Packs flat when crate is collapsed: Thumbs up for Dexas Popware water bowl
As you know by now, we travel with Chloe’s Midwest metal wire crate, so she has a cozy and secure lair to curl up in when we need to go somewhere without her (I realize that doesn’t work for every dog owner — we are lucky to have a dog who likes her crate, falls asleep in it, and doesn’t make a fuss when we’re absent).
The wire sides of the crate are ideal not only because they discourage scraping (the very young Chloe delightedly trashed a couple of soft-sided crates before we settled on the Midwest one) but also because you can attach a water bowl to them. For years, we’ve been using this bowl, in the smallest (8 oz.) size. I like it because it’s stainless steel, it’s very compact, and because it can be mounted on the side of the crate.
Photo by Amazon
On the negative side, that metal ring of a holder needs to be removed before you can collapse the crate for packing — a simple matter of unscrewing a wing-nut, to be sure, but I was still intrigued when I came across the Dexas Popware crate bowl.
Like the metal bowl we’d been using, the holder for the Popware bowl clamps to the wire frame of a crate with plates and a screw (in this case, knob-topped). Unlike it, the bowl is one of those silicone containers that can accordion into a flat disc — and since the holder is hinged on the inside, that disc can be flipped up so that it lies flat against the plane of the crate. And that means that the whole structure can remain on the crate, even as it’s collapsed and packed into our suitcase.
Photo by Amazon
We’ve avoided plastic bowls for our pets since one of our cats developed a bad case of feline acne, years ago, but it appears that silicone bowls may not be associated with that issue. The Popware bowl can be cleaned in the dishwasher, and it’s easy to remove and reinstall in its holder.
The small Popware bowl installed on the door of Chloe’s crate — you can see the circular end of the hinge that allows the structure to be folded upwards for packing
Chloe visiting her water bowl — having the Popware bowl installed on the crate door means one fewer bowl to pack when we visit friends or stay in hotels (this picture is from Spokane’s Hotel Davenport)
My only regret is that the Popware structure — even the small one — is much bigger than Chloe’s stainless steel bowl and holder. We tried installing it on the side walls of her crate, but it occupied too much prime real estate. It works best when it’s installed on the crate door, and so far we’ve remembered to open and close the door without sloshing water onto Chloe or ourselves. I should mention, too, that the hinge is a bit clunky to operate. The proof of the pudding is in the eating, however — on this trip I chose to bring only the Popware bowl with us, and I haven’t missed the old stainless steel bowl and holder at all.
Amazon links:
ProSelect Stainless Steel Pet Cage Cup, 8-Ounce
