essentials for Your Dog Friendly Campervan Hire
Whoop, Whoop! You’ve made the leap and booked a dog friendly campervan hire! Road trip planning is fun!! But now it’s the tricky part. What to pack?
Personally I tend not to pack until the very last minute and instead create lists in advance, but whether you to plan to star that pack early or leave it to the same day, our checklist of packing essentials for your dog friendly campervan hire will help!
While we always share our full campervan contents list pre any hire, deciding what to pack is never easy so I hope this helps!
p.s if booking with another hire company – do check the full list of what they provide. We provide all cutlery, cooking, cleaning, chairs etc in Harley (HERE) but each hire company is diff so check their list and add to your own preparation as appropriate!
Related Blogs to Read:
Packing Essentials for Your Dog Friendly Campervan Hire
I typically split my lists into four categories but also love to create a list to tick off as a I go – so if you’d prefer then download the full checklist HERE which you can tick off too!
#1 Clothing and Laundry
- Make sure you pack lots of layers and items that can be easily matched together.
- PJs for any late night toilet trips ;0)
- Pack a laundry bag so that you can separate as you go
- Waterproof jacket and footwear (it is Scotland) – more than one choice of footwear/outwear is essential!
- If hiring a paddleboard with the van, then I also need to think about wetsuits and extra swimwear too ;0)
- Use soft travel bags (not suitcases) and smaller bags that you can store in diff places in the van. Do consider purchasing packing cubes – which come in lots of colours and can be used in suitcases on future travels too). I have pink ones ;0) from Amazon HERE
#2 Sleeping and Showering
- Sleeping bags are much easier to store during day time and take up much less space
- Don’t’ forget those pillows (always the thing I forget!)
- I tend to pack bed throw/bottom sheets to use on the beds and also to protect our bedding from doggy paws too.
- Hot water Bottle – while the van has a diesel heater, a hot water bottle can help keep you cosy at night during colder months.
- Microfibre towels are smaller to store and quicker to dry than standard towels – consider how you’ll dry in-between showers and/or wild swims
- Toiletries – wipes come in very handy and miniature travel size bottles take up less room
- Toilet Roll – even if using a campsite a spare roll is always handy!
#3 Doggy Essentials
Being a dog friendly hire we actually provide ‘everything’ and we mean EVERYTHING you need for your furiend. So when hiring with us all you’ll need is:
- Dog Food – if you are a raw feeder, then you may want to consider switching to a cold pressed or wet food during travelling. We can advise re storage or you can look up raw food stockists on your road trip route.
- Treat/Chews – I tend to go non smelly, like cows ears, some training treats and buffalo tails are their current favourite!
- Any medication or supplements they may be taking
- Dog harness – while we provide clip in seat belts and leads, you’ll need a dog harness for safety when clipping them in.
- Dog Bed – if your furiend prefers to travel in their bed then you may want to bring along with you. Millie prefers to chill out on a sleeping bagon floor while travelling while Hope prefers to be clipped on and travel on a seat up front! Think about how they will travel and how that can work for you during the day and at night. Beds will of course take up space so some guest have just brought an extra sleeping bag or duvet/cover.
Related Blogs to Read:
Our full list of doggy item you’ll find already in Harley include (to cover up to 2 dogs):
- throws for the seats/bed
- 2x Biothane dual ended leads (to use with d clip on the van)
- 4x Pop up travel bowls for food and water
- Dicky Bag plus spare poo bags
- MudDaddy,
- Canine First Aid Kit plus Tick Twisters and Leucillin Antiseptic Spray
- Canine First Aid Book
- Dogrobes (sized to fit your furiend) plus Gauntlets (drying mitts),
- Biothane Training Lines
- Seat Belt Clips
- Wildwash Stinky Shampoo
- 1x Stink Bomb Freshening Spray; and even
- a card game to play with your furiend!
Read more about Harley:
#4 Food and Water
One of things we love about being on the road is finding new places to eat and different food to try. But we also appreciate the self-contained nature of the van and being able to stay remotely, so I’d recommend:
- Consider pre-cooking a meal or two at home and popping into containers to avoid food prep and have store cupboard items to make up at least 2 meals on the go/back up.
- Bottled water (the water on board is not for drinking unless boiled).
- Tea/Dinner and Breakfast for the first night/morning
- Snacks and Treats galore – you’re on holiday right?
- Teabags and Coffee top ups – don’t worry we’ll always set you off with our fave Sacred Grounds coffee beans and some starter tea and coffee.
If hiring elsewhere please do check exact list of cooking and crockery that is being provided and also any camping chairs/oustide items for those meal time chill outs!
Over to You.. What are your Packing Essentials for a Dog Friendly Campervan Hire Holiday?
For me, keeping it simple, lightweight and packing as little as possible is key. Though as our focus tends to revolve round long dog walks and hills, footwear and outwear always dominate along with sleeping bags (and I love a duvet so try to make room for it!).
For east don’t forget you can download (and print off) a full checklist HERE! We love to tick off a list ;0)
But what about you? Is there anyting you feel we’ve missed that is essential to pack of your adventure? Hit us up in the comments so we can add to our list!
Related Blogs to Read:
- Do Campervans Have Electricity? How Power/Charging Works when Hiring Harley our Dog Friendly VW Campervan
- Looking for a Dog Friendly Adventure? 10 Best Scottish Instagram Accounts to Follow
- Looking for a Dog-Friendly Walk in Angus? Queen’s Well, Glen Esk (Reviewed)
Read more about Harley: