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Reviews > Animal Companion Gear > Animal Feeding Bowls > Guyot Designs Squishy Dog Bowls > Test Report by Chari Daignault

GUYOT DESIGNS SQUISHY PET BOWLS
TEST SERIES BY CHARI DAIGNAULT
LONG-TERM REPORT

INITIAL REPORT - October 07, 2009
FIELD REPORT - January 04, 2010
LONG TERM REPORT - February 16, 2010

TESTER INFORMATION

NAME: Chari Daignault
EMAIL: chari.daignault@gmail.com
AGE: 47
LOCATION: Orlando, Florida U.S.A.
GENDER: F
HEIGHT: 5' 6" (1.70 m)
WEIGHT: 135 lb (61.20 kg)

I've been a light hiker for 36 years. I take the minimum I can with me and prefer a pack close to 15 pounds [6.80 kg]. I've hiked all the Florida State Forest trails in Central Florida, backpacked the Na Pali coast on the island of Kauai and climbed Mt. Fuji in Japan. I have hiked dry & sandy, rough & rocky and wet & boggy trails and as a result, have found what does and doesn't work for me in terms of equipment and clothing.


INITIAL REPORT

PRODUCT INFORMATION & SPECIFICATIONS

Manufacturer: Guyot Designs
Year of Manufacture: 2009
Manufacturer's Website: www.guyotdesigns.com
Tested Model: Park
Tested Color: Tahoe Blue
MSRP: US$ 14.95
Listed Weight: 4.3 oz [122 g]
Measured Weight: 4.2 oz [119 g]
Listed capacity: 36 oz. [1.06 L] on packaging and web site, 32 oz. [.95 L] on bowl itself and hang tag
Measured Capacity: 34.5 oz [1.02 L]
Available Colors: Tahoe Blue, Lime, Tangerine
Available Models/Sizes: Base Camp 48 oz [1.4 L], Park 36 oz [1.06 L], Trail 24 oz [.71 L]

INITIAL IMPRESSIONS

The model I received to test is the Park. Per the web site and packaging, the Park is supposed to hold 36 oz [1.06 L] of liquid. Per the bowl itself and the hang tag that came with the bowl, the Park only holds 32 oz [.95 L]. I decided to measure to find out which was correct. I filled it as close to the brim as possible and poured the liquid into a large measuring bowl. My measurement came out closer to 34.5 oz [1.02 L]. As to which measurement listed by the manufacturer is correct, it's pretty much a toss up.

In Packaging
In Packaging


The bowl is made of food grade silicone, is BPA and polycarbonate free and can stand up to the freezer, dishwasher and microwave. Listed acceptable temperatures for the bowl are: -40 F [-40 C] to 446 F [230 C]. The bowl is definitely squishy, but it holds its shape when not being forcibly squished. It's surprisingly sturdy when full and I found that the sides did not easily cave in when nudged.

Squished
Squished


Personally, I like the feel of the bowl in my hands. I found that after I'd removed it from the packaging, I'd keep returning to it and smooshing it just to watch it pop back into shape. Although the packaging infers you can put the bowl in your pocket and take off for the trail, I found the size of the Park bowl a bit large for my pockets. Guyot Designs offers a smaller sized bowl, the Trail, which would probably fit easier and more comfortably. However, the Park does smoosh down well enough to easily fit into my day pack or regular pack, either of which will be accompanying me and the dogs anyway.

Top View
Top View


The bowl can be used for either water or food, but I will most likely be using it exclusively for water, since I will be testing out on the trail and while camping.

TRYING IT OUT

My three canine testing accomplices, who were moving around way too much to allow themselves to be photographed this time around, were extremely excited about the bowl. From their experience, anytime I'm opening a package with something rubber and brightly colored, that means it's a TOY! Although they were initially disappointed I wouldn't let them chew on it, once I put water in it, they were satisfied with its intended use and moved along happily. One of them did get a bit excited and jumped on the bowl while it was filled, causing it to collapse on one side and to spill most of the water. The collapse only occurred where the dog's foot was standing, and once Aspen's foot was removed, the bowl regained its shape.

Side View
Side View


The bowl cleaned up easily, just by rinsing with water and I've been able to store it in a large hard case I have for some old sunglasses so I can keep it from taking up too much space when not in use.

SUMMARY

Thus far, the Guyot Designs Squishy Pet Bowl [Park model] appears to be able to perform well for its intended purpose. It regains its shape quickly, is relatively sturdy, stores easily and cleans up quickly. The dogs aren't frightened by it and use it with no problems, as long as one of them doesn't get too eager and ends up stepping on it.

The disparity between the listed volume on the web site, the bowl, the packaging and the hang tag could be due to a change being made on the product prior to it being available for retail sale. It's quite possible that it will all be ironed out by the time they're ready to release the product.


FIELD REPORT

FIELD LOCATIONS AND CONDITIONS

I've brought the Guyot Squishy Pet Bowl along during several day hikes, backpacking trips and walks through the neighborhood with the dogs. Our day hikes are in the Hal Scott Regional Preserve and we've done two backpacking trips into the Little Big Econ State Forest where we hiked in, and camped overnight a couple nights. The weather during the past two months has been sunny and only slightly humid with daytime temps ranging from over 80 F [26.7 C] down to 52 F [11 C]. We've currently settled into a cooler, much drier, partly sunny pattern with temps averaging at around 65 F [18.3 C]. There has been some wind, even less rain and occasional fog in the mornings. It's been great weather for camping and hiking.

PERFORMANCE IN THE FIELD

Our dogs have no problems using the pet bowl at all. We humans, on the other hand, can't seem to keep from stomping on the bowl while at camp. It doesn't seem to matter where we place the bowl, someone always ends up stepping on it, causing whatever is inside the bowl to fly or spill out.

Drinking
Drinking From Bowl


The bowl has been great to use on day hikes as well. We're able to stop along the trail, pull out the bowl, fill it up and let the dogs drink until they're full. The bowl works just as well for food or snacks, keeping their food clean and relatively free of intruding bugs. Of course, anything with food in it that's left on the ground for any period of time will end up with ants in it, but for the most part, the Guyot pet bowl stayed clean and bug-free.

Posing
Posing with Bowl


Once back at our vehicle, we're also able to quickly fill the bowl up and place it in the back with the dogs so they can drink up while we put up our gear and prepare to return home. We've even used the bowl to offer water to other hikers' dogs whose owners didn't plan so well for hydrating their pets on the trail. The Guyot Squishy Pet Bowl is a great piece of gear to have if you take your dog[s] with you on hikes; in fact for us it's now a necessity.

SUMMARY

The Guyot Squishy Pet Bowl has become an integral part of our hiking and camping gear lineup. It enables us to quickly, safely and cleanly hydrate and/or feed our pets while on trail and at camp.

Likes:
Easy to store
Easy to setup
Easy to clean

Dislikes:
Easy to step on [not the fault of manufacturer]

Overall, I really can't find anything to dislike about the bowl. I've been able to store it rolled up by securing it with a large rubber band. I've also been able to fold it and keep it secure in a zipped storage pocket in my backpack. I still have not been able to store it in any pockets of any clothing I own; but that is not a concern for me.


LONG-TERM REPORT

LONG-TERM TEST LOCATIONS AND CONDITIONS

In the approximately two months since my Field Report, the locations and conditions for my Long Term report have been essentially the same. Temperatures have been markedly cooler though, and we've had several nights where we got below 32 F [0 C]. I've taken the bowl with me on every day hike and camping trip during which we've brought along the dogs. This can be quite an undertaking -- especially for camping -- as there are 3 dogs, all of which are prima donnas. I estimate the total number of trips/hikes to be around 47, including 3 overnights.

PERFORMANCE IN THE FIELD

The Guyot Designs Squishy pet bowl has continued to perform admirably. We've gotten much better at not stepping in/on it at camp, and the dogs still get so excited for some strange reason when we pull it out to set it up. They dance around in circles on their hind feet; I can only surmise it's the bright color of the bowl that gets them so happy.

We have awakened to freezing temperatures while camping and found a thin layer of ice across the top of the water in the bowl. The bowl itself showed no damage and even in the cold temperatures was still just as easily squished as it was in warm weather.

The large rubber band we've been using to keep the bowl folded up when packing has been replaced a few times, but the bowl has held up great. The bowl was even washed in our dishwasher in the top rack with no issues; it kept its shape, had no discernible smell and still had its bright blue color.

SUMMARY

In summary, this bowl is great for any type of outing during which I bring my canine companions along. Since there are 3 dogs and one bowl, I'm definitely going to get a couple more bowls to keep squabbling at a minimum. I can think of nothing negative to say about it other than it would be nice to have some sort of case in which to stow the bowl and keep it flat. For now, the large rubber band seems to do the trick.

CONTINUED USE

The Guyot Designs Squishy Pet Bowl will continue to accompany us on all our hikes and camping trips during which our dogs come along. Our cat would probably use it as well, but any time we tried to let him test it, 3 dancing dogs would suddenly appear and the cat would leave in a huff.

This concludes my Long Term Report. Many thanks to Guyot Designs and BackpackGearTest.org for the opportunity to test this bowl!

This report was created with the BackpackGearTest.org Report Writer Version 1.5 Copyright 2010. All rights reserved.


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Reviews > Animal Companion Gear > Animal Feeding Bowls > Guyot Designs Squishy Dog Bowls > Test Report by Chari Daignault



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