Zymox Otic - This is the cure for itchy, gunky, or smelly ears. Luna periodically gets ear infections that cause her to repeatedly scratch at her ears. This over-the-counter treatment includes hydrocortisone to soothe the itch immediately, and an enzyme to break down bacteria and yeast when used daily for a week. Luna knows how well this stuff works, and will ask for her ear medicine if her ears are starting to bother her, days before we realize there’s a problem.

Zymox Topical Spray - While not quite the miracle product that Zymox Otic is, topical hydrocortisone spray helps when Luna is munching her feet. We spray the affected foot and then put on a dog sock so she won’t lick it off.

Heartgard - Heartworm is awful. This monthly treatment keeps our pups safe.

NexGard - We’ve tried various topical treatments like Frontline, and aside from being gross, they really don’t work. NexGard costs twice as much, but it actually works. Both dogs will do tricks for this soft beef flavored chewable. Since starting with NexGard, almost every tick we’ve found on the dogs has been trying to escape. The rare times a tick actually bit the dog, we found it dead before it was able to feed. If only they made this for humans…

Furminator - Very effective de-shedding tool for medium hair dogs like Luna. It’s a little aggressive, but works great if you’re gentle. Doesn’t work at all for Bailey’s short hair.

Undercoat Rake - Great tool for gently removing the Winter undercoat from most dogs. Works great on Luna, but doesn’t do much for Bailey. I made great friends with the rottweilers when we farm-sat in Kentucky using this rake to remove itchy clumps of Winter fur.

Clicker - This is a very helpful device for dog training. It’s sometimes difficult for your dog to identify exactly what action you’re looking for. A clicker makes a distinctive sound that you trigger at the exact moment that your dog completed the action you’re looking for. By associating the clicker with a treat (and treating every time you click), you can use it to mark the exact behavior you’re looking for, which helps your dog learn faster. When you are training “sit,” click the instant the butt hits the floor. When you’re training “shake,” click the instant the paw hits your hand.

Musher’s Paw Wax - Great paw protection for snow and ice or long hikes when we’re not using the dog shoes.

Dog Seatbelt Tethers - These are more to keep the dogs in place than for their safety in the event of a crash, but I imagine with a padded rear-attachment leash, these tethers would be better than nothing. Certainly don’t attach one of these to a collar.

Pizzles - Made from a part of the steer that most people would refuse to eat, pizzles (a.k.a. bully sticks) are our dogs’ absolute favorite treats. They’re good for several minutes of intense chewing. They’re expensive ($1 a piece would be a very good price), so we save them for special occasional treats.

Dog Nail Clipper - Clipping dog nails without hitting the quick is tricky business, but it’s an important skill to be able to do yourself. We’ve found that if one person holds a peanut butter spoon for the pup to lick while the other clips the nails, our dogs are far more cooperative and even excited to get a pedicure. And if you screw up and accidentally cut too deep, which happens occasionally, a dog nose-deep in peanut butter is likely to be sufficiently distracted to stay relaxed.

Dog shoes - One set per dog. We get lots of comments every time we walk our dogs with shoes on, but we don’t have them because they’re cute. Paw injuries are seriously debilitating for active dogs, so some protection is warranted when walking on sharp rocks, around broken glass, or on hot pavement.

Weber Jumbo Joe - A full sized Weber grill in a compact size that works great on the ground or on a picnic table. I’ve modified mine with a hinged grate for easy additions during slow cooking and smoking, and the one-touch cleaning system, which needs to be slightly modified to fit, but works better than the standard damper.

Weber Compact Chimney Starter - For starting charcoal without lighter fluid. If you feel you need to start more charcoal than fits in this chimney starter for an 18” grill, then I question your cooking methods.

Kingsford Kaddy - For holding bulk charcoal. I have the standard size, but there’s a smaller one available, too, if that’s your speed.

Probe Thermometer Set - A must for low, slow barbecue and smoking. One probe goes in the meat, the other one goes on the grill, so you can monitor both the cooking temp, and the internal meat temp.

Frog Mats - Nonstick mesh mat, cut with scissors to fit the grill. Great for cooking smaller foods on the grill that might slip through the grates, or fragile foods like fish or citrus that might stick.

Water Pans - Small aluminum pans to fill with water and place on the bottom grate next to the charcoal, for smoking.

Chunk Wood - I keep a small bag of chunk wood (usually cherry) for smoking, or adding smoke flavor when grilling.

Firewood Carry Bag - I use this canvas tote to carry firewood, and store it once it’s cut. I like the closed sides, so I can use it to store store shorter logs short-ways.

Kiln Dried Firewood - While bulk cordwood is cheaper and foraged wood is free, transporting air-dried firewood can bring wood boring insects along with it that devastate local forests. When we’re traveling, I exclusively burn kiln dried firewood, which has been heated enough that any bugs inside are dead. As an added bonus, it burns super-clean.

Firewood Chopping Block - After always looking for a piece of wood to chop against, I made myself a chopping block out of some spare butcher block and an old leather belt. I’ve been using it for a year and a half, and I think I might need to replace it in another year or two.

Heat Powered Stove Fan - This sits on top of the wood stove and helps to distribute the heat into the air, rather than just heating the immediate area around the stove. It doesn’t blow air very hard, but it does make a big difference in the heat distribution in the Airstream.

Camella Oil - I keep a small bottle of this oil around for coating my carbon steel knives and axes to prevent oxidation. It also makes a good lubricant for the bow saw.

Bahco Bow Saw - 21” model with dry wood blade. I use this for cutting cordwood down to size, and cutting logs when foraging for wood. It’s a serious tool that can zip through logs faster than you might think, but it’s small enough to be reasonable to store and carry around. The dry wood blade is the right choice, since if I’m going to be using the wood immediately, it needs to be dry anyway. If I had time to cure the wood after cutting it, I wouldn’t be using a bow saw to cut it.

Gransfors Bruk Small Splitting Axe - Do you really need a hand-forged artisan Swedish splitting axe to break down your firewood for your tiny wood stove? No, there are decent cheaper options available. But what other excuse are you ever going to have to buy one?

Gransfors Bruk Small Forest Axe - Not as good as the small splitting axe at splitting, but much better for cross-cutting. This is a much more versatile camp axe.

Telescoping Marshmallow Roaster Sticks - For the true campfire enthusiast. Works great for sausages and campfire donuts. You heard me. Donuts.

Dyson Cordless Vacuum - This is the perfect vacuum for us. It’s compact, bagless, and battery powered. Some reviewers complain that the battery only lasts 5 minutes of continuous use, but that’s long enough to vacuum our entire house a couple times over.

Seventh Generation Powder Dish Detergent - We try to use biodegradable soaps and detergents so that we can percolate our gray water into the ground where appropriate without causing any damage. This powder dishwasher detergent works great.

Flour Sack Towels - Used for kitchen towels and light cleaning, and will double as burp cloths. We have lots more than what’s in the picture.

Gray Wash Cloths - Used for cleaning messier stuff. We have lots more than what’s in the picture.

Handkerchiefs- these replace the need for tissues

Bottle Brush

Dish Brush - This dish brush from IKEA is our favorite, with a suction cup on the end so you can stick it to the side of the sink.

Broom/Dust Pan Set - Along with our vacuum, this little dust pan and broom set is all we need.

Braided Elastic Clothesline - Great for hanging clothes to dry without the need for clips. One end can attach to the Airstream awning anchor, and the other end can attach to a tree, or the truck if necessary.

Turbie Twist Towel- to help wet hair dry faster.

Electric Hot Pad - For aches and pains.

Spray Bottle (1/2 water, 1/2 white vinegar, small splash of Ms. Meyer’s toilet bowl cleaner) for spraying down composting toilet

Neti Pot - Sometimes the best thing for a cold or congestion is a neti pot. If you’ve never used one, you’re going to be skeptical. This involves pouring room temperature salt water in one nostril until it runs out of the other. Done properly, there’s no feeling of pain or drowning like you’d expect, and it can put a stop to nagging sinus symptoms. Takes a little practice to get used to. Make sure you use previously boiled water so you don’t get brain eating parasites. No, really.

Safety Razor with Feather Blades - Dollar shave club has got nothing on me. The best blades in the world at about 22 cents a piece. Takes a little extra practice to get the technique down (hint: you’re pressing way too hard), but totally worth it. Both of us have a razor.

Alum Block - The only aftershave you really need. Helps prevent razor burn and ingrown hairs. And one block will last a looong time.

Body Groom - Gentle, battery operated trimmer for sensitive areas. Safe to use in the shower.

Wahl Clippers - Good for people and dog grooming.

Sonicare Toothbrushes - Try it. You won’t go back.