Truck Topper temps

[TSAMP]

Recently moved dog kennels into my truck bed. I have a leer topper. I placed a temp monitor in the bed for piece of mind since dogs will be riding back there. We've had two near 70 degree days in Iowa this month and both times the temp is 105 inside the truck bed.

Initially I thought the unit is faulty but im beginning to think it truly gets that warm. This is no windows open and parked in sunlight.

Anybody else monitor temps on their kennels? Curious what everyone's range is

 

[Wheels]

I try not to take long trips with the dogs inside the truck shell in warm weather due to what you’re saying. If I have to, always have the slider windows open to get airflow.

 

[Jason Snyder]

I always open a window when it’s over about 65°.

 

[t_carlson]

I don't doubt that temperature, but if you keep the windows open I think it will be plenty cool for the dogs.

I hunt with a guy who takes his dogs EVERYWHERE. He's retired now, but he used to take them to work because his wife didn't like letting them out.

His dogs were fine, even in the summer.

 

[tpicou]

Windows open (and back open when parked) + 1 fan facing the door of each kennel is what everyone does here.

 

[KurtR]

windows open and a fan to get air moving. Make sure you done put them in wet as that can bake them if there is no air movement

 

[TSAMP]

I opened windows just to see and it dropped to 90 within about 10 minutes. Good to know. I can't say getting in and loading them up it felt that warm at all.

 

[huntsman22]

The darker the shell, the quicker they cook......

 

[dtrkyman]

Paint the bulk of the roof silver, go above the view from the side so you can't see it.

 

[Marshfly]

Inside a shell is the same as inside a car. You wouldn't leave your dogs in the car with the windows closed.

 

[cuerro viejo]

Fiberglass doesnt radiant heat as bad as Metal and glass. But still needs airflow.

 

[yfarm]

I cringe when I see kennels in the back of open pickups here in the summer. Even in the open the in bed temps are hot from lack of air circulation at low speeds. Have a bakflip cover on a truck, loaded a prechilled yeti one day, filled with ice, put in the bed under the cover and drove 4 hours in 110 temps, ice was half gone. Other trucks with toppers doesn’t seem to get near as hot Inside with the same ambient temps as the bakflip.

 

[Zak406]

I don't doubt that temperature, but if you keep the windows open I think it will be plenty cool for the dogs.

I hunt with a guy who takes his dogs EVERYWHERE. He's retired now, but he used to take them to work because his wife didn't like letting them out.

His dogs were fine, even in the summer.

She may take the cake in the lazy wife category.

I open all the sliding windows and go. Never had an issue

 

[Iowafarmer]

Recently moved dog kennels into my truck bed. I have a leer topper. I placed a temp monitor in the bed for piece of mind since dogs will be riding back there. We've had two near 70 degree days in Iowa this month and both times the temp is 105 inside the truck bed.

Initially I thought the unit is faulty but im beginning to think it truly gets that warm. This is no windows open and parked in sunlight.

Anybody else monitor temps on their kennels? Curious what everyone's range is

Recently moved dog kennels into my truck bed. I have a leer topper. I placed a temp monitor in the bed for piece of mind since dogs will be riding back there. We've had two near 70 degree days in Iowa this month and both times the temp is 105 inside the truck bed.

Initially I thought the unit is faulty but im beginning to think it truly gets that warm. This is no windows open and parked in sunlight.

Anybody else monitor temps on their kennels? Curious what everyone's range is

When I was a kid we used to pack the family in the back of my dad’s 73 Chevy with a n aluminum topper I don’t remember it being uncomfortable at all just opened the windows same as the cab because of course it didn’t have AC

 

[t_carlson]

She may take the cake in the lazy wife category.

I open all the sliding windows and go. Never had an issue

Not lazy. Worse. A dog hater.

 

[Zak406]

Not lazy. Worse. A dog hater.

Sounds like a divorce is in order. Life’s to short for that.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Laelkhunter]

Reason for high temps could be the exhaust system (including catalytic converter) that run directly underneath the bed of the pickup from the engine compartment to the rear of the truck. The car manufacturers don't put too much insulation between the exhaust pipes and the bed of the truck. Temps really skyrocket when you are stopped in traffic too.

 

[TSAMP]

Update for yall
It hit 80 today in Iowa and the inside temp was 82-83 in my topper buzzing down the road for a 2 hr trip. Windows open including front slider. A quick Google search told me 85 was the common threshold for dog crates and it should not be for longer than 4 hrs. I pulled over to check on them after a half hour and they seemed fine but I let them in the backseat to better monitor them. After a few minutes I decided to run an experiment and killed the fan and AC in the cab and let the temp get to 82, I felt perfectly comfortable but my male PP started to pant. He historically hates heat so I wasn't shocked but it gave me a better feel for temps that I should be concerned with. This is with no airflow in the cabin. I imagine 82 in a topper would feel better.

I think that 85 with topper windows open would be no issue moving forward. Much higher than that I think fans on the dogs would be necessary and id try and stop periodically.


Anyway. Just trying to give others a ballpark, obviously dog breed plays a big part.

 

[lhough89]

The only little thing I'd add in is that both my buddies who have dogs have "windoors" on their shells so they can fully open the sides and dump the hot air that builds up in there. Not sure it would be worth retrofitting windoors on your leer though. Seems like you've got it figured out, but ventilation is key.

 

[Elwingmd]

I have read through a couple different posts on dog hunting forums and I made a 12v fan as a result. I took a 6" pc cooling fan and wired it to a 12v cigarette plug and then zip tied it to the kennel door. There are a couple different products that people sell that do the same thing but I ended up going the DIY route. I have yet to do any analytics with before and after temps though.