Dine ‘N Dash Feeder Review: Traveling with a Raw Fed Kangal

The circus has arrived!

Alright, no it hasn’t, it’s just my household and the logistics of toting around a giant breed Turkish Kangal who happens to eat a diet consisting of raw and kibble, twice daily.

However, this isn’t a debate on raw vs. kibble, or freeze dried vs. raw. This is a look at a piece of gear that I’ve found quite useful, actually: The Dine ‘N Dash system by Dakota 283.

The Weekend Logistics

To understand why we need this, let’s set the mood in relation to our weekend logistics. On Saturdays, we are toting around a Kangal and two Malinois for obedience and protection work classes. Nyx does OB work, while the Malinois get to do protection work. That means one pickup truck, three dogs, myself, The Wrangler, three crates, and our Dogtra 1900X system. Spending hours actively working the dogs requires a lot of water, especially for a Kangal, who drinks excessively.

On Sundays, if Astraea Nyx doesn’t have field training, she spends the day with my twin girls at their job at the local pet store (the owner is a great guy and absolutely adores Nyx). She basically lays around, harasses the patrons hoping they will throw her treats, and tries to steal from the owner (he doesn’t consider it stealing, but we do).

In these on-the-go scenarios, we need water, and plenty of it. On Sundays, we also need an easy way to feed Nyx her raw and kibble mix when she’s hanging out at the pet store. The standard collapsible bowls are fine for travel with “easy” dogs, but they completely fail in our setups. First, they don’t make them big enough for the amount of food a Kangal eats. Second, putting raw food in them is never not messy. Finally, when she’s aggressively eating or drinking, she collapses the bowls.

Enter the Dine ‘N Dash. It’s a heavy-duty, rotomolded food and watering container. The food section holds about 8 cups of kibble, and the watering section holds 2.5 gallons.

Dakota 283 sells two versions of this system. One features “Dakota Guard,” which is an anti-microbial, food-grade additive molded into the plastic. The other is without it. I opted to pay extra for the Dakota Guard version because I knew I’d be feeding raw meat out of this thing on travel days.

What I Like

• The Capacities: The food and water volumes are perfect for my motley crew.
• Easy Sanitation: It is incredibly easy to clean. A hose rinses it right off out in the yard, and some basic soap and a brush cleans it thoroughly after raw feedings.
• Toughness: This thing is rugged. It lives loose in the bed of my pickup truck, completely untied, and takes a beating.

What I Hate

• Vague Marketing: There is a serious lack of information on most retail sites regarding the “Dakota Guard” feature. It’s not clear if all units have it or if it’s a special tier. Dakota 283’s official site clarifies it, but I shouldn’t have to hunt for it after paying extra.
• No Food Seal: The food cover completely lacks an O-ring or rubber gasket to seal the contents from outside moisture or humidity.
• Trapped Water: The water section doesn’t actually dispense all 2.5 gallons. Due to the design, a portion of the water gets trapped beneath the actual drinking bowl section and won’t flow out unless you tilt the whole unit. If I were to guess, it’s only about a half gallon to a full gallon at max.

The Verdict

At the end of the day, it works for us. I can toss this unit into the truck bed with 20 lbs of water weight in it, and so far, it hasn’t leaked a drop. It gives me a self-contained, rugged way to feed and water a giant breed and two fast moving Malinois on the go.

Should you buy the Dakota 283 Dine ‘N Dash? If you want something highly durable that can withstand real abuse, and you don’t mind hauling the physical weight of 2.5 gallons of water, then yes—it’s worth the investment.

Just know that this review is completely unsponsored. I bought this unit at full retail price out of my own pocket. In fact, I’ll likely have to buy a second one for the rest of the pack, because Nyx has completely claimed this one (she’s a bit selfish).