Dog Bivy Sack

[Dogtra]

With ingenious minds like that of saltysack and his vest = JRT sleeping bag idea, I was wondering about a bivy sack/bag for my dog. After doing a brief search I couldn't find anything like what I'm envisioning. Either a completely separate Labrador Retriever sized bivy sack with all the benefits that come with a bivy... OR ...a modified bivy sack for the handler that has an attached compartment for his/her dog.

Why not just use a 2 person bivy? Because my dog isn't the size of a human being and because I would like to keep him from sharing any unwanted water from soaking into my sleeping bag. You can only towel a dog dry so much.

My guess is that I'm going to have to make this myself.

Worth looking into?

[squeezebox]

Is a small ground cloth and a small tarp enough ? for the front entrance use PVP pipe with a 45 or 90 * elbow to keep the front open and not have an upright pole obstructing the front opening. ridge pole optional.
just thinking

[Dogtra]

Is a small ground cloth and a small tarp enough ? for the front entrance use PVP pipe with a 45 or 90 * elbow to keep the front open and not have an upright pole obstructing the front opening. ridge pole optional.
just thinking

All ideas are welcome.

I'm making sketches right now so I can better visualize what would be most practical for him. Still not sure what materials would be best in its construction... but a ground cloth-tarp combo is a good start.

[saltysack]

With ingenious minds like that of saltysack and his vest = JRT sleeping bag idea, I was wondering about a bivy sack/bag for my dog. After doing a brief search I couldn't find anything like what I'm envisioning. Either a completely separate Labrador Retriever sized bivy sack with all the benefits that come with a bivy... OR ...a modified bivy sack for the handler that has an attached compartment for his/her dog.

Why not just use a 2 person bivy? Because my dog isn't the size of a human being and because I would like to keep him from sharing any unwanted water from soaking into my sleeping bag. You can only towel a dog dry so much.

My guess is that I'm going to have to make this myself.

Worth looking into?

Haaa thx for props......I'll see how well the $19.99 costco pack able down vest works.... I still need to either sew bottom and sleeves up or add Velcro... Hope to do section between glassmine gap to fontana dam in a few weeks ... Hope for cooler weather and a lil leaf color....


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[jarrett.morgan]

Sounds like an interesting idea and a great light weight solution. However, I would never be able to get my dog into one. I've tried multiple times with a sleeping bag and she just doesn't like it. The best I can do is partially cover her with a blanket. I had a Gore-Tex bivy in the Army and it worked fine every time I used it. So Gore-Tex is one possible material to use.

[Dogtra]

Haaa thx for props......I'll see how well the $19.99 costco pack able down vest works.... I still need to either sew bottom and sleeves up or add Velcro... Hope to do section between glassmine gap to fontana dam in a few weeks ... Hope for cooler weather and a lil leaf color....

My first thought was to sew it up... but it may be better to stick with Velcro closures. Extra ventilation would perhaps extend its yearly use into warmer temps. Dog's can't self-regulate heat like we can, so if your JRT becomes too warm he will just want out.

Enjoy Autumn hiking.

Sounds like an interesting idea and a great light weight solution. However, I would never be able to get my dog into one. I've tried multiple times with a sleeping bag and she just doesn't like it. The best I can do is partially cover her with a blanket. I had a Gore-Tex bivy in the Army and it worked fine every time I used it. So Gore-Tex is one possible material to use.

Thanks, Jarrett. As I prefer tarp camping I thought it may be worth a try. Would give a small measure of protection from bugs and weather. Still at a loss of how it should be designed.

Should I go with a den like bivy with a small bug screen at the entrance? If so, where should the entrance be located? At a far end, near an end but on top, or centered entirely on the top of the bag like a giant bowl?
Or should I go with more of a bug bivy style design with a tub bottom? Doing so would give him a little more wiggle room and ventilation but would remove any added heat a more enclosed bivy would give him.

Training him to stay nicely inside a bivy isn't a concern of mine. Would just be a new exercise.

[saltysack]

It will still have a functional zipper...sewn at waist like a foot box on reg bag...thoughts or just do Velcro st waist and arm holes


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[Dogtra]

Your call, saltysack, as only you know your dog and the conditions in which he will have to sleep in. I have a cute image of that vest with a few JRT legs sticking out at random angles. Adorable. The zipper and open neck should give you enough ventilation, as long as the zipper doesn't slide down too easy.

[saltysack]

Why not make a bivy sack from tyvek for the dog? Cheap and easy


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[10-K]

Why not just a cut up fleece blanket to drape over him/her? I think a dedicated dog bivy is a lot like buying a $100 toy for a toddler when they'd be just as happy with a cardboard box and wooden spoon.

[July]

Why not just a cut up fleece blanket to drape over him/her? I think a dedicated dog bivy is a lot like buying a $100 toy for a toddler when they'd be just as happy with a cardboard box and wooden spoon.

Absolutely! Even if I did throw a "throw" over ole boy, he would inevitability be laying on TOP of it in the morning (smiling). He tends to like to 'check' the surroundings multiple times during the night.

[Dogtra]

Oh I use a fleece when its cold. This idea comes about not as a primary source of warmth, but shelter from insects. My bivy keeps my sleeping bag dry if he is even partially wet, so it is not required that he have one for my benefit. But if the weight of some kind of canine bivy isn't horrible, I would be willing to carry it for him. Checking for tics is a regular thing out there, which I have no problem with, but I would also like to give him peace at night from the other biting insects.

Currently leaning towards a custom dog sized bug bivy with a higher than normal tub bottom. So when he stretches out the bug netting isn't the first thing he makes contact with. *sigh* Though I also have a dog that likes to sleep on his back when not cold.

[Starchild]

All ideas are welcome.

Why not tent instead of Bivy? This way you both can have full bug protection for both of you (well not from each others bugs ), a 1+ person tent with a human set up, a 'section divider/water barrier' (some piece of waterproof material to place between the dog's bed area and your sleeping bag) and a fleece for the pooch. When you get into carrying 2 bivy sacs I think the weight advantage of the bivy is gone compared to some of the tent setup now, a few even tents rival the weight of 1 bivy. It would more likely be more comfortable and give you room to work on your dog under cover if needed. Since many of the tents are from cottage industries you may be able to ask them to make accommodation for the dog in it's construction such as a separate bathtub floor segment.

[Dogtra]

Why not tent instead of Bivy?

I've considered it. But I love my tarp and the benefits that come with it. The bivy would only be carried and put into use in bug infested areas.

[Slo-go'en]

The bivy would only be carried and put into use in bug infested areas.

Which is pretty much the length of the trail. And how do you know if it's a bug infested area or not until you get there? Even if there are no flying insects to worry about, there are all the crawly things like spiders, ants, ticks, centipedes and so on you want to keep off you when sleeping on the ground.

I really don't see a good solution to your problem. Bug netting isn't effective unless it can be kept away from the body and that means some kind of support system. What you need is a portable dog house, which effectively would be a small tent. Well, for a Lab, a pretty big small tent

Maybe you can figure something out, but I believe the only real solution is a 2 or 3 person tent. Since a Lab it a good sized dog and you want room for gear, I'd go with a 3 person tent. In the end it will be less trouble and probably weigh not much more then carrying a separate shelter of some kind for the dog.