I am interested in having a dog sleep system made(I have no experience). My idea is a quilt that would have Velcro on 3 edges and would attach to a sleeping pad with Velcro on all 4 edges. Similar to the Jacks R Better Down to earth pad converter.

The Velcro would help keep drafts out, and keep the quilt on the dog. While still being able to tear away if the dog got up in the middle of the night.

Having Velcro on all 4 edges of the sleeping pad would allow you to attach the quilt with the head end however the dog is positioned. Also for summer use I imagined a bug net that could attach to the same sleeping pad and clip to the top of a tarp. I use a MLD DuoMid with a Solo InnerNet, so it would be nice to give her a bug free haven of her own.

Does anyone see any issues with this design, or know where I can get something like this made?

Your idea with the velcro sounds smart as long as your dog isn't too much of a mover during the night. If you used a square sleeping pad (thermarest seat??) then it would be easy to use your idea of having any side the potential opening, but maybe your dog is too big for that pad.

You may find it easier to use a slightly bigger quilt that doesn't velcro down but rather you just lay over top?

For bug protection, you could get a dog tent made like mine:
http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=36262

My dog tent would keep her a bit warmer than just being outside too. We use the CCF pad from my wife's backpack inside the tent (shown in that thread) for her to sleep on. I don't use any quilt for the summer time, but I can see wanting one for shoulder season trips.

If you do want a bug tent, it would be relatively easy for someone to make. Instead of attaching it to the pad, you could go Hexamid style and have it with a mesh floor so that the pad just goes inside the fully enclosed bug shelter. That would be simple to make and you wouldn't have to bother with velcro'ing the bug netting down, but you would need some kind of a zipper door.

If you had a fully enclosed bug netting tent that hangs off the tarp, then that would keep the quilt basically on top of the sleeping pad if the tent was sized to just fit the pad. That might be a little simpler and be less hassle if your dog does fidget during the night.

BTW, Bender @ Kookabay could whip you up a custom sized sleeping pad for you dog. I bet he could add the velcro too, but I think it would need to be the stick on type because sewing it on would put puncture holes in the pad. Check him out: http://www.kookabay.com/

Alternatively, you might want to use a CCF pad for simplicity. If you used really thin CCF (ie. 1/4") then you might even be able to sew the velcro to it.

Edited by dandydan on 08/31/2010 11:34:59 MDT.

I just don't see a dog staying in a quilt at night. I would think an insulated parka would work better for a dog

It all depends on how your dog sleeps.

My dog stands up every couple of hours and turns around three times before lying down again (I call him my Robert Benchley dog). I therefore use a jacket on him and a cheap piece of closed cell foam pad under him. A quilt would end up wadded in the corner, doing him no good.

Your Dog May Vary! :-)

Having two dogs who have spent nights below 0F, can recommend essentially down/synthetic insulated vests. (I pretty much re-use ones made for humanoids.) Taper a bit more toward their bellies. Do not forget adequate insulation underneath, nor forget to allow them to stick their heads under your bag edges.

I did make horse-blanket style covers for them that worked well; do make sure to provide enough insulation to cover their heads, too.

Edited by 4quietwoods on 09/12/2010 17:49:16 MDT.

"it would be nice to give her a bug free haven of her own."

I take my dog "Bear" with me every chance I get, but don't like the mosquitos that attack him in the summer, especially when we're not on the move - so I too wanted a "bug free haven" for him. After searching I couldn't find anything that I liked, so I ended up making him his own dog tent.



It basically keeps the bugs away and provides a little shelter if it rains. Bear weighs in at 100 lbs, so he needs a little room to move around.

I forgot to mention that whatever you use for the dog should be loose-fitting. That's especially true if you have one of the breeds with a downy undercoat (such as a Lab). Compressing the dog's fur will have the same effect as compressing the insulation on your sleeping bag.

Of course if your dog has little hair, this won't be a problem.

Steve, how much does your doggie bug tent weigh? It looks like a good solution for a hammock-sleeping dog owner!

Edited by hikinggranny on 09/14/2010 16:48:38 MDT.

Mary-

I am impressed! I am a hammock sleeper. I made one earlier this year along with Bears tent.
The tent weighs in at just under 8.5 ounces.
It is 4'x3' and it slopes from 18" to 36" in height.

He carries it along whenever he gets to go.

David,

I made a modular dog bed for my Lab. It consists of 500d Cordura with a sewn fleece top. The botton has two sleeves that a cut down Z-Rest pad fits into. The top has Velcro on three edges that mate with a fleece cover.

It works great and by being modular, only what components that are needed are packed, depending on temperatures.

The Cordura bed and fleece top go into one side of his dog pack anlong with food bowl. Food balances the pack on the other side and the Z-Rest attaches to the compression straps on the dog pack.

I am also looking at making a Climashield top for winter use.

I have had several local people want these and have thought about building them on a custom basis.

I see if I can find some photos of the bed to post.

Ed

Ed- Love to see some pics.
How much does it weigh? And, does your dog have any problems with the Z-Rest attached to his pack (I am guessing on top) when going through brush or under limbs/logs, etc.?

Steve

Steve,

I'll have to weigh it again as I don't remember, but it is significently lighter and less bulky than any of the commercial dog beds I have tried and I think I have tried nearly all of them.

No problem with the Z-Rest on the outside and Gunr is kind of squirrely at times rolling with his pack on and rubbing it on brush. I think I am going to sew up a bag for the pad to give it a bit more protection and maybe add a semi daisy chain for extra security when attaching to the pack.

I'll, see what I can come up with for pics.

Ed

I wanted to bring this thread back to life and see if there's any new ideas out there, etc.

I need to come up with a solution for the occasional really cold night (mid-30s or lower) when I need some extra insulation for my dog. He's a 90# lab, really tall & long but not much flab.

He uses a 3/4 length GG nightlight pad underneath. We tried a cheap thrift store fleece vest but he does't like it and pulls it off through the night ( don't ask me how he unzips the vest, I have no idea...). On a horse packing trip, we used heavy canvas blankets to drape over him and he seemed to be okay with this. So I'm toying with making or buying some kind of down or synthetic-filled quilt or blanket for him.

Eddie Bauer has a down throw on sale right now for about $30. Seems like it would be big enough to wrap around him like a giant taco shell. Might be worth a try. Any other ideas floating around out there?

Don't take offense here, but dogs can be kind of stinky. I would think that you want a fleece or synthetic throw for the dog, not down. Fleece would be very washable.

--B.G.--

My two love their coats. Something that will stay on them without you having to worry about them getting uncovered. I bought one of these almost 20 years ago. Still going strong on our 11 year old Corgi mix. Check these out..

http://www.dogcoat.com/index.php?id=3

Yeah bob, I agree... Down wouldn't be my first choice between the potential for dog stink and the fact I can't keep him out of the water even right up to sunset. The down throw just seemed like a cheap but light, packable and easy to use solution. Some kind of lightweight synthetic quilt/ blanket seems best if I can't get him to wear something.

Ken, those dog coats look interesting. Any feedback on what they weigh, how small they pack down, and how cold they reasonably work to? I'm looking for something that would get used from the low 30s into the teens.

Thanks guys!

They are decidedly not UL. Nearly indestructible instead. The basic design is great. The fleece ones they make are nice too. I would put the fleece one on as a base and then the nylon turnout on top and keep my short haired Corgi mix warm to freezing.

What is the Corgi's base weight?

--B.G.--

Well, not light at 29 oz, but RBH makes a VaprThrm poncho.

I've posted this before, but:



This wasn't too cold a night, & the fleece vest worked fine. On really cold nights I use a poofy vest, synth or down. If it's that cold, the dogs aren't usually wet & I don't have problems w/down.

Thanks brad, I'd seen that photo before and thus tried the fleece vest but bixby figures out how to get out of it in the middle of the night. Seems he'd rather be cold... The vest is a little small on him; maybe that's why he doesn't like it. It's a men's medium but you can't zip it over his chest.

We went out for a quick overnighter last night to see if a bigger down vest made any difference but we got just about to the campsite right before dark only to discover I left my car keys, wallet and a few other important items sitting on the back bumper of my truck. So we turned around, hiked out to collect our things and didn't bother to hike back in to camp in the dark. Just went home instead.

Might've been too cold of a night to test the vest for him... 35* F at the trailhead and dropping with a chance for snow overnight. I'd rather test it in more mild conditions first to see if he like's it before we try it in conditions where he really needs it.