The Fitdog Five: Best Travel Bowls

Whether you and your dog are hiking, running, or playing at the beach, it is important that you both stay hydrated. Some places have public water fountains for people or you might have to carry water. Either way every dog owner should own and carry a good travel water bowl with them.

After a little research and testing, we narrowed down travel bowls into three categories: plastic collapsible, fabric collapsible and water bottle dispenser.

We’ve reviewed the best of bowls in their respective category and here are our results.

Kurgo Collaps a Bowl ($10) Barely 1 inch thick when collapsed, this sturdy and dishwasher safe travel bowl is our favorite. The bowl shape doesn’t shrink or distort when expanded making it easy for dogs to use. You can stick it in your backpack, purse, or just carry it like a frisbee. Unfortunately, the bowl only comes in one size, so larger dogs might need a few refills. Others Worth Trying: Bamboo Bowls ($12.99), Popware for Pets ($5.99)

Gulpy Pet Water Dispenser ($9):This nifty contraption is a water bottle and dispenser in one. You can clip it to your side or backpack and it doesn’t leak. Dogs drink from it effortlessly. The Gulpy is great for short strolls or runs. However if you anticipate needing water for yourself, you might be stuck carrying two water bottles, one for you and the Gulpy. This one doesn’t sit on the ground, so you have to hold it.Others Worth Trying: Handi Drink Dog Water Bottle ($12.99)

Ruff Wear Quencher ($15) Advertised as the original collapsible bowl, it is a fabric-based bowl that can be folded and tucked into your backpack. The Quencher comes in three sizes to fit the needs of all breeds. It is even machine washable. But because it’s made out of fabric, it moves and crinkles so some dogs don’t like drinking out of it. Others Worth Trying: REI Dog Bowl ($14.50), Olly Dog Lapper Dog Bowl ($12), Bison Designs Fold a Bowl ($14)

Guyot Designs Squishy Pet ($15)This bowl is a little different than your average plastic collapsible. Instead of neatly collapsing on itself, it can be folded and crammed into your backpack and will bounce back to its original shape. Dogs like the bowl shape, which is easy for drinking. However it is a little bulky and not dishwasher safe.

Stainless Steel Bowl with Rubber Base ($6.35) Okay, so this is not a travel bowl. But it does travel well in a backpack and your dog will love it. After trying a few of the fabric water bowls and before discovering the Kurgo Collaps a Bowl, this is what we use to bring on hikes. If you are not trying to conserve a ton of space in your backpack, a good ole fashion dog bowl works just fine!

This entry was posted on Friday, April 13th, 2012 at 1:29 pm and is filed under Gear. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.