Dogs riding in camper shell

Gotcha, check this one out. Leaves seat for kiddo

https://www.tundras.com/threads/my-dog-platform.71537/#post-1841661

 

Welcome! And I hear you with the XL crates. Any dog over 100ish lbs and it’s a no go for a crate. And I’m the biggest advocate for crating in vehicles. I wonder if they make a harness that could attach to a tie down loop that acts like a seat belt?

As for the carpet. In my old truck I got marine grade plywood and carpet. Glued and stapled them together. Made for a great platform and can slide in and out pretty easily. I used it like a bed slide. Lasted 5 years before any tears.

for the cap I’m sure they make a good boot seal between the two windows. For me I leave the back window up and take out the cap window. Gives great airflow for the dogs.

good luck and post pics of what you come up with

 

The bedrug XLT Mat I believe it’s called covers only the floor/tailgate and is much more affordable. Less than half price as I recall.

 

Hello
I just found this forum! This has answered most of my questions but I still have one. We have a Tundra with a ARE cap with sliding windows with grills. I have Ryobi fans and my dogs will be in crates but is the noise bad in the back? I think I can keep them cool enough as we only stop for fuel and potty walks rest of the time we are moving but was concerned with the windows open the road/wind noise could be bad. Any thoughts?

Thank you!

 

Nice! I previously had a similar setup in my 05 Tacoma AccessCab. Not really big enough for humans back there so I made it a dog platform for my 60lb Blue Heeler instead. Perfect dog space. Fast forward - I’ve added a girlfriend, another dog and a 29ft travel trailer so I “had” to upgrade to a Tundra CrewMax. No platform this time but the extra room in the back seat (and towing capacity) really helps. No complaints.

 

Picked up this ARE CX Revo last week at suburban toppers in Denver. Have a ramp I bought off of Amazon to get the mutt in and out. Liking it thus far, not much over hang on the sides. Dog seems to like it.

 

Looks great! How were they to deal with? I am in Denver and looking around for caps as well

 

Good, I have no complaints. I went through Chris (cblais@suburbantoppers.com) for ordering and install appointment. He answered any question quickly. Install took about 1hr 15 min for the topper and I also had them install the bed mounted swing toolbox to store hitches and straps. They were really busy while I was there, 6-7 pickups waiting behind me for installs. No complaints.

ETA: Here's some pics of the toolbox. Cheap plastic box, so not really that impressed with it, but it'll work to keep the hitches, straps, etc. from sliding around in the bed which is really all I need. Just need to get a mount built to hold the dog ramp to the side if the bed and I'll be set.




ETA2: Dog pics

 

Do your pup a favor and get a bed rug, you can do without the sides if you want and just get the button part but it will keep the dogs from sliding around if you need to stop quick.

 

I have a bed liner. . . but I came across 2 large pieces of grey indoor/outdoor carpeting I cut to fit the bed,1 on top of the other and it's better on my dogs feet. I have a Snug Top 'Super Sport' model shell . . . it has the 'pop-out' rear windows I open when my dog is back there, it seems to 'venturi' a good amount air flow while driving, though I don't think it would be adequate just parked in warm weather. I'm guilty of just having my dog back there un-restrained . . . but I never drive w/ him back there on the freeway/ highway . . . it's usually just a short trip to the beach. Having the dog(s) in a secured kennel seems very responsible, but no one ever accused me of being responsible . . . and I don't drive around very much with my dog in the back.

 

Yeah the toppers with the pop out windows definitely look more sleek but my dogs like hanging their heads out too much so I went with the sliders and took out the screens.

 

Very good articles on keeping pets safe. I hooked mine up to 24"strap off back seat bracket to his harness , and I also have a seat cradle that runs full width, and up the front. So my brittany is free to move around but should stay put in a crash. Our little shytsou is hooked up in a dog basket. Only problem was 1rst time I hooked him up all was fine till I opened door and said ok , at which point he always jumps out , this time he just hung there looking at me . Now he waits to be unhooked.ha ha . as far as bed , mine came with bed rug , I just unzipped the front and sides , and only use the bed area , works great and doesn't move at all with Bullet Liner. As far as heads out windows , no no , read too many bad things on this , bugs , rocks off tires, drying out eyes badly. Mine only out at stop lights and McDonalds, best chick magnet a guy could have is his dog, just drives my wife nuts when the ladies talk to him all the time.

 

Many, many years ago when the first carpet kits came out....basically plywood and carpet that you could take camping where the plywood floor would be placed on top for a bed with under storage. We used to take our dog with us. I replaced the flimsy screens with the small diamond metal sheet you would commonly see on BBQ cooking surfaces. It was cut to fit the open window and bolted in. He weight about 85 pounds and knew that he would not go through it without some effort, but more afraid of someone trying to access him and get bit. It worked out great!

 

Joe, what did you use that was big enough to wrap around the outside of a Crewmax window to seal off to the topper?

 

If you go down the pipe insulation aisle at home depot there are foam pipes you can shove in-between, I also used Compression Boot - Part Number 540 from here https://www.accordionboot.com/camper-shell-gasket but if you go the second route you need to take the window out of the cap.

 

Not sure if you are asking how he does in the cold in the back of the truck or just in general. In the back of the truck he does great. With the back window down, lots of heat travels to the back of the bed area. I have no issues with him riding around back there when its sub zero zero temps and do it all the time all winter long. What helps the most is daytime with the sun shining, it really heats up to where you could be in shorts and a tee-shirt back there and be comfortable.

The deal is in the summer time is I don't think the AC keeps up with cooling it down back there. It defintly helps, but that cap gets hot and just radiates heat. If I'm traveling long distances on the highway with little to no shade on a hot day (90+) I feel like it gets warm back there. I need to get a digital temp gauge so I can see in the truck what the temp is back there. I've tried to pay very close attention to the temps back there as the whole purpose of the tundra for me was the sliding back window for just this purpose. I have the pipe insulation in between the cap and the cab so its a pretty tight seal.

He's actually an American bulldog, not an argentino. He does pretty good in the cold, with his limiting factor being his paws. He would spend all day outside in sub zero temps if I was outside with him and I let him. He doesn't complain much, but I know he's cold when he lifts his paws up. He is a short haired dog after all, but his tolerance is pretty crazy. I'm way up in Northern NH where it gets pretty cold (sustained below zero for weeks), and I'm impressed with his tolerance with it. I have another American bulldog and she does not like the cold at all. I think a lot of it is individual dog.

 

I actually put a remote thermometer back there with a digital gauge up front and your right it gets super hot back there in the summer. I usually have the windows open when ever its warm out. Hell even when its cold out lol, they love hanging out the windows.