Ruffwear Mt. Bachelor Pad

Willow is a weirdo. It is obscene how many dog beds I have bought and how much money I have spent over the years on beds that she might very well never use. Everything from Costco $30 beds to $100, waterproof liner covered, memory foam beds from Orvis. If given the choice (and she alway does have the choice) to plop down on a perfectly good, clean, dry, comfy bed OR lay down in the dirt, pine needles, in the sand, on rocks or hot concrete, head scrunched against a tree or bush…guess what choice she makes? Yes, that is correct. The non-bed option usually wins.

That is why I was thrilled to finally come across the Mt. Bachelor Pad by Ruffwear. We’ve had this one since the week Willow came into my life over 5 years ago. It is starting to show its age but it is still our go-to bed when we are out and about on our adventures and she actually uses it!

Willow actually choosing to use a pad and not just plop on the dirt
It’s A Pad and She’s On It…Will Wonders Never Cease?

We chose the brown color (which they do not offer anymore) because, well…dirt. The other option at the time we purchased this was a light green color which we expect would have readily shown its travels, trials and tribulations more than the brown.

top of ruffwear mt. bachelor pad faded and having holes from campfire embers
The Top is Faded and has Been Too Close to Campfires Too Many Times

The three main features we like about this bed are the water-resistant under side, the polyfill filling which acts as a bit of thermal insulation between the ground and my princess and the way it rolls up into a small, tight, lightweight package that is easy to carry or stow. We have even been known to strap this onto the top of Willow’s pack when we are tramping through the wilds since she needs to carry as much of her own gear as possible.

The Waterproof Base is Finally Starting to Show Its Age
The Base is Finally Starting to Show Its Age and is not Really Waterproof Anymore
Little Rips and Tears in the Base
Little Rips and Tears in the Base

As far as we know no one has made a flameproof dog bed yet and this one has more than a few little voids where a hot ember from a campfire popped onto it and did its damage. We have sewn a few closed just to keep dirt and other stuff out of the interior but the time has probably come to replace it with a new version.

One of Several Minor Repairs We Have Made in the Field Over the Years
One of Several Burn Holes We Have Quickly and Sloppily Repaired in the Field Over the Years and a Few We Have Not
Rolled Up, Waterproof Side Out. Tennis Ball For Scale
Rolled Up, Waterproof Side Out. Tennis Ball For Scale.

Since it is so small and washable it does fit easily in any regular-sized home washing machine. We have washed it regularly over the years since Willow is such a dirty, stinky little roller pig. FYI – Roller Pig is a pet name related to my girl’s pathological need to find and roll in the stinkiest, nastiest, freshest poop or most expired, old, rotting, maggot-infested dead thing she can find. I can call her that.

Another plus for us is that, regardless of if it is closed and rolled up or open and flat it just takes up less room in the Tacoma than a big, thick, non-rollable bed. Since we carry too much stuff with us to try and cover all possible eventualities anything that helps in the fitting and packing of our stuff in the Tacoma’s shell or up in the Yakima RocketBox is a welcome addition to our gear.

Since we are keeping our adventures of late to drier climates we will continue to use this pad probably until it literally falls apart or until our next extended bout of cold, wet weather when we will then be forced to finally replace it after its nice, long run of service.

If you find yourself in need of a light, stowable, waterproof, insulated dog pad you can’t go wrong in choosing the Ruffwear Mt. Bachelor Pad.

Have fun out there.

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