We hunt all over the Western US, with from one to four English and Gordon Setters. A Vari-Kennel or similar crate, with an insulated cover if the conditions are going to get extreme either cold or sun, strapped in to the front of the bed with bungees or ratchet straps, is a fine and comfortable ride. My dogs have ridden this way, from freeway trips from Seattle to South Dakota, to some fairly technical four-wheeling when Chukar hunting in Idaho or E. Washington.
Now, we have an all aluminum Crow River dog trailer, with six compartments. It's insulated, with wrestling mats cut out to fit the floors for more padding and insulation, forced air ventilation if we need it, and a built in water tank. Did I mention the torsion bar axle, for smoother ride? We call it the "doggie Hilton". I still use the crates in the bed if we're only taking one or two dogs, or doing any serious off roading. I jackknifed and rolled the "doggie Hilton" on an iced up two-track a few years ago. The dogs gave me some fairly pointed looks when I opened the boxes and let them out. That learned me a thing or two about trailers and sliding backwards.
Now, we have an all aluminum Crow River dog trailer, with six compartments. It's insulated, with wrestling mats cut out to fit the floors for more padding and insulation, forced air ventilation if we need it, and a built in water tank. Did I mention the torsion bar axle, for smoother ride? We call it the "doggie Hilton". I still use the crates in the bed if we're only taking one or two dogs, or doing any serious off roading. I jackknifed and rolled the "doggie Hilton" on an iced up two-track a few years ago. The dogs gave me some fairly pointed looks when I opened the boxes and let them out. That learned me a thing or two about trailers and sliding backwards.
