Designing a Campervan Around Your Dog: What We’ve Learned Along the Way

If you’ve ever tried drying off a soggy spaniel with one hand while holding a kettle in the other, you’ll know that travelling with a dog in a campervan has its moments.

One minute you’re enjoying a cup of coffee outside the van. The next, your Labrador has found the only muddy puddle for miles and is making a beeline for the bed.

Over the years, Bhode has built campervans for customers travelling with Labradors, Spaniels, Cockapoos, Whippets and plenty of other four-legged companions. Looking back, it’s interesting how often the same conversations come up during the design process.

The questions are rarely about colours or worktops.

More often it’s, “Where does the dog sleep?” or “How do we stop muddy paws taking over the van?”

After building enough vans, you start to recognise the problems people are really trying to solve.

Every Dog Travels Differently

There’s no such thing as the perfect dog-friendly campervan because there’s no such thing as the perfect dog.

Some owners spend every weekend exploring the Peak District before heading back to the van for a quiet evening. Others disappear to the Scottish Highlands or the coast for longer trips. Some travel with an elderly Labrador that’s happiest asleep on a blanket, while others have energetic Spaniels that seem determined to swim in every river they come across.

The way you travel has a huge influence on the way your campervan should be designed.

That’s why every Bhode project starts with a conversation about how you use your van, rather than a checklist of optional extras.

Solving the Problems That Actually Matter

One request that sticks in the mind came from a customer with a Labrador. After every walk, the routine was exactly the same. Before they’d even taken their boots off, the dog had jumped into the van soaking wet and left muddy paw prints from one end of the living space to the other.

The answer wasn’t a bigger towel.

Instead, the rear garage was designed with a dedicated space that could be accessed from outside as well as from inside the campervan. After a walk, the dog could jump straight in, dry off in the warmth before wandering through into the living area once everyone was ready.

Since then, similar conversations have come up with plenty of other customers. It isn’t the right solution for everyone, but for larger or particularly active dogs, it can transform the way the van is used.

It’s Usually the Small Things

Some of the most appreciated features aren’t the biggest or the most expensive.

An external shower point makes it easy to rinse muddy paws or wash sand from a coat before anyone climbs inside. A slide-out drawer for food and water bowls keeps them out of the way when they’re not needed. Discreet anchor points inside and outside the van give owners somewhere secure to clip a lead while setting up at a campsite or stopping for lunch.

None of these ideas are especially complicated.

They simply come from listening to the way people travel and building around those routines.

Keeping Everyone Comfortable

Another conversation that comes up from time to time is about leaving a dog in the campervan while popping into a café or village pub.

Every situation is different, and dogs should never be left in unsafe conditions, particularly during hot weather. Some customers have asked for roof-mounted 12V air conditioning to help keep the interior comfortable alongside high-performance insulation and carefully planned ventilation.

It’s not something every owner needs, but it’s a good example of what a bespoke campervan allows. Rather than choosing from a fixed list of features, the design can reflect the way you actually travel.

Why Bespoke Matters

Over the years, we’ve designed vans where the priority was a dedicated space for a dog, and others where bikes, paddleboards or children’s equipment took precedence. One customer wanted enough open floor space for two Labradors to stretch out after a day’s walking, while another preferred to maximise garage storage and keep their Cockapoo in the main living area.

There isn’t a standard layout because there isn’t a standard customer.

Every design meeting is a little different, and that’s exactly how it should be.

Built Around the Way You Travel

A campervan should make life easier, not ask you to work around its limitations.

Whether that’s creating somewhere to wash muddy paws, designing a secure space for a dog to dry off after a walk or simply finding a sensible place to store leads and towels, the details that customers mention months or even years later are rarely the biggest or most expensive additions. More often, they’re the thoughtful decisions that quietly make every trip easier.

If your adventures include a four-legged companion, we’ll make sure they’re part of the conversation from the very beginning. You won’t be choosing from a “dog package” or adding a handful of bolt-on accessories. We’ll design a campervan around the way you travel together.

If you’re planning a campervan conversion and your dog is part of the adventure, we’d love to hear how you travel. Bring your ideas, bring your wish list and, if they’re well behaved, bring the dog too. The best layouts usually start with a conversation.