My name is Alice, i was directed onto this website by a friend and i have to say that i found great information on here about camping and equipment.
firstly i must warn you, i know NOTHING about camping last time i went camoping i was about 6 ( im 21 now) :)
other than that i have heard it is meant to be the best thing ever, so, with that in mind i hope you all can offer me some good sound advice please :)
last summer my partner an i got a GSD puppy, his name is Jax and he is now 10 months old, with this in mind, i dont plan to go on any holidays abroad for the next few years but that doesnt mean we cant get away! so we decided that camping was the way to go. i have looked into loads of tents of different styles and shapes etc and have a few criteria that i think is a MUST and others that i would quite like it to include.
i will say that "Glamping" might be a better way of explaning what i intend to do, i cant live without electricity or Air beds :)
what the tent MUST have:
Sewn in Ground sheet ( stops pup from escaping at night)
separate sleeping pod ( 1 or 2 to sleep 3/4 people)
front awning to stop the rain coming in ( fingers crossed for warm weather :) )
does anyone know of a good tent that would suit all my needs?
i am currently looking at the Outwell Rockwell 5 (with possible attached awning) as i like the design and the fact that it has lots of windows and looks quite spacious.
i have looked at the Montana 4 + 6 person ranges but i cant find the 4 anywhere.
another little question ( sorry i have a lot)
could anybody give me the truth about what it is like camping with dogs. i have read a lot of articles that basically say it is amazing and soo much fun, but it seems too good to be true, hopefully people on here might be able to give me an idea on what it will really be like :)
well that's all for now folks
Thanks for reading :)
Alice x
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Hi I would say get the pup into camping as soon as you can so he's used to all the different sounds outdoors and the noise the tent makes and it will be great for him to get socialised
Tent wise if you could give the budget you have colours you prefer and will both of you or just one of you pitching the tent
Never cared for a gsd but do know they are quite big so where will he sleep and what's he sleeping on
Our Staffie sleeps in a crate and travels in the same one so if he's crate trained consider the size of the crate not just the dog
Oh and make sure the tent doors zip all the around and not just down the sides as some do and leave a gap at the bottom of the door if the mesh screen is zipped
------------- April Peak District Beech Croft Farm
May Peak District Duke of York
May Holland Delfse Hout
June Cotton Arms Nantwich
july/aug Cornwall Pentewan Sands
And quite a few local weekenders
dont Really have a budget as such but as long as its not ridiculous (£400-£500 is ok)
yes GSDs are pretty huge, Jax is 38kg and 10 months so getting bigger once he fills out his muscles a bit more hehe, unfortunately he wont be crated ( hates it)but is very calm and travels well so i never pushed the matter.
he sleeps on a memory foam mattress or the floor (wherever he wants!) as long as it isnt on me :)
dont really care about colours tbh, never really thought it mattered.
OOPS! i forgot to say that it will be two people pitching the tent :)
Hi Alice! I'm a newbie here too and I've recently got back into camping as well. I'm 28 this year.
Jax looks so cute!
My hubby and I have been camping with our pup (a Dalmatian called Paris) for a couple of years now. She's our baby but is pretty boisterous so we have to plan our trips with that in mind.
Things we have to consider:
- Boot/car space. Paris travels in the boot, which means that all of our camping gear has to fit on the backseats of our car. We had to upgrade to a 4x4 for this reason!! We normally pop the airbed and sleeping bags in the boot under Paris' bed. She looks like she's sleeping on a tower by the time we've packed!
- Sleeping arrangements. The first time we went camping we had planned for Paris to sleep on her dog bed next to us but the minute the lights were switched off she was straight up onto the air bed! As I said, she's our baby, so we didn't have the heart to kick her out. So the sleeping arrangement for us is that, only when camping, is P allowed in the bed. It's like a holiday treat for her!! On a practical note, she does keep us really warm overnight - spotty hot water bottle!
- Tethering. Most campsites ask that you keep dogs on leads. Like Jax, P is a pretty big and strong dog and we found the tethering leads you get from the shops (the ones you put in the ground) weren't strong enough for her. We now travel with a horse lunge line (if you don't have horses google "lunge line"!) - it's basically a really long lead with a loop at the end. We loop this through the alloy on our car wheel and then attach P to the other end. It works really well for us as she has the freedom to run but is always on a lead.
I can't think of anything else at the moment but I'm sure theres loads of other things we do without even thinking about it!!
Most importantly, have an amazing time camping with Jax. It really is such a lovely way to holiday with your pup. I don't think camping would be the same without Paris for us. We've been to so many great places!!
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car space- Jax Travels in the boot of my Cheverolet aveo (clown car) but for camping i will be able to borrow the family Mondeo Hatchback. so hopefully there will be enough room ( if a little tight)
sleeps - Jax usually starts the night off at the foot of the bed and ends up downstairs somewhere so im not too worried about where he is during the night, as long as i can FULLY seal my tent i know he will be fine. if he IS on our bed then never mind, i prefere him to be comfortable and who doesnt love a cuddly snow bear :)
Tethering - I use lunge lines with Jax, AND my 16.3 KWPN gelding so i know exactly what you mean :) they are fab fab fab and have recently bought a new soft/ suad handled one that is 15m long so that should work :)
not sure if i will be able to tie to the car but ill figure something out :) if all else fails and he gets loose a can easily catch him with 15m of line trailing behing him :)
I thought you might be horsey...the clue was in your icon photo!! I use the lunge line all the time with P. It's just as good around a tree. I've got a 15.3 TB :)
Just had a thought - air bed punctures!! We've been through sooo many air beds due to sharp pup nails! We always take a spare - nothing worse than waking up on a deflated bed.
The tent in that picture is a 5m bell tent with a canopy at the front. But we've just bought a dutch pyramid tent (yet to pitch it!). We struggled with the lack of living space and porch with the bell. Hoping the new one will be the best of both worlds - canvas, easy pitching and living space! Very excited!!
I camp with my dog,(border collie), the sites I aim for, are dog friendly. Top of the list, they have dog walks or an exercise area, if not, have somewhere close by.
Check out local pubs that will except dogs.
Your GSD looks lovely, looks like a big softy.
------------- New Year: Hesketh Bank
Feb/March: Red Squirrel
March: lakes
June: Morecambe
Aug: Lake District(not camping camping)
October: Red Squirrel
Don't forget to leave a review of all tents you've used, for a chance to win fantastic prizes
We have a Jack Russell - now I know we're poles apart on the size of the dog, but I think the principles are pretty much the same! Archie absolutely loves camping - our first ever trip we had a very unsettled first night, mainly because we were away with friends who also have a dog and he couldn't understand why he could smell Indi but not get to her! After that one night though, he has taken to it like a duck to water! The fresh air tires him out and he loves being outside all the time.
One thing which is top of my list when looking at tents is a porch area - ours is integral, but there are loads of tents with separate porch extensions. When it rains I like to have somewhere where I can dry Archie and leave wet leads, dog towels etc. away from my main living area so I love my porch for this. It means he is dried off before he goes on the tent carpet (am assuming you will have one of these if you're more of a glamper and like your comforts like I do)! Archie sleeps on the bed at home so camping is no different, but like you, my main priority is that the tent is escape proof! We don't shut our bedroom compartment at night, so he does sometimes get up and wander into the living area but I know he can't get out so that's fine.
I am sure Jax will love camping - make sure you find somewhere dog friendly, and just be prepared to go with the flow on your first trip while he gets used to it. One invaluable piece of advice that I was given - always make sure whatever you are going to use to tether him is easily accessible as soon as you arrive at a campsite - nothing worse than having to unpack the whole car while you try to find it 😄
Quote: Originally posted by RedT2S on 28/3/2014
Tethering - I use lunge lines with Jax, and have recently bought a new soft/ suade handled one that is 15m long so that should work :) not sure if I will be able to tie to the car but I'll figure something out :) if all else fails and he gets loose I can easily catch him with 15m of line trailing behing him :)
Hi, and welcome to UKCS and to camping, I hope you have a great time when you start your adventures with Jax.
One thing to think about though - many, if not most, sites stipulate that dogs tethered outside a unit should be on a line of no more than a certain length (possibly 6m max though different sites will have their own rules) so a 15m lunge line will be far too long unless you double it up. While it might make it easy to catch Jax if he should get loose, 15m of trailing line isn't really a good idea, plus it could also create trip hazards and problems for other campers if he was allowed to move too far from your unit while tethered. Just a friendly heads-up, I'm sure you wouldn't like to fall foul of any camp site owners or other campers on your first time out.
Tie-out cables of varying lengths and strengths can be bought from place like Pets At Home or The Range if you have a local one so something like that would be a good alternative. Also check out the Delta dog anchor, 6th item down on here - http://www.deltagroundanchors.co.uk/home/a5_products - a simple but very effective piece of kit, and one which I personally wouldn't be without.
I have two little Jack Russells, Sophie and Sugar, and I wouldn't dream of going camping without them. Sugar has been camping since she was ten months old - she's 16 in July - and 6-year old Sophie for four years, and they absolutely love it. I've just recently booked my Easter break at a site in North Wales so really looking forward to getting out there with them. Have fun planning your own trips and do let us all know how you get on
Post last edited on 29/03/2014 10:52:50
------------- Tigermouse
I have a very temperamental personality - 50% temper and 50% mental
I go camping with 3 dogs, they are nova scotia duck tolling retrievers (yeah, bit of a mouth full lol ). I make a garden made from puppy pen panels on the front of the tent. Would get in a muddle having 3 tied up!
Vetbed is brilliant to use as a carpet in the bedroom. A non spill water bowl is useful and so is a small dog cage for keeping food in if your dog is likely to steal anything!
Lots of good advice for you and lovely doggie pictures all beautiful.
I agree on the tethering, you need something strong our old boy X GSD (sadly passed now) took a tethering stake away with him when he spotted a squirrel who dared to wander nearby so choose wisely. We use a builders tool now to stake out our collie.
He also sleeps on our bed beware if you take water into the bedroom for them, use an unspillable bowl, we learnt the hard way.
You need enough room in your tent for Jax to lay out flat with tail included so you still will be able to walk around etc, we have a 6 berth for 2 of us, I think a lot of people will say always go for a bigger tent if you can, or one with extensions.
Camping with dogs is as easy as you make it, enjoy I am sure you will xx
Thank you soo much for all the response guys.
sorry i havent been responding, i had an internet issue over the weekend :(
well i can say that on saturday i went to the "Go Outdoors" store and bought my very first tent !!!!!!!!!
i got the Outwell Rockwell 5 and the front extension, i liked the idea of making a pen for the dog as it is highly possible that i will be going with a friend and bringing her Husky with us !! are we mad or what!?!
i bought some 5ft tall wind breakers that will go across the front awning to make a pen and i have also bought a tie out cable. if all else fails i also picked up some climbing rope that i can cut to size it both the lunge line and tie out cable doesnt work.
i HOPE Jax will be oke in the front awening over night as i dont want to risk him outside. the husky is an outside dog so will most likely be kept out but he is soo well behaved that i can tie him to the car wheel and he should be fine.
i have picked up a couple of non spill water bowls but i think i will keep them in the tent area and not the bedroom hehe, dont fancy a soggy pillow at 2am :)
i had heard that i should pick up a tent that is a bit bigger so we picked up a 5 man tent, that shoulod be enough for 2 people and 2 dogs right?? or am i kidding myself. Jax tends to think he is the siaze of a Jack russle and the husky thinks he's a horse so between the two maybe we have enough space??
on another note, i cant wait to go camping!! im looking at going 18th-20th april as a 1st trip and dont want to go tooo far incase it all goes to pot and the dog dont settle. we are based in leicester. does anybody have an idea of any nice places about 1-2 hours away that have electric hookup and allow dogs??
So pleased that you have found a tent, it looks a good one especially with the extension.
I have one reservation though I wouldn't want to leave my dog outside overnight, on a lot of sites you are bound to get wildlife cruising by at some point, is it ok with deer, rabbits, foxes etc.
Couldn't trust mine.......
Someone will be along with some recommendation of where to stay, enjoy x
A day of all things motorhome and campervan. The show is held both in the main indoor arena and across the grounds. Catering, hot drinks and food options are available. Easy access to the site and free parking included. Win one of five pairs of day tickets
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