Dogs, Tents and keeping it light

IF my dog is clean, (he's a 70lb pit bull) I try to keep him in the tent with us. He doesn't have enough fur to keep off bugs and gets cold at night. He usually sleeps in the foot area of our tent (was MSR Hubba Hubba now Nemo Nano). He sleeps on an REI Adventure Dog Dream Bed.
http://www.rei.com/product/759614

If he gets dirty we remove the soft fuzzy liner from his Dream Bed and let him just sleep on the inflatable pad in our vestibule.

The size Small 31 x 24 inches and weighs 30oz he fits on it just fine. The weight doesn't bother us as it fits in my pack just fine and he carries our other weight via his Ruff Wear Palisades Dog Pack.

More than anything I'm worried about him exploring and getting in to trouble in the middle of the night so that's why I like to keep him in the tent. I'm not a believer in tying a dog to a tree over night as he may not be able to get away from whatever critters are out there.

My dog also sleeps inside the tent with me–he's part of my sleep system! I rub him down and comb his hair before bedtime. If he's wet (or if it's going to be a cold night) I put his fleece jacket on. Even though he's quite furry, the mosquitoes attach his face, ears, legs and abdomen–anywhere the hair is short or thin. He needs a bug-free space just as much as I do.

I too would worry about him wandering off in the middle of the night. He was crate-trained as a pup, so he considers my tent his "crate" and just curls up and goes to sleep.

Another reason I wouldn't want him in the vestibule is that I have to get up several times during the night, and wouldn't particularly appreciate tripping over an 80-lb. dog curled up outside my tent door. I don't think he'd appreciate it either! Finally, I like to keep the vestibule open for more ventilation (less condensation) unless there's wind-blown rain.

I have used several varieties of Tarptent and (one year) a Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo. The latter didn't work out–it was too cramped if we were stuck inside on a rainy evening, and the two of us overwhelmed the ventilation system designed for one, resulting in major condensation. So even if it's just you and the dog, get a 2-person tent.

My current tent (for me plus dog) is a Gossamer Gear/Tarptent Squall Classic. It's just the right size for the two of us. I could squeeze in one of my young grandkids in a pinch, but two adults plus dog would definitely not work. A Tarptent Squall 2 works fine for two persons plus dog. If you regularly have two humans plus the dog, though, a Tarptent Double Rainbow would be better (although a few ounces heavier) because you can put the dog in one vestibule and use the other vestibule for middle-of-the-night exits. Or, if the dog is inside, each of you humans has your own exit.

Before someone asks, I've had no problems with dog claws vs. silnylon floor. It helps to trim the claws regularly (I do it twice monthly). If your dog is a "nester" who likes to dig up his bed, though, that would be a different story.

Mary D I have to agree with what you said in regards to vestibule space and dog. For example the only reason I can get away with letting the dog sleep in the vestibule [when he's stinky and gross] is because I can hang our packs from a tree and not worry about rain since we use the ArcTeryx Acrux packs. Otherwise being out here in the PNW you pretty much always have stow gear since it may get damp/wet.

Typically though we try to keep him in the tent. I think since it does build on his crate training habits he gets a better night sleep as do we since he's not sniffing around and barking at random noises trying to "protect" us.

Keep in mind when heading out with your dog they can be little pack mules. If you get them a decent pack such as a Ruff Wear Palisades pack you can easily dump off some of your weight such as water, food, stove… whatever. Just think small dense heavy stuff. In turn you can carry bigger bulk stuff in your pack. This will allow you to potentially have a bigger sized tent to accommodate your buddy but without the weight penalty.

A Double Rainbow sounds ideal. Dog goes in one (closed) vestibule, you have the other vestibule to enter and exit unimpeded, and you can leave this second vestibule open in fine weather for better views and ventilation. It is pretty storm worthy too.

Depending on your heights, the double rainbow is also long enough that the dog (or your packs) could fit down by your feet.

We were camped on Mount Shasta one time, with about ten feet of snow on the ground at 10,400'. The dog owners arrived with two dogs. They put up their own tent, and then dug a deep trench for the dogs. They had one old foam pad to put in the bottom, and then they covered the top with a tarp, and then piled their empty backpacks on the tarp. Finally, it was time for the dogs to go in. The owners had boiled up some water, which they poured over the dog food, and they set the bowls down into the trench. That was the chow time signal for the dogs. The trench was mostly covered over so that the dogs could stick a nose out and squeeze out. Otherwise, they were in for the night, and we never heard a peep out of them.
–B.G.–

First thing, the Lighthouse is 3.25 pounds, or 52 ounces. The Double Rainbow is 41 ounces. The Lighthouse is less than 0.75 pound heavier than the tarptent, which doesn't make the Lighthouse seem "heavy." The vestibule for the Lighthouse adds about 1.25 pounds, which would get total weight up to 4.5 pounds. So I'm wondering where all the extra 1.5 pounds of weight is coming from… and if, realistically, that same extra 1.5 pounds of "stuff" would also be added to the weight of your tarptent. Ie, a groundcloth, guylines, stakes, stuff sacks… what else?

I've found that a mid works great w/dogs. Personally I like a square 8×8 or 9×9 mid w/insert. Gal and I on one side of the pole, gear in the other corner, dogs in the corner by the door. Or if w/a buddy, gear in between us, dogs in between us door-side of the pole.

We use a Rainshadow 2 when it's my girlfriend and I plus the dog (he's 95 lbs). Plenty of room for the three of us. The dog spends most of the night sleeping at our feet on his sleeping pad.

If it's just me and the dog, then we take a Squall 2 instead. Both designs offer plenty of space to sit up, stow extra gear and accomodate the dog.

He's a bit of a wanderer, so he always sleeps in the tent with us. We just clean him up and/or dry him the best we can (we carry a brush and an extra pack towel for him) and in he goes. The tent is like his crate so he doesn't seem to mind it at all. If it's forecast to be cold, he's got a fleece vest he can wear (although he doesn't really like it!).

We've had no problems with the silnylon floor and the dog's nails, we did however have one incident with the dog's nails and the noseeum door when he tried to get out in the morning. Not a huge tear, about 6" long… It was in a tough spot though so we ended up replacing the door rather than stitching up the tear.

Alex: I’ve heard good things about that dog bed, I’m wondering if our dog can fit on a small. I’ll make some measurements and see if that’s feasible. We’ve got a dog pack and I’m sure we could fit some more gear on her without overdoing it.

Mary: I think keeping the dogs in the tent is good idea if they’re clean. I’ll look into trimming claws before I go camping next time. The good thing about the vestibule on the lighthouse is that it comes all the way to the ground, and would be difficult for the dog to get out.

Lynn: Having two doors would make getting in and out much easier. I feel bad if I step on my dog while I’m trying to get out in the middle of the night. She gives me those sad eyes, saying…. “Gee thanks, you won’t let me in your tent and now you’re stepping on me.”

Bob: That’s a cool story. I like the idea of digging a snow pit for the dogs, however not quite as feasible in Texas.

Brad: You’ve got an excellent point. I think the extra weight is coming from what you suggested, ground cloth, stakes ect. I’m using the BD footprint for the tent and I could probably cut some of that weight with a tyvek sheet. Also, I haven’t looked into mids, but that’s a good area to explore.

It looks like there wouldn’t be as much weight savings with a rainbow as I was thinking but the breathability and double sided entry would be a huge benefit of this tent. One question about the vestibule area on the rainbow, it looks like the fabric does not make it all the way to the ground which makes me wonder about the protection in bad weather.

Thank you guys and gals for the insight, the rainbow looks like a good contender, as well as trimming up some of the weight on the lighthouse.

The Double Rainbow can be pitched lower to the ground. We did this on a very wet and windy night, putting one vestibule to the windward side and cross-staking it down, while digging two small holes to lower the ends of the poles into the ground. We left the leeward vestibule pitched fully open with rain porch deployed, and yet in spite of all the wind that night, the tent actually had condensation in the morning thanks to this low pitching option.

I've heard sometimes the seam sealing for that tent adds up quite a bit.