Question for Folks with Pets and Toppers

Has anyone found a reliable easy way to seal up the gap between their topper slider and cab slider windows?

My goal is to make it easier for AC to get back to where my dog rides. I'm going to buy a 12v fan which will be set right in the window so it can blow some colder air back there. But I'd also love to be able to seal up that gap between the cab and topper so air isn't getting sucked out between the two.

I found this Truk Boot product but it looks kind of cheap and reviews are mixed. Has anyone here used this?

$30 Trail FX 30000 Truk-Boot, 24"X16"

https://www.amazon.com/Trail-FX-30000-Truk-Boot-X16/dp/B001P2CKVE

Any other ideas or simple solutions for getting more AC to the bed of the truck so I can ensure my pooch is staying as cool as possible? I've thought about buying some different pipe insulation, cutting it to length and then cramming it between the cab and topper around all four sides of the window. But I'm a little worried it might screw up the paint over time given that the bed will be flexing and squeezing it while driving.

Any thoughts?

 

Remove the front window of the cap, completely and install a rubber gasket (available at any cap dealer) around the opening

 

After you seal the space between the rear cab and shell windows, maximize the cold air exchange between your cab and cap by opening the cap’s side windows a crack and dont use the max air conditioning setting. Maybe also consider shading the cap roof? My rack and RTT really shade everything.

 

Well I have both but my dogs ride in the cab. I would think unless you run a lot of vents and fans its still gonna be too hot in the summer. The ac seems to have trouble even cooling our back seats adequately

Sidenote, we fit three pups in the back of my double cab (and ones a great dane).

 

Honestly the ONLY reason I bought a DC lol. I really don't think the A.C. will make a big difference in the toppers temp. My dogs will ride back there unless it's hot or really cold (<10), then its backseat time for them.

Another thing to mention, watch how much the bed moves independent of the cab while off road. If you try something affix it to the cab so it rubs the topper and not the other way around.

 

Yeah DC = back seat for pups.

 

Thanks for the feedback all. I'll be riding with two kids in the back seat on our trip, hence the topper for the dog. So unfortunately keeping him in the cab isn't really doable in my case. I've spent a bit of time over the past few days reading posts by people who transport horses in trailers and the biggest thing they always come back to is ventilation, ventilation, ventilation.

I bought a wireless thermometer today so I can monitor the temp back there from the cab. I'm going to spend some time over the next couple of weeks experimenting around with different setups to figure out exactly how bad it really is and what works best for keeping it cool. I'm also planning to have my wife drive me around back there on a hot day for a while to see what it's like.

I'll post back with that data for anyone who's interested.

 

Nice looking dog!

 

Thank you. That's my 10 year old springer who is a recent tri-pod. My other is a 1.5yr old English setter.

 

The wireless thermometer is a great idea, and post a video of yourself back there for our entertainment, won’t ya?

 

I think you'll find it doesn't get terribly hot back there as long as the truck is moving. With my old black cap I'd open the front window a crack and both of the back windows and it seemed to keep the dogs cool enough up to around 90 degrees or so.

 

Another tip for hot days is putting a frozen gallon jug in the kennel with the dog. It offers a good bit of relief for them.

 

I own that boot but have yet to use it. Our two dogs are small and ride in the cab. Your pipe insulation idea may work. I don't know how much air a 12v fan will push back there tho. I would think you would get decent airflow thru the cap by opening the slider and cracking open one or both side windows. Good luck.

 

You have a good point about the fan- we have 120v inverters in our trucks so a 20-inch Home Depot box fan would work well back there.

 

The pipe insulation doesn’t really work. It doesn’t stay put and only having the middle window open isn’t really enough air flow. I took out my whole back window and cut the opening in the cap to match and added a rubber gasket between the two. Dogs get plenty of air or heat now depending on the season.

 

That's good to hear. Part of me has wondered if I'm too worried about this because I've seen people doing it throughout my life like it's no big thing. But I don't want to be that one unlucky moron who kills his dog either because I didn't put any thought into it Sure would be a lot easier if they could just tell you when they were getting too hot. Appreciate all the responses. I've got some ideas for how I might temporarily seal up the windows together and I'm going to put that 120v plug to use with a fan for sure. It won't be pretty but I'll report back once I've had a chance to play around with that.

Speaking of that plug in the bed, my power went about for about 3 hours last month on a Friday night. I don't own a standalone generator but was able to run a cord into the house from the truck and power my fridge, one light and two cell phone chargers with that bed plug. I was really pleased with my decision to buy the Taco over the Colorado that night. Surprisingly, my truck used next to no gas idling for those 3 hours. The gas gauge needle didn't move at all and my weekly mpgs were more or less unchanged. Wouldn't want to make a habit of letting it sit at idle like that but it was great in a no power pinch. Probably should buy a generator though for next time.

 

Wow. Took me a minute to register what you were saying but you weren't messing around! Sounds Awesome. That would solve this issue for sure.

 

Personally, I would get a vent fan and leave the side windows open. Unless you're in Death Valley or other crazy hot places, this will work well. Give them plenty of water as well.

https://www.etrailer.com/p-MA00-07500K.html

 

I've used apool noodle for a road trip was ok. I'm now using battery powered Ryobi and or dewault worksite fans

 

Well this is what I've started to rig up. I'll have a big cargo box on top so apart from a few bags in the bed I should have room to roll like this. It's funny looking to be sure but it worked really well today. It was only 82F here but it felt like AC was running in back with the side windows closed. Didnt even have the gap between the slider windows sealed at all. $18 family from Target. More to come.