One challenge of road tripping with the dog is stuff – well, stuff is a challenge on every road trip. But with the dog, you must take enough for you, enough for the dog and leave enough room in the car for him to sleep and move around.

Fortunately, my dog Victor, a cocker-cross, is an ideal car size and likes to ride in the back seat, sleeping most of the way. He loves his Solvit Car Cuddler and I leave him enough room to stand up, change spots or turn around.

What do you need while traveling with your dog?

There’s a gear bag of dog stuff I take on all overnight or longer trips, but this 12-day trip to North Carolina and back, I added a few extras – new products I decided to test in action (affiliate links to follow):

1. Canada Pooch Cooling Jacket – I bought this after attending Woofstock in 2018. It clips around your pup like a regular jacket, but first submerge it in cold water, ring it out, and it stays cool keeping the dog’s core body temperature lower.

Temperatures were unseasonably high, even for the south, especially the day I took Victor around the impressive dog-friendly Tyron International Equestrian Park, home to the 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games.

2. Bandana with Insect Shield – Tie this around the dog’s neck and it’s supposed to act as an insect repellent. The insecticide is woven into the fabric lasting, according to the company, up to 70 washes and repels mosquitoes, ticks, ants, biting flies, chiggers and midges.

Did it work? I didn’t notice Victor bothered by bugs while we were running at the leash-free zones at 4 Paws Kingdom, but he did come home very itchy. More about that soon.

3. WizSmart Pee Pads – This one I just started to bring with me for two reasons: 1. Victor’s getting older and often can’t make it through the night and 2. He angry peed (on the bedding) once at the Sheraton when I left him alone in the room for more than 10 minutes. For the record, I had to take the comforter off the bed, leave a significant housekeeping tip, and a note that said, ‘Sorry, I spilt white wine.’ I don’t think they bought it. I also don’t think it isn’t anything they haven’t seen before.

WizSmart pee pads are thicker than most, leak proof and the best part: tabs that adhere to the floor or even up a wall for male dogs. Fortunately, my Victor will pee straight down.

4. Blue Dog Bakery Softies – We’ve got to travel with treats, which Victor gets as soon as we get into a new room (after a bowl of water, of course). This trip, he tried the new Blue Dog Bakery Chicken Bites, small pungent pieces from Blue Dog Bakery.

These are by far one of his favourite treats we’ve tried and the strong smell got him more excited than anything. I sprinkled a few on his dinner to get him to eat and it worked like a charm. All natural made from US-raised chicken.

Also, we tried out the product that’ll become a permanent staple in our doggie travel bag: Espree Oatmeal Baking Soda Dog Dry Shampoo that effectively keeps my dog fresh on the road, so he’s fresh and clean feeling when so many people stop to give him a pat.

Check it out our Asheville adventures.