Fulltiming with pets?

[Bri1218]

Hello everyone. I have been in love with all types of campers since before I can remember. I am finally financially able to purchase an RV and I would love some advice.

I have a 40lb dog currently and I had planned on getting another 37lb dog from a rescue soon. How do you know if the camper is cool enough for pets while your away? I work 8 hours and I come home for lunch, but I am concerned it may get too hot while I am away.

Has anyone lived fulltime in a truck camper with pets? Is it crowded? Is there any advice you can give on this subject? My dog and I basically live in our bedroom of the apartment.

Thank you so much for your time!

[wintersun]

I would not leave pets inside a camper unless I could open the windows as well as the roof vents and provide an unlimited supply of water. Dogs have a much harder time throwing off body heat than humans and the larger the dog or the more fur the more compromised they will be.
A chihuahua is going to have an easier time in hot weather than a collie.

It makes no sense to further complicate your life under the circumstances you mentioned by adding a second dog when you are having difficulty taking care of the the dog you already have and yourself.

[AimlessWanderLu]

jimh425 wrote:
You can use a fantastic fan or other temperature controlled fan that is battery powered and open the bathroom vent as well. If you add solar, the batteries would be charged by them.

Which is exactly what we do. We do have an A/C, but we never have shore power, and our generator is currently broken. I don't think I'd run the generator unattended for 8 hours anyway. With a vent open down low and the fantastic fan running on low, you can get some pretty good air flow. We only have 150watts of solar, and that is plenty to recharge our battery from overnight use in addition to running the fan...even when it's been overcast here in Colorado.

[jimh406]

You can use a fantastic fan or other temperature controlled fan that is battery powered and open the bathroom vent as well. If you add solar, the batteries would be charged by them.

[Bri1218]

Thank you everyone for your advice! The reason I am looking into a truck camper and not something larger like a motorhome, is because I dont think I could handle driving anything larger or handle a 5th wheel. I will be in Colorado, and the weather can change daily, sometimes hourly. Two days ago it was 85 degrees and clear skies and the last few days have been cold and rain/sleet. My friend used to have a truck camper and I remember it being tight, but honestly I dont mind it. My dog rarely leaves my bed now, unless we are going outside, so Im not concerned out sharing a tight area with her. Im just concerned about keeping the camper cool while Im away. Other than opening windows, is the non electric ways of cooling a camper? For instance a fan or a/c powered by solar panels.

[AimlessWanderLu]

We live full time in our TC. We have a large 11'3" Lance 900. Honestly, it's bigger than we need/want and want to go smaller! Even with the wife, our 45lb coonhound/aussie, and myself, we don't have big issues with space...but then, we all get along very well too!

I work full time, the wife is looking for work. During the winter, we leave the heater set to around 60 degrees with a vent open a small crack for airflow. When it gets warmer, we run the fantastic fan with a few windows open and it stays fairly okay. In the summer heat though, we will put the dog in doggie daycare.

I wouldn't say that our dog is super happy being in the TC 8 hours per day alone, but she's not bad about it either. We are very diligent in taking her for multi-mile hikes just about every day, so she get all the energy out.

[splinter7]

We are not full timers, but will go off for 2-3 months at a time. We don't like hot weather so you wouldn't be finding us down south in the summer. We don't even have AC. We have a termastatically controlled Fanastic Fan. We open all the windows a couple inches with security bars to prevent windows from being open more by pets or strangers. We have solar panels and figure if the sun begins to hit the camper it will run the fan easily.

We have two cats, and no slide in our TC, even they take up a bit of room, especially in the bed at night. Also feed and water bowls need to go somewhere, and we're always stepping on them. Yours will probably be a bit bigger than ours!

Even cats are charged the pet fee inspite of the fact they never leave the camper. You may find those fees anywhere. It's costing us $2 a day extra to camp in Vermont state parks.

But it's great having them with us,

Sue

[rutzbeck]

I travel with my two boys in a bigfoot camper. They are 100 and 115 lbs rottweilers. One sleeps under the table and the other in the hallway. You do have to watch where you are stepping but it works fine. They are great companions and great watch dogs. When I am in a warmer place I open the door and pin the screen shut with the stairs. The boys never touch the screen but if you are on the outside you know not to mess with them. Most of the time I am in a cool place. I use it for traveling while I am teaching in Southeast Alaska. Yes I use it all winter long. Two wet dogs are my biggest challenge, as trying to get them dry and get the humidity out can be difficult. How hot is the area you will be staying in?

[portscanner]

We currently have two brittneys, one 50 lbs, one 30. When we had our 30 ft 5er we had the two brittneys and also a beagle and there was more than enough room.

The beagle is now at the rainbow bridge and we have changed to a TC. Between the furballs, DW and myself, it gets rather cozy in the TC. We do have a slide and that helps.

We plan our trips accordingly starting in late spring to early fall to match our activities to the temperature. Our time away from the camper depends on the temperature. The hotter it is, the shorter the trips away from the TC when the furballs left behind.

[jimh406]

I think a TC is a bad choice if you are leaving dogs for an extended period of time. Having more space prevents it from getting so hot/cold in short periods. Also, vents/generators are better for air flow.

[skyhammer]

As far as space goes, I think it depends upon the size of the camper.My camper has plenty of space for two medium sized dogs.
one dog would have the rear couch all to its self, and there is plenty of room for another dog on the U shaped dinete couch with room left over for two adults.There is also plenty of room in the rear slide for a dog on the floor between the rear couch and the dinete couch.
The floor is wide enough so that you would not have to step over the dogs and still have full access to everything in the camper.
The camper getting hot would always be a concern, how much depends upon what part of the country you are in.

[Eycom]

Listen to rockhillmanor. A fully self-contained TC is the SUV of RVs... go anywhere at anytime. For heavy travel around the country in practically any kind of weather, you'd be hard pressed to find a better alternative. It fits wherever the truck goes, height considering.

As a full time unit, it's severely lacking. With space at a premium, some highly desirable amenities are sacrificed. That may be ok for a younger guy. However, there's barely adequate room for one f/t person as long as nothing is under foot. Add another person and there will be a lot of "excuse me(s)". With two 40lb. dogs, you'll have to go outside to change your mind. I'd hate to be half asleep and have to navigate to the bathroom at 2 a.m.

A power failure during the summer, particularly in the south, would be a huge concern. While I've camped at government parks 95% of the time, I've come home after work to a sweltering camper in both public and commercial parks. Due to that fact, I won't consider a pet until retirement. These are the musings of an old guy with a lot of TC miles, having been there and done that. Hope the perspective is of help.

[bobndot]

rockhillmanor wrote:
Hi welcome to the forum!

Here are a couple things you will need to look into BEFORE you leap into living in an RV and with dogs.

Many CG's have pet restrictions. Number of dogs, size, weight and breed of dog. Call the CG's in your area ask what their pet restrictions are.

Some CG's also have rules that pets are NOT allowed to be left in the camper unattended. I.E. when you have to leave for work.

Which also brings up the dangerous issue of leaving pets in a camper.

If the electric power to the park and/or the shore station itself goes out, air conditioner freezes up and/or fails while you are at work....the RV will reach dangerously high temps within minutes and becomes deadly for any pets left inside.

Hope this helps answer some of your questions.

Call and find out about the pet policies at the CG's in your area. AND also find out what the CG's are charging extra such as electric, maintenance etc for long term stay, before you invest $$ in an RV.

You might be surprised that stayin in your apartment may be less expensive and maybe your only choice with owning 2 large dogs.

Good Luck! :C

x2 . Too many power issues at CG's to trust the a/c to be left on.
You would have to open windows and deal with bad weather .
Its just not a good idea and i certainly would not add another dog to the bank if you have to leave them for 8 hrs. in a tc every day .

[Reddog1]

I think rockhillmanor pretty well covered it all. Sounds great initially, but when you look at the fine print there are many potential issues. Personally, I would not do it.

Wayne

[ksg5000]

I don't think either you or the dogs are going to appreciate living together in a camper full time - too small.