Tents, Trailers and Dogs

[mountainkatt]

Hello all. New to the forum as a member (not as a guest creeper).

My fiance and I have always been campers/hikers, and our dog, Ajax, is too. His favorite thing is also the Jeep. We've started getting more into jeep camping and are having a hard time coming up with a dog-friendly solution for accommodation.

The Situation:
We camp year round, even in the Canadian winters, in the Rockies. The weather there is notoriously unpredictable. We've found ourselves in situations backpacking where we were sweating in 30 degrees Celsius during the day and it drops to -2 degrees Celsius at night. This was in the middle of August. Winter is cold - averages are -20 degrees Celsius overnight.

The Potential Solutions:
We have a few ideas and keep wavering on the best course of action.
1 - Roof Top Tent, something similar to an Eezi Awn
2 - Canvas outfitters tent with a wood stove for winter
3 - A-Frame or Teardrop trailer

The Problem:
The dog is 100lbs of German Shepherd. The cargo area is not the most ideal place for him to sleep - he always sleeps close by (on the floor at home) and in our tent (usually half on top of me) with us.

After that ramble....

What are your thoughts/suggestions for the most effective dog-friendly accomodation?

Thanks!

 

[java]

I have 2 of those 100lb things. They eat some serious real estate.

How long do you stay in one place?

RTT is great, but cold in those temps. But so are most tents WO/ a heater. Which would make me lean to the canvas tent with stove if staying for more than an overnight. They are a pain to set up.

Trailer is nice for insulation, hard sides and heater. Trailer is also nearly instant bed ( A frame takes a few seconds to set up) Teardrop may be a bit small with the dog.

 

[The Swiss]

My solution to the problem!

 

[mountainkatt]

Our travels can end with several single night stops to a few days in one place - there is considerable variation. Weekends mean picking a road and seeing where it goes - 1 to 2 nights. That would make up the majority of our trips. It makes a canvas tent a considerable amount of work - but obviously the most spacious with the dog - with the hope that his tail will stay far from the stove.

If we went with a trailer option it's a) much further down the road due to cost and b) likely a SoCal or an Aliner.

 

[java]

That sounds like too much moving for a canvas tent IMO. Trailer is the best for the cold, I do trailer in the winter RTT with the dogs in the "changing room" in the summer. I have a munchkin to add too so that takes a bit more space...
I love the little Scamps. The like 13' models are SWEET, tiny but sweet.

 

[nickburt]

Quick erect tent - OzTent for example.

 

[mountainkatt]

The problem I can see with the Oztent is the winters.

I can agree with you on the canvas tent - growing up with one (a behemoth of a 20x24 with horrid metal/wood frame and one incident of falling metal poles) I can assure you I'm not loving the idea of going down that road - even though new ones are quite nice.

The Scamp trailers (after a quick google of such) are adorable (manly....) but the ground clearance seems iffy. We spend a good deal of time on not-quite-roads, which is why I was loving the look of the SoCal (or if the gods of 4x4 see fit to provide us North Americans with the Conquerer UEV).

I'm getting the feeling that there will not be an all-in-one solution for us.... dreams.

 

[nickburt]

The problem I can see with the Oztent is the winters.

................

Not sure why you should worry about the winters. With the right sleeping bags etc... you'll be fine.
Our dog sleeps in a cage (either in a ground tent or the back of the truck), if it's cold, she has a winter coat and blankets, but then our winters aren't as cold as yours.
You could fit a night heater for when it gets really cold.

 

[mountainkatt]

If it's just the two of us, we have an Asolo 4-season that's fine in the winter. We use a small heater for -15 degrees celsius and below, and have fairly good gear for what we do. With a dog, that all becomes rather impossible. Wet dogs in small spaces... the heater is fine in a tent unless you touch it (it's hot). He's a third person, honestly. He's bigger than I am.

The OzTent looks like it would be rather convenient, but that much head-room in a tent that's not designed for the cold is hard to heat and keep warm. I can't tell if those windows have inside zips.

 

[Desert Dan]

A good tent would work but in your weather a trailer might be better? A trailer with access to the kitchen might be better than a tear drop in cold weather? A small airstream or similar would be great too

Get a good pad/dog bed for dog and blankets. Dogs get cold too. I donated an old down bag to my dog for winter camping.

I like having the option to sleep in the vehicle.

 

[jscusmcvet]

My solution to the problem!

View attachment 204013

Tell us more... plans, building, etc? How does it tow behind the JK?

 

[mountainkatt]

I've been looking into options for him for a winter type bed - usually we just haul his house bed (Costco) in the cargo area and make use a wool blanket in the tent under him (summer). If we've backpacked in with him, he sleeps half in my bag (our Marmot mummy bags center zip together).

Going from ultra-lite backpacking to vehicle based exploration is certainly an adventure.

 

[gmoneyluv]

We travel with two dogs (Rotties) and have not had any serious issues in mild sub-freezing weather. The dogs sleep in the vehicle in their crates and we sleep up above in the RTT. Mind you, our breed of dogs tend to be less affected by cold conditions. We use a crate pad that is made with closed-cell foam (sleeping pad material) and add fleece blankets in the crates. The closed-cell foam does not absorb water and provides excellent insulation. The fleece blankets retain some heat even when wet and will dry faster than many other materials. In colder conditions, we add another fleece blanket and cover the crates with a heavy fleece blanket (or old sleeping bag). This cover helps trap heat minimizing discomfort during colder conditions. In the summer we set up two small fans that we clip to the cages and run off a separate 12v power source. This keeps the air moving making the interior more bearable in hot humid weather.

 

[KJP]

Katt, I hear your pain - I struggle with the same thing - the RTT is fine for some winter camping, but I've seen the temperature drop from above freezing here in Alberta to -20C in a couple of hours... so it's really only a 3 season option I find. Have you ever considered building what you need based on a cargo trailer. I'm not an expert by any means, but I've seen some cargo trailer conversions built with extra clearance and specific space requirements. Take a look at the following site http://www.tnttt.com/viewforum.php?f=42&sid=bb00193e44078e895e3a322abad62da3 and see if there is anything that jumps out as a possibility.

 

[roamingaz]

I would suggest a Kifaru tipi with wood stove, I have their 4 person with medium stove and it is plenty big enough for 2 people and a dog. If you want more room they make several sizes larger but the main benifit it the stove and tipi are made for backpacking so very lightweight and compact. I am thinking of selling my 4 person to upgrade to a 6 person, if you are interested let me know. Welcome to the forum!
Here is a link to Kifaru, absolutely the best gear I have ever owned.
http://www.kifaru.net/