Let's talk travelling......
When we go anywhere Chester has a essentials bag, basically it contains all I need for him in all eventualities including poo related nightmares (it's happened to us all!).
Recently car safely has become more of a talking point and until I got my most recent car, Chester had always travelled in the back seat with a harness and dog seat belt because that's what worked for us. We didn't have the boot space to fit Chester or our family dog Maisy and definitely not the space for both of them. However when travelling with my parents it has become a bit of a squish. Two dogs who think they are people and one human on the back seat is not only dangerous it's uncomfortable. When I got my new car I finally decided I wanted to have something permanent for the dogs and I came across Travall and their car accessories.
Travall have tailor made accessories for every car. Including the dog Guard and Divider they also have the tailgate which can be added to the divider to make a more crate like set-up for your dog. All Travalls accessories are a smooth dark grey steel and are very easy to install.
Travall very kindly gifted me the Travall Guard and Divider for my 2021 Ford Kuga.
The Guard is perfect to prevent cheeky pups from jumping into the back seat whilst you are driving - something Chester did and would still do if we didn't have a Guard.
The Divider is perfect for splitting up the boot space. It can be set up in a 40/60, 50/50 or 60/40 division. We have set up ours in a 60/40 division which is so handy for having Chester one side and the shopping the other. But for longer travels have to change to 50/50 to accommodate suitcases.
It has given us the perfect set up for adventures and our staycation to Norfolk in September.
Installation
The Guard must be fitted first and is really straightforward to install. The Guard arrived in one part with a pack of parts all on one piece of cardboard to allow installation into your vehicle. The parts are easily labelled, the instruction manual is also really simple to follow.
* I can't speak for all vehicles as all the Guards are unique to each make/model and may have more or less parts to them than the one for my Ford Kuga.
My Dad assembled the minimal parts in the house before we took it to fit into the car (My Dad is a superstar and always helps me anything car wise).
The most difficult part we found was getting the hooked part screw at the level enough to be tight (shown in the below image) we got there in the end but it took the most time of the whole installation.
On Travalls website it is advertised that it can be fitted in under 15 minutes. With my Dad kindly fitting mine (he is so bad at anything DIY) I timed him! It took him 11 minutes.
Next we added the Divider. The Divider allows the boot to be used to its maximum capacity. I honestly thought it was going to be so complicated to attached the Divider but just like the Guard it was very straightforward.
The Divider comes as one part. First you attach the feet to the Divider which allows you to adjust the height and make it as stable as possible.
Then you have to attach the top part to the Divider that allows for attachment to the Guard you simply put it on top of the Divider and then bolt together.
Then you hook the attachments round the Guard and use the black plastic head cap bolts to secure the Divider to the Guard. Finally twist the feet to ensure that the Divider is level and doesn't move.
Review
We have been using the Travall Guard and Divider for over a month and really testing it out in different situations. I am really impressed with both.
The Guard is completely rattle free which was my fear as I am such a weirdo when it comes to noises in the car especially rattles! It doesn't reduce any of your driving visibility (Neither does the Divider)
The Divider is also brilliant for our lifestyle. As mentioned before we currently have it on a 60/40 split which gives Chester a nice amount of room but we can also store dog necessities and shopping next to him without Chester eating the shopping or the treat! Which he would definitely do if we didn't have the Divider!
Travall offer a range of kit custom fitted to your car, including dividers, mats and protectors (perfect for muddy paws). You can put your make and model into the site and off you go. We are looking to add a tailgate and definitely some protectors to our set up to ensure maximum safety for Chester and maximum protector for the poor Kuga!
Thanks for Reading
Sarah and Chester