Dogs in bed with cap, options

Firstly let me say that keeping my dog in the cab is not an option. She easily gets motion sickness and pretty much immediately starts drooling and is good for a vomit 30minutes into the ride. Because of this, we have only traveled with her in my wife’s 4runner with her in cargo area with a screen divider to prevent her from jumping over the seats. She does calm down and will lay down eventually.

So with that said, im hoping to come up with an option to travel with the dog using my longbed. A cap would be a must and I can do the research to find the best one. What im looking for is aort of storage options for the bed to sort of be able to keep the dog comfortably back there and still allow for room to the stuff we travel with. Space in the 4runner is tight and we are limited to traveling with 2 bins. I figure with a cap on the truck, i can easily fit 4 bins and still have half the bed for the dog.

Ideally the place for the dog would be closest to the front of the truck so we can have the window open to keep the a/c cool back there for her. So that means i need to load her in first, than put some type of divider in (to prevent her from jumping over all the stuff) and than I can load up with the bins and other stuff.

So anyone got some pics/ideas of traveling with dogs in the bed with an actual bed full of stuff?

 

I travel with bird dogs. My solution was to build a platform in the bed with a couple 2"x 6"s and a sheet of plywood. Most of the gear goes underneath in rolling tubs like you'd use under a bed. The dogs go in collapsible wire crates in the front of the cab. Additional gear can go on the platform behind the dogs.

 

and . . . the cap MUST close tightly so the Carbon Monoxide doesnt get in. It has to function similar to the 4R.

G.

 

I like the idea of a platform! Thanks.

 

I just remembered that there are photos if you click on my profile.

 

Sorry I'm old and dense but interested in learning more about your Carbon Monoxide statement. Understand the dangers of it and love my girl so much just not how the cap closing tightly applies. On my 2nd Tacoma with cap and often put her back there when wet or dirty. Unless it's super cold a window in the cap is cracked, and increased open windows for airflow when temps are warmer. Never had an issue, what should I be doing to prevent CM getting to her?

 

I didn’t read any of the reply’s. Just get a softopper.

 

Maybe I’m just old school. But I have always thought that the turbulence behind the vehicle “could” allow CO to circulate into a cap. Probably not an issue with a side exhaust like ours and good ventilation.

G.

 

Mainly don't let the truck sit still with the engine running for extended periods. Keep fresh air moving into the cargo area and all is fine.

Travel kennels would be of benefit to dogs not riding in the cab. Especially if there is cargo in with the dog, a hard slam on the brakes can result in serious injuries. Strap down a kennel and keep it ventilated, with a solid kitchen mat for both cushion and traction. Dogs that hate car rides feel more comfortable when secured like that.

 

I think you're overthinking this. Just get a decent crate and secure it with ratchet straps in the bed. Or if you must have a canopy then all you need to do is throw the dog bed back there and secure your other gear so it won't slide around. And the topper isn't air tight to the cab so your AC isn't going to do anything to cool the bed area. Just open the windows on the canopy to keep air flowing.

 

Safari mode. Great for dogs.

 

They make caps with screens in the windows. Also, can you effectively AC the cap between the open gap?

 

My two pups ride in our ARE MX. I have a bed platform, and they just stand on it. The windoors have screens, so I keep them open for the dogs to get air.

• Don't bother opening the rear window and trying to get AC to them, the AC hardly reaches the backseat let alone the camper.
  
• Don't worry about CO, that's crazy talk. Your car emits mostly CO2 anyways, you only get CO from running the engine in confined space (like in a garage).
• Get a bedmat or bedrug, or they WILL go flying around if you have to slam on the brakes.

It would be a lot safer if they were in kennels, but they're dogs, they have a short life, and riding in a kennel in a truck is terrible. You gotta let them have fun and sniff the sniffs out the screen.

I'll take pics of my setup tonight, my pups love it, and it keeps my cab from getting torn up.

 

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Clearly you didnt read my post either.

My post isnt about what topper to get, but thanks for the contribution...

 

You may be right, but i need dry storage too. A crate is probably the way to go though. Thanks.

 

Get the topper then. I have one and it's super handy for keeping all of your gear dry and organized. But once you have a topper you don't need to do much more for the dog other than throwing a blanket or bed in there for it to lay down on.

 

Yeah i guess i was envisioning having the dog closest to the cab (for the A/C) and the logistics loading the dog in and than all my stuff around the dog. But since the a/c is going to be useless, I can just load up the gear, secure and than get the dog in.

I do still like the platform idea as that can be useful for other storage needs.

 

Not sure if this would be an option for you but maybe until you figure out a topper. I know a lot of guys use these insulated covers and strap the kennel down in the bed of the truck with out a topper. If your dog is kennel trained it might help with the nausea. Our dog sleeps in her kennel every night with the door wide open.

https://www.cabelas.com/product/CAB...VhtdkCh1J_QVoEAQYAiABEgJ5rPD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

Yeah I didn’t. I won’t lie...

But I hope you get the fur friends worked out!