No Sew (Washable) Travel Dog Bed

Traveling this summer with your pet? This no-sew bed is just the right size for your car or RV and will fit inside a 42" kennel. It is washable, folds up for easy storage, and is oh-so cozy!

It's about that time. Being in the military, we only stay in the same area for about four years before packing our belongings and trekking it across the country! We seem to only move from one side of the country to the other, never moving within the same state or even a couple of states away. This time is no exception. We're leaving sunny California and heading east to Virginia! All 7 of us, plus Toby.

One of the best parenting decisions we’ve made was to adopt a pet into our family. Toby has brought more joy than any toy, backyard play structure, or monetary item we could have purchased for the kids. His personality, lovability, loyalty, and companionship have entertained us all!

Toby is no stranger to road trips. He's the best travel companion you could ask for. Sits quietly, is excited about everything, and never asks, "Are we there yet?" We've taken him camping and on weekend getaways, but this will be his first move. We will be on the road for over a month, visiting family and seeing the sights. We've had some luck finding pet-friendly hotels on past trips, but knew that it would be a challenge finding a different one every night while traveling through so many states.

It is difficult when many hotels charge a fee of $100/pet for your stay. That isn't a big deal when you are staying a few days, but paying an extra $100 for one night is a bit ridiculous. Then there's the times that we want to go somewhere during the day that isn't pet-friendly. You can't leave your pet in a hotel room by themselves or in car, especially in the summer. It isn't easy for pets to be displaced. They don't understand what's going on. We always notice a bit of anxiety and lack of appetite for Toby when we are traveling so it is important that he has stability and feels safe on this trip. We also have a large family, and one hotel room just doesn't work for us anymore. We needed to come up with another plan...

We weighed out all of our options and decided to purchase a travel trailer for our family. A giant 30' trailer. After all, we have 5 kids (including a baby in a crib) and a dog! Everyone will have their own bed and their own personal space, including Toby. We have plans of traveling up and down the east coast while living there and are excited to always have a cozy place to stay after a long day of driving.

Our trailer is being custom built and will be ready at the end of the month. Then the work begins! Loading everything we will need for our trip, and making it our home away from home. I decided to make Toby a cozy travel bed. One that is washable and folds up to store when he's not using it.

A nice no-sew fleece bed that is filled with standard pillows. It's perfect on its own, but can also be used in his kennel*. Toby is a 60 lb. black lab so I made a large bed with 3 pillows inside. If your pup is smaller you can adjust the length and use 1 or 2 pillows.

I buy the inexpensive $2.50 pillows from Walmart for my kiddos. They were getting a little flat so I replaced them with new ones, and used their older ones for this project. Toby didn't mind. After all, they were still in great shape and smelled like his best friends.

*Kennel size: 42 x 28 x 30 inches

No Sew (Washable) Travel Dog Bed

Supplies:

3 standard pillows

2 pieces of fleece (38" x 60")

1. Cut your fleece to size.

2. Cut a 13" slit in the center of the bottom piece of fleece, going horizontally. This slit is just smaller than the width of a pillow. You'll just fold your pillows in half and slide them through when it's time to launder the bed.

Fleece doesn't fray so you don't need of finish the edges of the slit.

3. Lay 3 pillows on top. You can overlap them a bit to make them fit nice and tight together.

4. Lay your top piece of fleece over the pillows. It will be a little shorter than the bottom piece of fleece. That's because it is laying over the pillows. That's okay!

You'll now have a sandwich: fleece, pillows, fleece.

5. Cut a 5" square out of each corner.

6. Cut both layers at once into 1-1.5" strips. I like using a small template to make sure the slits are all even. Mine was 1.5" x 5".

7. Tie each set of strips into a knot. Work your way around the entire bed, pulling the top layer of the strips tight so that it matches up with the bottom layer.

We had been in the process of listing and showing our house before I made this so I had a lot of things packed away. Like his bedding. When I finished his travel bed it didn't take long for him to warm up to it and know that it was his!

I love that it folds up into thirds. This makes it easy to tuck away when not in use. Traveling with a pet is actually pretty simple: Have a safe place for them to sleep, a supply of food, and a freshwater source and they'll be the least whiny member of the road trippin' crew!

Comments

Deborah Beattie says

September 25, 2023 at 12:35 am

Thank you .
Can you explain the Amazon thing to me i order all of my interfacing from them. I would like you to get a kick back.

- Brandy says
  
  September 25, 2023 at 10:44 am
  
  Thank you Deborah, you are so kind! I get a kick back anytime someone uses one of my amazon links, whether they order the item linked or they order any item that day after using the link. So you can use a link like this one and it'll take you to amazon and I'd get a small kick back from anything you purchase. https://www.amazon.com/Scissors-Titanium-Multipurpose-Comfort-Grip-Handles/dp/B07H3QKN2Z/ref=sr_1_3_sspa?crid=1OVDT83XKCRXP&keywords=scissors&qid=1693935573&sprefix=scissors%252Caps%252C104&sr=8-3-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1&_encoding=UTF8&tag=homswehom0f-20&linkCode=ur2&linkId=acbeac860237266a84aac185722e202a&camp=1789&creative=9325
  
Deborah Beattie says

September 25, 2023 at 12:34 am

Thank you

Marcie says

June 25, 2021 at 8:53 am

Do you wash it with the pillows inside or is there a way to remove the pillows before washing?

- Brandy says
  
  June 27, 2021 at 2:18 pm
  
  The pillows were pretty flat so I just washed it all together and dried it on HIGH!
  
Theresa says

October 11, 2020 at 11:13 pm

I have my nephew and his fiancé coming to visit with their two dogs plus I have a dog. I’m going to make one of these beds for each of my furry friends and of course I’ll make one for my puppy too😄 Since these fold so easy they can take them home or leave them here for family visits.
Thank you for this helpful “no sew” tip!

- Brandy says
  
  October 11, 2020 at 11:57 pm
  
  What a sweet gesture! I hope the doggies love them! 🙂
  
Jo A says

April 16, 2019 at 12:02 am

I know this is an old post but, thank you for this. I did this for our dog for my room, so I don't have to step over her XL bed with my short legs. I made 2 of these; 1 out of fleece and 1 out of heavy duty drop cloths. Our dog is a heater, so I choose the drop cloth to be a bit cooler for her in the warmer months.

- Brandy says
  
  April 16, 2019 at 8:10 pm
  
  Oh, that's a great idea to use a drop cloth. Durable and not too hot! Glad it worked out well for you!
  
Amanda @ Domestically Creative says

May 14, 2018 at 11:55 am

I love this idea! We recently purchased a travel trailer and our 8 year old lab goes camping with us too. It would be so nice to have a bed option for her that folds up and can be tucked away! I hate having to step over her big bed and maneuver it around the camper when we are out. Definitely going to try this and it's great because I don't sew that well!

- Brandy says
  
  May 14, 2018 at 1:24 pm
  
  Awesome! We use it in our RV and it works great! Easy to shake off outside to keep hair under control too in between washings.
  
Mary says

May 12, 2018 at 10:59 pm

We just got a dog and I spotted this idea. It is perfect for a simple diy bed at home too so you can move it from room to room. What a great idea.

- Brandy says
  
  May 14, 2018 at 7:53 am
  
  Thank you, Mary! It really has been such an affordable (and sturdy) solution!
  !!
  
Ann says

March 23, 2018 at 11:06 pm

Since it's not sewn do the pillows bunch up together?

- Brandy says
  
  March 24, 2018 at 3:26 pm
  
  The pillows sit side by side in the dog bed cover. I haven't had any issues with them moving around!
  
Susan Postlethwait says

April 10, 2017 at 9:22 am

OMGosh! Great idea. I will check Joanns for sales on fleece! We have 2 labs, one white, one black and a 30ft Airstream. This is solving a big problem for us. And they fold up!

Kelly says

March 27, 2017 at 9:25 am

This is such a great idea. I absolutely love that it folds up for easy storage and moving. #client

No Sew (Washable) Travel Dog Bed

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