[rc325]

Hey All-

So I am ~900 miles into my Ridgeline owners experience and I come at you all with a hearty hello and a question:

Anyone use a Gunner kennel or similar, CRASH tested in a Ridgeline bed? I'm not a hunter or a sportsman so this is just not something I have a lot of experience with, our use case would be to transport our mutt (part Great Pyrenees-- ~65 lbs) with us on some of our family vacations. My wife wants him to be able to get some AC-- so I figured I might be able to pipe some out of the sliding rear glass by creating a plexiglass insert with a hose running to the kennel. For her, the manufacturer suggested fans are just not enough.

Aside from your opinions about whether this is a good thing to do for my dog ( I get it.. some of you will not agree ), does this seem feasible? Secondarily, what are your experiences with a similar setup if you've had one? For reference I live in the South East US. I am a first time "truck" owner-- my previous vehicles being a 2000 Nissan Altima, a 2002 Ford Mustang a 200x VW Jetta 1.8 T (can't remember) and a 2009 Honda Civic Si.

I'm giving you this context to be fair about my past lack of experience with a vehicle like this. All that said, I have driven plenty of trucks over they years of various different sizes and makes-- just never been a private owner.

So far we are enjoying it quite a bit.

Best,
rc325

 

[Farther]

I carry my pups around in air conditioned comfort in the back seat with the Honda OEM rear seat cover using the vehicles LATCH system and a harness.

 

[Farther]

 

[rc325]

Farther -- thanks for your reply.

If I didn't have two children that would be riding with us for most of these excursions that would be a palatable solution. I use to have a GS who went by the name of "Vader" and your dog looks very happy!

Appreciate the feedback.

Best,
rc325

 

[CNC1]

View attachment 427242

New Honda security system?

 

[mcm0455]

View attachment 427242

Thats a good looking dog!

 

[RidgelineFTW]

I carry my pyr (140lb) in back w all seats up....

 

[silkiechicken]

As you were suspecting, most on here will have their pups in the cab somewhere. But since your cab will be full of humans on longer trips, kudos to you for trying to find a safe way to contain your pup in the bed instead of just tossing them in the back... which I still see in rural areas time to time.

Gunner kennels with sturdy tie downs seem to be quite compelling for safety of your four legged, way better than regular old wire or plastic kennels. However, not sure if piping A/C to the back is going to be very efficient or practical. With wind blowing around, your pup will probably be just fine with some iced treats and plenty of water stops on longer travels. I'd imagine Gunner (or similar kennels) and RL owners are few and far in between. The RL is not really part of the typical backcountry hunting dog and truck combo. Good luck on your search!

 

[Jim G.]

CoolK9 A/C System for Cruise-Eze Units

The CoolK9 A/C System for Cruise-Eze Units is a temperature control system that keeps your dog’s kennel cool (or warm) during transport in your vehicle.

www.rayallen.com

 

[rc325]

I carry my pyr (140lb) in back w all seats up....

Very good! Ours is a little guy but he has all of the lovable characteristics! Paw, hair everywhere, sleeps with his feet in the air exc..

 

[wjfyfe]

As you were suspecting, most on here will have their pups in the cab somewhere. But since your cab will be full of humans on longer trips, kudos to you for trying to find a safe way to contain your pup in the bed instead of just tossing them in the back... which I still see in rural areas time to time.

I mostly agree, our pup rides in her kennel in the back seat area. A question about putting a kennel in an open bed is what happens when the temps drop or when it's raining or snowing, and there is that always present wind chill, how are you going to protect your furry member of the family from the elements?
For this particular situation I personally would be looking into a soft or hard bed cap myself, (not a tonneau.)
Bill

 

[rc325]

CoolK9 A/C System for Cruise-Eze Units

The CoolK9 A/C System for Cruise-Eze Units is a temperature control system that keeps your dog’s kennel cool (or warm) during transport in your vehicle.

www.rayallen.com

That might be the ticket, or something similar. As far as efficiency, I know that will definetly be an issue. I'm not convinced that anything more than some good fans and regular water stops is needed as mentioned by silkiechicken.

That said, my wife loves this dog more than the rest of us, so I must forge ahead and come up with the best solution possible for our use case. As i go further down the road with this idea, I'll let you all know how it works out.

Absolutely interested if anyone else has some sage ideas on this.

 

[oarnold]

Strap the kids in the bed. Dog in the cab, problem solved.

No, wait! That’s against the law. Forget I said that.

 

[rc325]

I mostly agree, our pup rides in her kennel in the back seat area. A question about putting a kennel in an open bed is what happens when the temps drop or when it's raining or snowing, and there is that always present wind chill, how are you going to protect your furry member of the family from the elements?
For this particular situation I personally would be looking into a soft or hard bed cap myself, (not a tonneau.)
Bill

Being inexperienced with those, how permanent is the install? I've got limited storage space unfortunately for larger items so I figure it would have to be a longer term commitment.

I can say that I have seen the few crash tested crates for this purpose have so-called weatherizing kits to protect against elements. Obviously at this time I don't have the experience to know how well they work. Dumping heat from the cab would be similar to piping back AC with regard to colder temps (assuming that is even a viable solution in the first place).

My dog in particular is pretty cold weather hardy but some breeds I suspect would have a harder time. If we did face some extreme weather suddenly our best option would be to take shelter (usually the best option in those situations) dog in bed or no.

Appreciate all your helpful opinions on the subject. I'm not set on any course of action as it stands because I like to make really informed choices whenever it is possible.

Best,
rc325

 

[rc325]

Strap the kids in the bed. Dog in the cab, problem solved.

No, wait! That’s against the law. Forget I said that.

Pesky laws!

 

[wjfyfe]

Being inexperienced with those, how permanent is the install? I've got limited storage space unfortunately for larger items so I figure it would have to be a longer term commitment.

This Softopper can be folded away so when you require an open bed for carrying oversized cargo:

Softopper® Truck Bed Cap – SO-RDG60 – Softopper – Truck Tops, SUV Tops, Accessories

softopper.com

And we would still use some sort of strap in kennel to protect the pup from accidents.

Bill

 

[rc325]

This Softopper can be folded away so when you require an open bed for carrying oversized cargo:

Softopper® Truck Bed Cap – SO-RDG60 – Softopper – Truck Tops, SUV Tops, Accessories

softopper.com

View attachment 427266 View attachment 427267
And we would still use some sort of strap in kennel to protect the pup from accidents.

Bill

Bill that looks interesting. Thanks for sharing this. RE: straps on the kennel, definitely no way its staying in one place if something unexpected happens.

 

[silkiechicken]

I mostly agree, our pup rides in her kennel in the back seat area. A question about putting a kennel in an open bed is what happens when the temps drop or when it's raining or snowing, and there is that always present wind chill, how are you going to protect your furry member of the family from the elements?
For this particular situation I personally would be looking into a soft or hard bed cap myself, (not a tonneau.)
Bill

Our pup rides inside as well, but she's a couch cushion that isn't acclimated to the elements. Her working cousins however have no problems herding sheep and riding on the backs of ATV's, sun up to sun down, in all kinds of weather from blowing winter snow to blaring summer sun to get the job done. But they are acclimated... It's going to be up to the humans on how much their individual pups can handle the elements and what kind of elements they get.

 

[simplejack360]

This Softopper can be folded away so when you require an open bed for carrying oversized cargo:

When did you buy yours? I tried contacting them about getting one for my 22 ridgeline but they never responded to me, I'm guessing they are really busy. I was curious if the back canvas hatch was securable or if my dogs can just hop out the back if they are not in a crate.

 

[drrjv]

I have this one from Amazon that works well. Like the front screen for better ventilation.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07R2JLR4V/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1