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#9689796 03/16/15
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Ok Campfire, I have an odd question. What SUV/CUVs have you had two dog kennels in, but with the seats up? Specifically looking for a vehicle that will fit two intermediate (300) Vari Kennels in the back with the 2nd row seats up. My wife has seen the error of a mini van and wants to go back to midsize SUV/CUV but we need to get two kennels, a toddler seat and "stuff" in too. I'm open to about anything, but doubtfully we can swing a full size (Tahoe Expedition, Sequoia, etc.). Pics of kennels in vehicles would be awesome. Thanks Fire!

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Expedition with the near bullet proof V-6 Ecobboost engine would be my first choice, hands down.
My second choice would be the Toyota Sequoia. You couldn't give me a Govt. Motors Tahoe!


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In my experience a 4 door pickup with a shell over the back offers the most for the money. It'll be several thousand dollars less even with the expense of the shell and will have a much higher re-sale value down the road. You give up nothing in fuel mileage or comfort.

I gave up on SUV's years ago and have gone this route on my last 3 trucks. I'm currently driving a Tacoma, don't know if the kennels will fit the smaller bed or not, but they certainly would have fit the F-150's I owned previously.



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Originally Posted by JMR40
In my experience a 4 door pickup with a shell over the back offers the most for the money. It'll be several thousand dollars less even with the expense of the shell and will have a much higher re-sale value down the road. You give up nothing in fuel mileage or comfort.

I gave up on SUV's years ago and have gone this route on my last 3 trucks. I'm currently driving a Tacoma, don't know if the kennels will fit the smaller bed or not, but they certainly would have fit the F-150's I owned previously.



Good advise right there! Damn sure would be the cheaper option.


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Originally Posted by JMR40
In my experience a 4 door pickup with a shell over the back offers the most for the money. It'll be several thousand dollars less even with the expense of the shell and will have a much higher re-sale value down the road. You give up nothing in fuel mileage or comfort.

I gave up on SUV's years ago and have gone this route on my last 3 trucks. I'm currently driving a Tacoma, don't know if the kennels will fit the smaller bed or not, but they certainly would have fit the F-150's I owned previously.



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At the risk of starting a yellow Avalanche thread, my SUV for that very use was an Avalanche. I removed the bed cover near the back window to allow for plenty of air for my dogs without having to worry about them or get mud or smells into the seating area. If you need more room, you can replace the bed cover with a shell and have a lot of storage area.


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Thanks for the truck idea, but our Britts are show dogs as well hunting dogs. And there is no way my wife is going to kennel a couple of dogs and drive x hours in November from Wy with the dogs in the unheated bed of a truck to show them. Thus "SUV advice" and while I would love to buy a Sequoia, not in the budget. Thinking midsize.

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I did a little google fu on 4-runners and it looks like you'd be hard pressed to fit a pair of 300 keenels in the back with the rear seats up. I'd imagine the same would hold for most mid size suv's.

If you go with a truck with a bed and you have a truck that the rear window rolls down, you have a heated bed. There are also auxiliary heater options that would be worth considering.

I'm thinking the double cab tacoma short bed with a shell might be worth considering.

[Linked Image]

Having had both a 4-runner and an extra cab truck, I found the storage in the 4 runner underwhelming at best. With a truck it's nice having a bed to transport items that are dirty or apt to spill, as it's the bed of a truck vs. the interior of a car.

Now if you really want to spoil your wife (and I haven't found dimensions to verify that a pair of kennels will fit but my gut says they will) I highly recommend the ultimate family non mini van car.

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Originally Posted by JMR40
In my experience a 4 door pickup with a shell over the back offers the most for the money. It'll be several thousand dollars less even with the expense of the shell and will have a much higher re-sale value down the road. You give up nothing in fuel mileage or comfort.

I gave up on SUV's years ago and have gone this route on my last 3 trucks. I'm currently driving a Tacoma, don't know if the kennels will fit the smaller bed or not, but they certainly would have fit the F-150's I owned previously.


Easiest way to learn is right here. I suffered through a Tahoe for about a year, hated it. Got a 1/2t extended cab, and traded for a crew cab within six months. Still have the crew cab.


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Crew cab 1/2 ton truck with a good camper shell on it.


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I can fit two of the next to largest, 25" wide, 36" long 27" high, Vari Kennels side by side in the back of my 2002 Tahoe. With the back seats up there's an inch or two width and about six inches length to spare. It's like they made the Kennels for this vehicle. I've never taken my dogs on more than a three hour trip in them but they were comfortable enough to sleep all the way.Those kennels have room for a 70 pound Lab and they're not exposed to weather.

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Or get an integral dual kennel

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You couldn't pay me to take another Tahoe.


“You never need fear a man, no matter what his size. When danger threatens, call on me, and I will equalize.”
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I've had 3 SUV's of types over the years: a '73 Blazer, a '77 Wagoneer, and an '86 Suburban. All were good vehicles, but none served as well as a pickup with a shell. Hauling smelly, dirty stuff in the back of an SUV isn't pleasant and it's sometimes impossible unless you sacrifice your nice carpet.

A shell can be rigged to come off in minutes if you need to. Plant 4 posts in the ground with big hooks on them and 2 pipes to reach between pairs of posts. Back the pickup between them, remove the tie down clamps on the shell, and just lift it, 1 end at a time, and slide a pipe under it an onto the hooks. Then just drive away. Have a way to tie down the shell to the posts to prevent a hard wind from moving it to the neighbor's back yard.


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We had a 2001 suburban that was great for hauling my two labs plus the whole family on 1,000 mile trips. I'd hate to see what they are asking for them now. I found the Avalanche to be just as good if not better than the suburban for those same trips with dogs and family.

I think you are out of luck when it comes to mid sized SUVs. We've been looking at the Q5, RDX, and XC60 as our next purchase. The rear storage is fairly small. We used to have a traverse and it might have been big enough in the back for the kennels. I just never really liked it. A good, used Tahoe might be the best bet.


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the nice thing about britts is they are small enough to not need much kennel. you can build a kennel to fit anything from a subaru to an excursion with plenty of room for them. I ran an english pointer and a lab in a custom fiberglass box that had two sides in an open pickup. the dogs stayed very warm in very cold weather and the ONLY time I felt bad was on dusty roads.


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Originally Posted by BigNate
You couldn't pay me to take another Tahoe.


I'm with ya on that one.


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Originally Posted by Blueranger
Thanks for the truck idea, but our Britts are show dogs as well hunting dogs. And there is no way my wife is going to kennel a couple of dogs and drive x hours in November from Wy with the dogs in the unheated bed of a truck to show them. Thus "SUV advice" and while I would love to buy a Sequoia, not in the budget. Thinking midsize.


You use the dogs to hunt, but your wife would be worried about them traveling in the back of a covered pick-up? You really need to, lets say, talk her around and get her to apply a little logic to her assessment..

I have owned and driven lot of SUV's but as the others have suggested, a pick-up with a good hard top is absolutely the way to go in this instance.

With the saving made over an SUV, you can get a custom kit out for the back with twin kennels over a draw system..

If the tops of the kennels are still some distance from the underside of the hard top, form "trays" on the tops for even more additional storage...

With a good hard top, you can easily make the rear as comfortable as the cargo bed area of an SUV, and its a far more practical space in a far more practical vehicle..

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Originally Posted by Blueranger
Thanks for the truck idea, but our Britts are show dogs as well hunting dogs. And there is no way my wife is going to kennel a couple of dogs and drive x hours in November from Wy with the dogs in the unheated bed of a truck to show them. Thus "SUV advice" and while I would love to buy a Sequoia, not in the budget. Thinking midsize.
Since when does a pickup bed with a shell have to be unheated? There are lots of ways to heat one. You can use a Buddy heater or if you want to get fancy, you can even use a radiator type heater by running a hot water line from your in-cab heater.

They also make 12v heated blankets. Put one in each kennel for them to lie on.


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