Road-tripping in the Colorado mountains for two weeks with two Boxers definitely proved to be challenging at times. Before we left, we figured out the perfect way to keep them comfortable in the car during the day in their Deluxe Pet Travel Hammock, which they loved AND protected my old Range Rover from hair, dirt, and nail marks on the leather interior (she may be old but I do try to keep her in ‘like new’ condition!).

But what about at night? We needed a bed that would pack up small during the day, be able to be used outside in the evenings, and keep them comfortable at night in the tent. This was a hard set of parameters to meet!

What we ended up purchasing were two tough, water-resistant Everlast Dog Beds. These fit underneath the hammock during the day and at night, when we put them in the tent, only needed the cozy hammock spread over both of them to keep the girls warm and content. The best part, however, was when we were sitting around the campfire, the beds could sit directly on the ground with no concern about them getting damp or dirty – the nylon is water-resistant and pine needles and dirt brushed right off.

The beds were not as compact as we would have liked but the tough fabric and easy care soon made it so we didn’t care about the additional bulk. If size was really an issue, the beds could be rolled and strapped with bungees to reduce the size or flattened under heavy bags in the rear of the SUV or trunk.

Once we knew the girls were comfortable, we got a better night’s sleep and appreciated much of the forethought that went into our trip!