Over half of U.S. campers take their pets along

While families in Indian cities struggle with finding reliable pet sitters and lodging solutions for their furry or feathered members when they want to travel, a report by The Dyrt, the USA’s top-ranked app for camping availability, photographs and reviews, suggests that many Americans simply take their pets along, particularly when they go camping. The Dyrt’s 2024 Camping Report revealed that 53.7% of campers brought their pooches to the campsite last year, the company said in a press release.

While dogs were by far the most popular pet to camp with, 5.8% of respondents said they went camping with cats, according to the report. Others said they took along chicken (not for eating), box turtles, guinea pigs and parrots.

“We often run The Dyrt remotely from our camper van and Brandy, aka The Dyrt Dog, is with us for every mile,” Sarah Smith, founder of The Dyrt, said. “Sometimes it seems like she has to pack more gear than us, but it’s so amazing to have her with us 24×7 as we work and enjoy campgrounds across the country.”

Camping remains a niche holiday option in India, with the dominant tendency among travellers, particularly those not looking to do a religious round, being to look for comfort rather than effort. Trekking has more adherents in India than camping.

Unlike in India, where pet-friendly holiday accommodation is not easy to find, property owners and campground managers in the USA worked to accommodate dogs as well as campers in 2023, the report said. Dog parks were the third-most popular amenity to be added to campgrounds, behind only Wi-Fi and pickleball courts. And non-human companions were especially prevalent in the RV camping community, as campers using recreational vehicles, or homes-on-wheels, were 20.8% more likely to camp with pets, it said. Now that’s another segment that’s yet to take off in India.

“I love taking my dog Lola with me camping because to me it reminds me of the quintessential Americana where an individual is hiking on a trail or sleeping under the stars with their beloved friend,” said The Dyrt camper Steven M. of Utah. “When Lola sees me packing up the camper and truck, she starts her little zoomies happy dance. The bond we share while out in nature or in the middle of nowhere is priceless. Also, camping and dogs go together like pancakes and syrup!”

Bringing dogs and cats on camping trips was most prevalent in Washington, where campers were 8% more likely to camp with dogs and 24% more likely to camp with cats.

Each year The Dyrt presents the Top 9 for K-9s list of best places to camp with dogs, largely based on reviews and amenities tailored to the tailed, the press release said. The 2024 list will be released in July. There are more than 12 million reviews of 70,000 campgrounds on The Dyrt, and some of them include dog- and pet-specific information that is helpful for planning camping trips when accompanied by four-legged friends.

The Dyrt is a comprehensive camping app with over 12 million user-generated reviews, photos, and tips for RV sites, cabins, glamping, and tent camping locations, including all public, private and free camping areas in the USA. The app helps campers find and book camping of any type anywhere in the country.