Whether you’re a bird hunter or a family road-tripper, you may find yourself looking for travel solutions for your four-legged family member. If you’re looking for advice on how to set up your truck bed or just want some accessories to make things easier in your SUV, Toppers & More has you covered.
Setting up your Truck Bed
When it comes to transporting dogs, a topper is hands-down the best bed cover solution. With the raised roof and options for ventilation, the topper can practically become an extension of the cab, keeping dogs dry, cool (or warm) and safe. If you think you’ll be transporting dogs often, you’ll want to keep that in mind when buying a topper or bed-liner.
The hands-down best bed liner if you’ll be having dogs in your truck bed is the BedRug. The carpet-like polypropylene is far more comfortable than most bed liners for walking, crawling and lying down. Another plus to the BedRug is that it provides some extra insulation to the truck bed to keep things comfortable. It does all this without sacrificing functionality, as the BedRug is still very tough and fully washable.
When buying a topper, there’s some options you’ll want to consider to make things comfortable for your dog. First, you’ll want windows with screens that can be opened in some fashion. Options like side-entry windows with built-in sliders, regular sliding windows or crank-open vent windows can work great for dogs depending on what other functionality you’re looking for. Furthermore, if you have a sliding rear window on your truck, a sliding front window on the topper is a great option. That way, you can add a seal between the two and even get some AC or heat flowing through the truck bed.
A headliner can be a great addition to a topper for dogs. Made from the same material as the BedRug, the headliner adds insulation to the topper and eliminates condensation that can pop up with a typical fiberglass interior. A dome light or rope lights can also be great to add, especially for bird hunters who may be loading or unloading in the dark. You can also improve the insulation and dust/water seal by adding on a tailgate seal kit, as most water or dust that gets into the truck bed comes in through the rear end of the truck bed.
Another outside-the-box truck bed solution suited for dogs can be the inflatable Flated Air-Topper. The Air-Topper is able to provide window ventilation and is a capable insulator. It is also more affordable than new fiberglass toppers. The kicker: it is easily removable by one person (weighs 35 pounds when deflated) and folds up for easy storage. The Air-Topper is a great truck bed solution for the dog owner who doesn’t want a topper to be on at all times, as it can easily be put on for the dogs and taken off afterwards.
Other Handy Accessories
For older dogs or higher trucks or SUVs, the WeatherTech pet ramp makes things easier on everyone. No more lifting your pup into the rig or wondering if the next jump up is the one when they don’t clear the tailgate; the pet ramp provides them an easy way in and folds up for storage afterwards. If you’re taking your dog for a ride in an SUV or car rather than a truck, WeatherTech also has great accessories for you like the pet barrier, pet partition and seat protector to keep hair and drool away from where you don’t want them.
In addition to the Air-Topper, Flated also makes another great product for animals on the go: the Air-Chalet. The Air-Chalet is an inflatable kennel for your pet, and like the Air-Topper, it is easily stored due to its small size when deflated. It is recommended that you crate your dogs during trips in the car to keep them safer in event of an accident, and the strong yet forgiving Air-Chalet is a terrific solution for this versus lugging around a heavy, bulky home crate.
If you are interested in any of these products to make traveling with your pet easier, come see us in South St Paul or contact us for more information.
