Vanlife

Hi!  I am Jena Newman, and live full-time in my Vandoit van with my husband Derek.  We have traveled over 40,000 miles from Maine to the bottom of the Baja Peninsula! The entire time we have had our chocolate lab, Barry, with us. 

Barry goes everywhere with us! Our hobbies include Barry–biking, hiking, boating, and, my favorite, eating! 

Where Can Barry Go?

One of our favorite things to do when we are exploring new places is to try new restaurants. We trained Barry to sit quietly while we eat, so we are able to take him to restaurants with us. Navigating this can be tricky when we are in a new place.

Some places are more dog friendly than others, so we have to do our research before showing up with Barry.

In general, we don’t expect or try to take Barry inside a restaurant. We prefer to sit outside anyway, so we look for places with patios. Once we find a place we like with a patio, I call ahead to be sure Barry is allowed. If we want a quick and easy search for a dog-friendly restaurant, we have used websites like BringFido to help us narrow it down. 

We have come across places where it is against the law to have pets at restaurants, even if there is a patio. We respect this and come up with another plan. If it is cool enough outside, then Barry will stay in the van, or we will order our food to go. There is almost always a beautiful park nearby to stop by and enjoy our meal! 

Barry’s Favorites

One of Barry’s favorite restaurants is Mickey’s Hideaway in Kansas City, Missouri. They have a very pet-friendly patio in the middle of the hustle and bustle of the city.  

Bentonville Brewing Company in Arkansas is a favorite because it has a dog park attached to it. Barry is able to get his energy out while we enjoy our craft beer and meal. They also have a kids’ bicycle pump track, and it’s adorable! 

We really enjoy the patio at Eddyline Restaurant in Buena Vista, Colorado. It is right next to the Arkansas River and has a great view of the mountains. Barry loves it because there are always other dogs there to meet, and he knows a long walk along the river is in his future. 

It is safe to say every restaurant in Baja, Mexico, was my favorite. They are so dog-friendly that Barry was welcome almost everywhere we went. We spent a lot of our time at Lazy Daze Beach Bar in Los Barriles. We parked our van a very short distance away on the beach for about three weeks. Barry was able to go off and swim in the ocean and then hang out with us while we played cornhole during dinner.

Dog Training

I have been training Barry since we got him at 8 weeks old. Being a dog trainer by trade, I knew that I wanted him to be a good canine citizen and be able to go everywhere with us. By starting young and focusing on certain behaviors, we have been able to give Barry the gift of adventure! 

Here are a few of the behaviors I focused on with him to make taking him to the patios enjoyable.  My personal favorite is sitting when he wants something. It is his way of saying please and showing self-control. 

I taught him to lie calmly under the table while we eat our meals. He doesn’t beg for food but is happy to clean up what is left over or what has fallen on the floor. 

He is also very good on his leash. He never pulls, which allows us to attach him to the legs of the table for safety, and we don’t have to worry about him pulling the table over. 

Reach out if you are interested in training your dog to be better at restaurants! We do a lot of virtual training while on the road in the van, and I would be happy to help you.

• Make sure all his needs are met so he won’t get restless. We feed him and play fetch with him before expecting him to sit still while we enjoy our meal.
• Make sure he is sitting out of the way so people can walk by. We never want him to cause someone to trip.
• We will bring a Kong toy stuffed with peanut butter to keep him occupied if he starts getting bored. 
• We always attach his leash to our chair to be sure he can’t wander off while we are deep in conversation.
• Barry’s favorite rule: If they have a special snack for dogs on the menu, we make sure to get him a treat, too! One of his recent favorites was in Canada at The Lockstreet Brewery in St. Catharines, Ontario. He thoroughly enjoyed his Beef Tendon Chew while we devoured our sandwiches! 

When we find the perfect patio for Barry, we make sure he maintains his good behavior and doesn’t bother other patrons. Here are our tips for the best restaurant experience with your dog:

Dogs And Vanlife

Our van makes these restaurant visits possible because we have everything we need to be prepared for any circumstance. We are able to store all of his toys to ward off any boredom he may have while on a patio. 

It is also a safe place for him when he isn’t allowed to join us. We are able to give him a puzzle toy while we are gone and not have to worry about him getting bored in the van. 

What are your favorite dog-friendly restaurants? As we travel around, we are always looking for places to eat with Barry. Maybe we can stop by your personal favorite, too!

My husband and I have owned a Vandoit for over three years; we are actually on our second camper van.  We are in our high-roof LIV model for about six to eight months every year, not consecutively, but for several months at a time.  From spring to fall, we go to mountain biking destinations near and far.  In winter, we head west and southwest to the mountains to snowboard and snowshoe.  

No matter what time of year we travel, there are items that live in our camper van year round. There are a couple of reasons for this. The obvious one is that the weather is unpredictable.  The less obvious reason is that we are not predictable.  We keep our travel plans pretty loose.  

We typically have a destination in mind, but for various reasons, we may opt to keep moving.  This might involve an entirely new direction and, with it, varying conditions.  Being prepared for whatever may come our way allows us the freedom to be spontaneous and go wherever, whenever.  

Years of van travel and two Vandoits have helped us to narrow down which items are essential to pack in our camper van–and which ones we can do without. We want to share those essentials with you.

A Word on Vandoit Storage

Before we even get into the essentials of what to bring, let’s discuss how and where to store these items.  In our first Vandoit, a 2016 GO model, we did not have any thermal curtains at all, so having window pockets was not an available storage solution. At that time, the storage modules Vandoit had available were limited to an overhead cabinet or two.  

In hindsight, the lack of storage limited how much gear we could keep in the van year round.  As a result, there was always something–or lots of somethings–that we didn’t have but could have used.  There is nothing worse than being cold and knowing you have a great blanket and down coat that wasn’t packed in the van!

The Packing Essentials

1. Blankets & cold weather gear

We keep a Rumpl blanket, down jackets, knit hats, and gloves in our thermal window curtain pockets.  Rumpl blankets store small but warm big.  The same goes for down jackets. We can pack our REI down jackets super small, along with a cap and some gloves.  

Mexico in January or the Pacific Northwest in summer can have some cool nights, so cold weather gear is a must-have any time of year!  I like to keep my mountain biking gloves in the van since they can be used for warmth and for biking.  My preference for gloves is Dakine, as they are very durable and well priced.  

Don’t forget to have something for rain too.  We keep inexpensive rain ponchos by Totes on hand.

2. Water gear & sun protection

On the other end of the weather spectrum, we also keep bathing suits, sunblock shirts, and Keen shoes.  Keens function as water shoes, but they are also great for hiking or walking around town.  

I like Under Armour’s sunblock shirts because they provide protection in the water and out.  We use Turkish towels for the beach and for showering because the towels take up little space and dry quickly.  We carry two sets as they pack so small (a common van refrain), and doing laundry is not always an option. 

Baseball hats or anything with a brim are good to keep on hand, as well as an extra pair of sunglasses and sunscreen.  Zealios Sun Barrier SPF 45 is a favorite sunscreen of ours.  It contains zinc oxide and still absorbs really well.  They also offer a reef-safe version.

3. Soap & cleaning supplies

Dr. Bronner’s soap is always in our van.  It’s a multipurpose wonder for washing dishes, the van, you, the dog–whatever.  An added plus is that it is environmentally friendly.  

When you don’t have the ability to shower, Klean Freak antibacterial body wipes come to the rescue.  They are biodegradable and alcohol-free.  We also use them for pup wipe-downs.

4. Water and drinking containers

In the beverage category, we like Dometic water jugs, coffee cups, and camp cups.  They are super durable and are designed to serve a variety of purposes. We also have some by Yeti and Klean Kanteen.  You can’t go wrong with any of these hard-working vessels.  

The water tanks that come with the Vandoit adventure van water system are BPA-free, so they are safe for drinking water.  However, due to temperature control, we prefer to store drinking water in stainless steel containers.  

Typically, we carry ten gallons of drinking water in the Dometic containers and six gallons of water in the Vandoit water system tank for the kitchen sink and showering.  

5. Grab-and-go food options

For food, we keep protein bars, protein powder, and coffee in our air-tight containers, as they are a low-prep no-brainer.  My personal favorites are RX Bars because I like the ingredients, and Shakeology because it blends well in a shaker cup, so you don’t need a blender.  

For coffee, I like to find a local blend when we travel, so that is always up for grabs.  All of these food options store perfectly in the hanging cabinet storage containers Vandoit offers.

Having these items in our Vandoit at all times allows us to focus on other aspects of the adventure.  That’s the point of having an adventure van, right?  Knowing we are covered with some of the essentials has saved us lots of time and frustration and made our trips even more enjoyable.  We want your packing experience to be just as easy and hassle-free!

Do you have a dog?  Do you want to try van life?  With a few fundamental essentials, living the van life with a dog is doable.

My name is Jena. My husband Derek and I have been in our Vandoit camper van since the summer of 2020. We have put over 40,000 miles on the vehicle. 

We work full time while on the road, running our dog training and care company, which we have been operating for 11 years. In the past two years, we traveled from Maine to the southern tip of the Baja Peninsula and everywhere in between. Our chocolate lab Barry has been by our side every step of the way. 

While running a full-time dog care and training business – and being dog lovers ourselves – nothing brings us more joy than having Barry on all of our adventures with us.  When we decided to jump into van life, we knew having him with us was a priority. His comfort, along with our own, was important. 

We needed to find the best ways to regulate airflow, keep him clean, manage wear and tear from paws and equipment, and ensure all of this was as easy as possible.

When searching for the perfect van, Vandoit came in first in this category: We loved it for our comfort but especially for the ease of having a dog with us.

Our Vandoit Van Has Four Things We Can’t Live Without:

 1. MaxxAir Deluxe

The MaxxAir fan is a game changer when traveling with Barry. This fan helps regulate the airflow throughout the van. We can set the speed as well as the airflow direction.  

It has given us the freedom to leave him in the car to run into a store or to go somewhere dogs aren’t allowed. We have to be sure the temperature outside is mild, and we never leave him in the van if it is too hot. 

When we park in the shade and have the windows cracked, we can leave him unattended safely most of the year. (He doesn’t mind, either. He finally gets his daily nap without all the outside stimulation!)

2. Shower Nozzle That Is Accessible From The Back Door.

Let’s face it–dogs are dirty. The point of having him with us is to allow him to explore different environments. Barry gets pretty dirty by the end of the day. Having water at our fingertips to clean him is so helpful. 

The best part? It’s all outside, so there is no mess inside the van!

3. Ultra-Durable Flooring.

We chose the Heather Grey Woodgrain Polyvinyl flooring and have no regrets! It has been super easy to clean and maintain. With a quick sweep and wipe down, the floor is clean in minutes. 

4. The Modularity Of The Van Is The Best Part!

We all know dog hair gets everywhere, so being able to take the van apart and give it a deep clean had me look no further. 

We spent three months in Baja, Mexico, this past winter, and every couple of weeks, we would empty the van and clean it out thoroughly. It was easy and made the trip much more comfortable in a world of sand and dog hair.

I know we got this van for ourselves and the adventures we wanted to go on. As it turns out, Barry is having the time of his life exploring oceans, mountains, deserts, lakes and rivers. This wouldn’t be possible, or nearly as comfortable, without our Vandoit.

Want to see what vanlife with a dog looks like?  Check out this video of our Vandoit story!