The Ten Dog Essentials: What to Bring on Outdoor Adventures

Most outdoor enthusiasts are familiar with “The Ten Essentials for Hiking and Camping” referenced across the board, from Search and Rescue teams, REI, Boy and Girl Scout troups and many more places. Yet here we are bringing our pups into the wilderness, with less awareness of what their needs are when on dog friendly adventures.

With Chloe and I exploring the outdoors for the past 5 years of her life, we’ve referenced “The 10 EssenTAILS” in the past, in this post here about supplies to bring while traveling.

As we embark (heh, heh; I LOVE it when we get to throw our blog title into our posts) on our upcoming backpacking thru hike across the Pacific Crest Trail, where Chloe will hike nearly 1300 miles in 3 – 4 months, (I will hike 2,000) I’m recognizing that more and more folks are wishing to bring their dogs on grand adventures.

I support dog adventures, with my whole heart. Their lives are shorter than ours, and every pet has their own personality that should absolutely be celebrated and acknowledged. For the dogs who relish in adventure, who love every moment they can catch the wind with their powerful nose and absorb their surroundings, and explore somewhere new! Well, that is why I support bringing your pups with you on adventures. They deserve the absolute BEST we can give them.

However my experience with Search and Rescue groups, Avalanche Certifications, healthcare in general and being partnered with an EMT/Wilderness First Responder- WELL I really, truly feel like we need to prioritize our doggo’s safety every time they are in the wilderness. That brings us to: the 10 EssenTAILS.

The Dog 10 Essentials (or shall we say EssenTAILS?)

Collar with Tags and/or GPS: Any time your dog steps outside, they should be wearing a collar with tags.
Water/Food with bowl: Always bring extra food and water for your pup, as well as a safe way for them to access it.
Leash: No matter how incredibly trained your pup is when off leash, many places legally require leashes.
Medical Info Updated with Digital Access: Before every trip, make sure you have all of your pup’s records saved in a digital format.
Poop Bags: Pack them in, pack them out! Take care of the outdoor environment you are exploring by leaving no poop behind.
Treats: Every step outside is an opportunity to use positive reinforcement training. Keep those treats nearby to share when they do something good.
Emergency Harness: For any dog over 25 pounds, or any time you can’t fit them into your backpack, you should have an emergency harness that will help you carry them out if anything bad should happen.
Dog Booties: Even on a shaded trail, the ground can get hot on their paws. Keep them safe, keep them covered.
Doggy Beacon: Anytime you are outdoors at dusk or dark, a beacon can keep yourself and your dog safe
First Aid Kit with Dog Items: This seems obvious, but dogs can be stung, bit, or cut outside just as easily as humans can.

Keep reading to learn more about the importance of these 10 essenTAILS. Or enjoy these posts about hiking with your dog here.

***The list of 10 Dog Essentials below contains Amazon Affiliate links. This is the FIRST time I’ve done this. Let me know what you think! All linked items are ones I have personally used on my adventures with great results! If you click on the links here to purchase one of these items, I get some of the funds. This will help me financially on my PCT thru hike this year. Thanks for your support!***

Collar with Tags (or GPS)

The importance of a collar with tags should be obvious. Every time your pup goes outside, snap that collar on. That way if they get lost, people who might find them will know they have a home, and know how to connect with you.

There are SO MANY different kinds of collars out there! Some people who have escape artist dogs, or pups who are off leash hiking, OR hunting dogs which are required to be off leash to chase up birds will benefit greatly from having a GPS collar. This way if for any reason you cannot find your furry bestie, you can pull out your phone and find them easily.

If you are going out of cell reception, you can switch out their tags to include a secondary contact who might have your Garmin Inreach info to let you know they found your pup.

I like to use the tags that wrap around the collar when hiking. This minimizes the potential of losing it on the trail! The ability to add your own input to the collar allows you to say things like- “We are thru hiking the PCT! If you find me try these two numbers to help me back to my Mom”.

This is the personalize- able dog tag I’ve used for the past couple years while on adventures:

Water/Food with Bowl

Just like humans should ALWAYS carry extra water and food when they are on adventures, dogs also require this! However, it is also important that your dog can access the food and water you bring for them. For example, if you forget a fold up bowl and only have a water bottle or water bladder; your dog might not drink enough water because they aren’t familiar with drinking from human drinking devices.

Leash

Whether it’s a long leash, a short leash, a wrap around the waist leash or a clip to a carabnier leash- just always make sure you have a leash for your pup. It is easy to forget if you have a dog who is really well behaved off leash; and it is easy to leave behind at camp sometimes, if you are just getting up and ready to go. So always double check that you have your leash on you before you begin or continue any adventure as many places legally require leashes, many dogs aren’t safe to interact with off leash dogs, and some people are afraid of dogs and do not wish to interact with yours when they are off leash. Leash for the win.

I am using the Ruffwear Hitchhiker leash for my Pacific Crest Trail thru hike. This leash is AWESOME and will allow you to adjust the length to your pup’s preference, as well as attach around the waist, through belt loops, or to your backpack if your pup has to wait for you outside for a minute, when you run inside a store. Check it out on amazon below!

Medical Info Updated with Digital Access

ANY time you are about to embark (heh) on an adventure, double check that you have digital access to updated info related to your dog’s vaccinations and health records. When you are on an adventure, you are at much greater risk of experiencing an animal injury than you are just hanging out at home. Having updated vaccination and health records are INTEGRAL to any veterinarian team who might need to care for your dog on the road.

A personal story is the time when Chloe ate a glass jar of peanut butter. Chloe is a lot like my child, in many ways. Though I am absolutely fantastic about keeping it together in terrifying situations like the consuming of glass; I had just recently traveled from South Carolina to land in Oregon. I had NO clue where her paper records were, much less would I have thought to grab them before going to the emergency vet. Thankfully I have a google drive with a full history of Chloe’s records. The available paperwork allowed us to run to Dove Lewis as FAST as we could, to get surgery for glass removal from her stomach, without struggling to produce the information they need to provide her with the best care possible. It was easy to access from my phone, to share with the vet team via email and for them to print if necessary. Digital Medical Records for the win.

Poop Bags

I KNOW I am preaching to the choir about this- but if you pick up your dog’s poop with a poop bag PLEASE pack the poop bag out with you. I have seen so many poop-filled poop bags on dog friendly hiking trails that it BREAKS my heart.

A VERY easy hack for day hikers (or thru hikers) is to use a peanut butter jar to hold the poop bag. It won’t smell and you can pick it up right away, instead of ‘trying to remember it’ on the way out.

Poop bags are an essential item to keep our wilderness wild. Many folks feel that dog poop is fertilizer, and therefore fine to leave on the trail. This is a myth. Any animal that consumes meat can share parasites, bacteria and viruses. Cow Poop is a fertilizer because they DON’T consume meat. Dog poop, cat poop, human poop is all dangerous for the wilderness because we poop out the gross stuff. Have you ever wondered why we use toilets as humans? Or why pregnant women can’t handle cat litter boxes safely? It’s because the meat eaters poop out the dangerous stuff and to keep our wilderness safe, we MUST pack it out.

Treats!

Okay so many folks do not feel like treats are an essential item to bring with them when they are on a dog adventure. I heartily disagree. First, EVERY opportunity you have to bond with your pup, should be taken. Every chance you notice them do something good, should be rewarded, and acknowledged. Every dog struggles with something, no matter how well trained. Not to mention, often times when we are on adventures, we encounter new things! Making those new, potentially scary experiences into a positive moment helps your dog grow in confidence, and as a companion to you!

There are SO many options to keep treats light weight and easy to carry. My favorite for hiking is dried liver. I also love to reward with peanut butter, for those EXTRA special occasions (recalling around a herd of deer calls for like, a gallon of peanut butter). I am a bark box subscriber too, and collect those delicious treats for rewards on hikes as well.

Here is an amazon link to the liver treats I prefer for dog-adventures:

Emergency Harness

God forbid you EVER have to use an emergency harness. Truly I hope no one reading this blog post will ever need it. However, you might. There might be a situation where your dog falls, or twists an ankle or breaks something, or becomes overwhelmed with heat exhaustion; that requires them to be carried out of the wilderness. Some people train their dog to sit up around their necks; however if they were to fall from that position their injury could be SO much worse. Definitely let them sit on your shoulders, but keep them in a harness to prevent further injury.

I also find it helpful to have an emergency harness for more difficult river crossings. I can absolutely carry Chloe, or have her swim next to me- but keeping her in a safe place in fast moving water can keep her safe and prevent her from slipping away down the river.

Dog Booties

Every adventure calls for dog booties. Maybe this seems overkill- until you are walking on dirt that is SO HOT it is causing your pups’ feet to blister or SO COLD they are hopping around with anxiety. From personal experience, it is way more difficult to cut up an emergency blanket and wrap your dog’s paws with it using coban, than it is to simply pay 20$ for ultralight dog booties and keep them with on every doggy outdoor adventure, warm OR cold.

These are the dog booties I have used, that survived the camper fire of 2020 too! (They were actually in my truck, so I am not sure if that counts). I LOVE these because despite Chloe’s large feet, and tiny ankles they are difficult for her to remove on her own. I also love that they are cool for the hot days, and still work in the winter with the large rubber protective footing. 10/10 recommend these booties!

Dog Beacon

Many folks will question why a dog beacon is an essential when you are hiking. Similar to people who are doing a day hike, and don’t bring the essential headlamp. Dog Beacons are inexpensive, and potentially life saving for your pup.

Let’s consider this example. You are doing a day hike, but you see this gorgeous mountain lake a small way below the trail, so you scramble on down to the lake and enjoy a beautiful day on this mountain lake. You don’t realize how much time is passing, until the sun begins to dip down behind the mountains. Then you have to scramble back up to the trail, and get back to the trail head before sunset. So you begin, but it becomes dark, and you become lost, and you have a flashlight; but you let your dog off leash to make the scramble easier and now they are gone and you cannot see them in the dark. Until you hear a rustling noise near you, and you become scared and grab your bear spray- and then your dog comes charging out at you, excited they finally found you. Will you know that that is your dog in the dark? If they made it to the trail before you, would someone else recognize that as your dog if they don’t have a beacon on them? What would you do even if you weren’t lost, and an animal came sprinting up to you in excitement in low light situations? I personally would freak out and that dog would be in danger! Therefore- ALWAYS carry a beacon, and turn it on when it gets dark out. Even when your pup is on a leash, they can scare someone who sees you, but does not see your dog.

I have used this Ruffwear beacon for 2 years, and still have not charged it. I am actually going to put it on the charger right now so I don’t forget before starting my PCT hike. However, it still lights up very brightly, and easily attaches to any harness or collar.

First Aid Kit with Dog Items

As previously mentioned, your pup is at a higher risk of injury when they are on an adventure compared to when they are just chilling at home. A first aid kit that also contains doggy items can be a game changer! I did it backwards and got a dog friendly first aid kit from Kurgo and added human items to it. This is what I have for Chloe in my first aid kit:

Tweezers/Sharp Scissors
Icepack
Heatpack
Coban wrap
Tape
Gauze
Non-stick gauze
Medical superglue
Trazadone, anti diarrhea meds, dog friendly pain medication, Benadryl
Honey
Silver Nitrate Sticks
Blood Stop
Emergency Blanket

This might be overkill. I admit, I am a crazy dog mom who is also a healthcare professional. But it does give you a guide for what you can keep in your first aid kit when on adventures. If you have a dog who might eat something poisonous, adding dog friendly activated charcoal is a good idea too.

The first aid kit for dogs I’ve been using is listed here! I did upgrade the tweezers, and swapped out a few things. I absolutely LOVE the carrying case from kurgo! Again, this is the first aid kit essential item I have been using for the past few years for Chloe Rue’s adventures.

What is EssenTAIL to your Adventures?

Now of course, every dog with a different size and personality will require a different set of tools on their adventures- while Chloe will likely never need a comb or a towel with her short, lab-like hair; Freyja the Australian Shepard absolutely will need those items. However, I don’t imagine they are essential for safety; where every item listed above will help to keep you, and your best furry friend safe while on adventures. What is an essential item for your pup when you go on adventures?

Whether you love to road trip…

If you prefer hiking adventures…

Perhaps your favorite adventures happen at the beach…

Maybe you go to Yoga and Wine with your dog…

No matter where you adventure with your dog, Chloe and I wish you many moments of joy, peace, laughter and safety. Hopefully these 10 essenTAILS will keep you safe on every journey you experience! As always, happy trails, and happy tails to you all.

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