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brookside's avatar
brookside
Explorer
Dec 08, 2016

Heavy Rug or Dog Bed - Materials That Won't Draw Moisture?

We camp when it cold. We just purchased a 2310 Hi Lo after using a pop-up and other various unit. Our floors are vinyl, our dogs are large (65 & 82 lbs) and currently they sleep on a furry memory foam pad with non-slip (sort of) bottom. It draws a LOT of moisture. When can put them outside and get things dry when the wind isn't blowing - this is KS, it is usually blowing.

Any ideas on what might work? Thanks!
  • I bought yoga mats since they were easy to get my hands on. They are working nicely. Also found that cutting off a link to place under the dinette bench cushions has greatly reduced slippage there. We are going to line cabinets and outside baggage compartments with the remainder.
  • Thanks for the ideas. I'm going to see what I can find in town this week.

    That "Hypervent" would have been great in the pop-up we just moved up from! Constant struggle.
  • Crowe wrote:
    Go to the hardware store, Home Depot or something of that nature and get the interlocking heavy foam tiles and put the beds on top of them. We do that in our basement because we only have a thin rug down. The crates rest on the tiles instead of the floor. They aren't that expensive and you can undo them for easy storage/transport. It will keep the coldness from getting to the bottom of the bed.


    I'm thinking along that line, too - one of my favorite cushiony-and-cheap things is yoga mat. It's closed-cell foam, so it doesn't absorb water (I use smaller pieces as kayak seat padding) - and it's easily cut to any size or shape with kitchen shears. A 2' x 6' yoga mat can be bought for $25 or so... here's one for less than $20:

    yoga mat
  • You are getting condensation between the cold floor and the dog bed. This also happens between foam mattresses and a solid platform.

    There is some stuff called "Hypervent" that works pretty well according to people who use it on boats, etc.

    HYPERVENT installation
  • Go to the hardware store, Home Depot or something of that nature and get the interlocking heavy foam tiles and put the beds on top of them. We do that in our basement because we only have a thin rug down. The crates rest on the tiles instead of the floor. They aren't that expensive and you can undo them for easy storage/transport. It will keep the coldness from getting to the bottom of the bed.
  • Cold plus heat eqquals condensation. There is little you can do to stop it except to stop the cold coming up through the floor.