# My truck set up



## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

Pix of truck. Crates on platform sliding drawers underneath (metal on doors is decorative). Side boxes with fans on top. Between crates is temp sensor and in box is 12 volt battery to supply power to fans. I used to carry a big marine one but this is smaller because I got tired of lugging it in and out and this thing can give me two days of fans. When I travel it is easy to take into motel ...you can see the black under the box.....still work in progress.

The fans are cheap O2 cool. One change I would make is the Endless breeze but these still deliver a lot of air. A friend is a welder. We are going to talk with him about cutting a hole in back of crate so I can mount a fan and pull air in from cab. I drive with the windoors open but it stinks during rain and on days when it is over 95 outside, I get very nervous with him in the back. Oh, the truck is 7 years old and those windows have gone 70mph plus all those years and the struts are still good. They are not "sliders" which are heavier and I have seen struts messed up on those without even doing that. I figure if I tear up the windoors, I get new ones. . Keeping the dog cool is paramount. I like that I can lock the crates. I have all three latches engaged while driving, and when I stop someplace dicey I lock the door and the tailgate. [trust me, after having $600 worth of gear stolen on a search call.....there is no way to get he dog boxes out without the tailgate down and no way to get the dog out of the box without the key....I do NOT lock things while I am driving though.] I put the hardware cloth on the box because I am paranoid about paws because all my dogs have seemed to get their paws stuck-plus it keeps hands away from the dog and makes it hard to give treats etc. He is so used to being there since a puppy that he does not bark at people or dogs.

The ramp is tucked in to the side and under the platform you can see a box of cooling packs. I take my SAR pack in the house because it has medicines in it and it rides in the cab because it won't fit in the drawers.........but everything else stays in truck ready to go. Still plan to make sliding boxes to go under the platform in the corners and put a front on the side boxes .


----------



## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

Very Nice!!!


----------



## Courtney (Feb 12, 2010)

Very nice secure and organized set up. 

As summer is among us and more folks become adventurous I will be thinking of you and Beau out there. Stay safe


----------



## Shade (Feb 20, 2012)

Nice! I love it


----------



## Buggibub (Jul 1, 2010)

that is an awesome set up.

now you have me worried that i probably can't afford all these awesome things to have a SAR K9...

i really do have zero clue what i might be getting into :/


----------



## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

Naw...FWIW, it is over time. The truck is 7 years old and I have slowly taken time to get it just right. I keep vehicles for on average 10-15 years.


----------



## Wolfgeist (Dec 4, 2010)

Love it!! Perfect timing, too, since I am currently designing my own set up in my new g. caravan. I am tempted to get that type of crate.


----------



## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

There is actually another I would consider........but I did not know of it when I got mine.

Elite K9 has both collapsable and not though I would get the collapsible in a heartbeat for motel rooms! I just don't have another $1000 laying around to get more crates when I have two that are good. An acquaintance has one for her crate destroying machine of a dog and gives it two thumbs up. The latches are not so pretty but the new Owens did away with the upper and lower thumb latches. 

Military Working Dog Crate - Collapsible - Tan-Elite K-9


----------



## DutchKarin (Nov 23, 2013)

Super cool. Just getting started in SAR and I feel sooooo disorganized with my set up... which isn't much of a set up. 
Green with Envy.


----------



## Buggibub (Jul 1, 2010)

my current "wilderness" set up is just the backseat of my civic dedicated to my dog, then an always prepped backpack in the trunk with a K9 first aid kit (if it's good enough for the dog, it's good enough for me), buggi's vibram boots (never know- they can stop cacti punctures), bottled water, some freeze dried Primal, glow sticks, and one of those wind-up no battery flashlights, and a hard copy of buggi's vet records in a ziploc bag.

not to thread jack, but what do you keep _at a minimum_ for your tasks? what are some things that I should keep at all times?


----------



## DinoBlue (Apr 11, 2007)

Very nice. Here is my car setup. I lug my gear in and out of the car everything I go out. Gear bags for dogs, and SAR pack for me. But everything is packed and ready to just grab and go when the call comes in. They only thing I need to have fixed are the handles for the crates, need to make the lockable.


----------



## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

I guess you need to be organized in such a fashion you can be on a plane, correct? I see pictures of USAR folks with dogs and duffel bags of their gear...........Nice crates.


----------



## DinoBlue (Apr 11, 2007)

Yes. But also, I live in DC and I am sure my car would have been broken into a long time ago if I left any kind of bag in there, so a bit of it is out of necessity. But it keeps me organized since everything has to be ready for the grab and go.


----------



## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

I lost $600 worth of gear on a search so everything locks. Someone could walk away with my fans and that is about it. I throw the red toolbox in the passenger compartment when I am gone. Tailgate keeps them from getting to the doors, dog boxes lock. They can't be removed without lowering the tailgate.

But then I don't worry too much where I live about folks breaking into my truck. I remember when I was a kid in Baltimore, we had cars broken into several times. There was a car break in in my neighborhood here in 2003 . I still don't like leaving my truck. Cadaver searches can be in some pretty questionable areas but then you usually have a few sherrif's cars parked in the same location which is a real deterrent I think.


----------



## DinoBlue (Apr 11, 2007)

So far so good, have not had anything stolen yet, but I am sure I will at some point. Just need to get the locks on the dog box put on and I can secure gear in there too.

Have not seen the statistics for car break-ins in DC but I am sure there are several each day.


----------



## DJEtzel (Feb 11, 2010)

That looks great!!


----------



## misslesleedavis1 (Dec 5, 2013)

Awesome! 

Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

I can fit a 40 inch vari-kennel sideways in the back or two people and a dog can ride on the platform with their feet on the tailgate and be comfortable. Since I only have one dog now, my truck is a go to place for other team dogs if their SUV or Car is getting too hot. Plus we carpool a lot of places. (like if we get a callout 3-4 hours away). The good thing is Beau is absolutely cool with having company.


----------



## Kaimeju (Feb 2, 2013)

Awesome pics! I can't believe I hadn't seen this thread until now. Do you ever have problems with the metal getting too hot for paws? 

I want to do a similar set-up with my truck but I need a new canopy. The one I have makes dreadful noises when we go on the back roads. Sometimes the clamps fall off. Is it normal for a canopy to be squeaky? I took it off because I wasn't convinced it was safe.


----------



## robertb1018 (May 24, 2014)

DinoBlue said:


> Very nice. Here is my car setup. I lug my gear in and out of the car everything I go out. Gear bags for dogs, and SAR pack for me. But everything is packed and ready to just grab and go when the call comes in. They only thing I need to have fixed are the handles for the crates, need to make the lockable.


Dino,
Nice crate. Where did you get it from?


----------



## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

Kaimeju said:


> Awesome pics! I can't believe I hadn't seen this thread until now. Do you ever have problems with the metal getting too hot for paws?
> 
> I want to do a similar set-up with my truck but I need a new canopy. The one I have makes dreadful noises when we go on the back roads. Sometimes the clamps fall off. Is it normal for a canopy to be squeaky? I took it off because I wasn't convinced it was safe.


No problems with the metal. I only got mine after many talks with folks with aluminum dog boxes and a consensus they are cooler, not hotter, than the other types. I have crawled into mine when it is hot outside (for cleaning, not to hang out ) and it really is surprisingly cooler than you would think!

As far as the shell, mine was put on about 1 month after I got the truck in 2007 and it has never come loose and does not rattle. Original windoors as well and I have no problems with the welds or shocks and I drive with them open at highway speeds. (Another reason I want secure latches on the dog crate!) ....I am glad I did not get a slider with a screen or that a slider with windoors was not available at the time. The latter is a heavier window and a Teammates slider does have a broken weld. Her topper is an ARE, mine is a LEER (though LEERs are famous for leaking and mine does leak a little around the window seals)


----------



## wyoung2153 (Feb 28, 2010)

Nice, Nancy! Seriously am going to use this for future references!


----------



## jlthorpe (Aug 23, 2011)

I have one of those case built by impact case and container. I love it. Best crate I've ever owned. I can move from my truck to the house to the patrol car in only a few minutes.


----------



## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

Hi, stranger! I heard y'all had a good training over there with Mickey J. I was at the FOREST and could not afford more time off to come your way for another seminar.

EDIT...this is the product line. I seriously would have bought one of these had I known about it when I got my first Owens box....of course that was about 5 years ago so it made sense to get the second about 3 years ago......this is the vendor site (full line - more than what Elite K9 lists)

http://www.icc-case.com/aluminum-dog-crates/


----------



## jlthorpe (Aug 23, 2011)

jocoyn said:


> Hi, stranger! I heard y'all had a good training over there with Mickey J. I was at the FOREST and could not afford more time off to come your way for another seminar.
> 
> EDIT...this is the product line. I seriously would have bought one of these had I known about it when I got my first Owens box....of course that was about 5 years ago so it made sense to get the second about 3 years ago......this is the vendor site (full line - more than what Elite K9 lists)
> 
> Aluminum Dog Crates, Collapsible Dog Crates, Dog Kennel, Aluminum Kennel, K9 Kennel


Yep that's the one. If you ever decide to buy one from them call Danny Baker at ICC Case. He's a great guy and has excellent customer service. Plus if you tell him that I sent you he will give you a discount. I LOVE MY CRATE!!

This year was the first time I've met Mickey. She seemed really cool. We had a great seminar with lots of scenarios. Mickey and I spent a lot of time on the boat together working the new dogs and some more experienced ones. I got to work Bella on some great stuff too including full size and fresh. It was good experience. The trash dump with methane mixed in was a good thing too. It's good to hear from you again. I don't get on here very often anymore.


----------

