Subaru Forester people

[FiveRoooooers]

We have the back seats down flat to open up the entire rear of the Forester for the campers. Now that they are just two  I'm wondering if returning the back seats to upright and installing one of those hammock thingys would give the girls (~63-65# each) enough space to lie down and be comfortable  

Thanks for your thoughts! Happy New Year.

[LBass]

Jan, I do think there is plenty of room in the back seat with the hammock setup for 2 hounds.  Particularly if they aren't inclined to snark and squabble and don't mind touching each other.  I took Nate and Spirit in that configuration for local jaunts successfully, but they were grumpy about it since neither one liked the other to be touching him.  "Mom!  He's on my side!  His feet are ON ME!!"  However, hounds with different attitudes would have been fine in the back seat.  

 

[BatterseaBrindl]

I’ve had 3 friendly hounds in the backseat of an ordinary sedan with a hammock  

All were muzzled. And only 2 actually got to lie down. The 3rd had to stand. And it was only for a 15 minute drive. 

That said… make sure they’re comfortable getting up into the back seat.  The back door won’t give them as much room as the larger, more open space they’re used to jumping up into. 

 

[FiveRoooooers]

3 hours ago, LBass said:

Jan, I do think there is plenty of room in the back seat with the hammock setup for 2 hounds.  Particularly if they aren't inclined to snark and squabble and don't mind touching each other.  I took Nate and Spirit in that configuration for local jaunts successfully, but they were grumpy about it since neither one liked the other to be touching him.  "Mom!  He's on my side!  His feet are ON ME!!"  However, hounds with different attitudes would have been fine in the back seat.  

 

Thank you Lucy  you always come through for me. Off I go to research hammocks. 

1 hour ago, BatterseaBrindl said:

I’ve had 3 friendly hounds in the backseat of an ordinary sedan with a hammock  

All were muzzled. And only 2 actually got to lie down. The 3rd had to stand. And it was only for a 15 minute drive. 

That said… make sure they’re comfortable getting up into the back seat.  The back door won’t give them as much room as the larger, more open space they’re used to jumping up into. 

 

You too Nancy  Thank you. Annie Oooh M and Punkin are always on top of each other, they should be fine being cozy and they’re both excellent travelers. 

[GreyPoopon]

I have the rear seat well filled in instead (Rubbermaid cannisters for support, plywood insert, foam on top of the wood) so that the back seat is big. Two houndies fit easily if they get along. I think my Crosstrek is probably a little smaller than your Forester.

[Time4ANap]

We bought these floor well fillers for the Camry.  They should also work for most other vehicles to extend the back seat and keep the dogs from falling into the floor opening.  A little pricey, but ended up being worth every penny. There are different models for the front and back floor openings, so make sure to getthe ones that will fit the back seat if you order them.  They are rock solid foam and give the dogs a solid walking surface to move around and get settled on. . I also placed a small memory foam pillow between them to fill the small gap over the drivetrain hump. 

The back seat  will require 2 of these. 

https://www.orvis.com/solid-foam-backseat-extender/90XR.html

[Sniffy]

Thank you for this topic! We are pondering some daytrips in our old-ish Forester and were pondering what type of hammock set up would be good for Stanley.

 

 

[FiveRoooooers]

8 hours ago, GreyPoopon said:

I have the rear seat well filled in instead (Rubbermaid cannisters for support, plywood insert, foam on top of the wood) so that the back seat is big. Two houndies fit easily if they get along. I think my Crosstrek is probably a little smaller than your Forester.

Crosstrek is definitely smaller than the Forester. If the campers had numbered two and knot six when the BOH was replaced, I would have gone with the CT! Thanks!

8 hours ago, Time4ANap said:

We bought these floor well fillers for the Camry.  They should also work for most other vehicles to extend the back seat and keep the dogs from falling into the floor opening.  A little pricey, but ended up being worth every penny. There are different models for the front and back floor openings, so make sure to getthe ones that will fit the back seat if you order them.  They are rock solid foam and give the dogs a solid walking surface to move around and get settled on. . I also placed a small memory foam pillow between them to fill the small gap over the drivetrain hump. 

The back seat  will require 2 of these. 

https://www.orvis.com/solid-foam-backseat-extender/90XR.html

Thanks, those look very cool!

5 hours ago, Sniffy said:

Thank you for this topic! We are pondering some daytrips in our old-ish Forester and were pondering what type of hammock set up would be good for Stanley.

Let us know what you decide!

[FiveRoooooers]

17 hours ago, Time4ANap said:

We bought these floor well fillers for the Camry.  They should also work for most other vehicles to extend the back seat and keep the dogs from falling into the floor opening.  A little pricey, but ended up being worth every penny. There are different models for the front and back floor openings, so make sure to getthe ones that will fit the back seat if you order them.  They are rock solid foam and give the dogs a solid walking surface to move around and get settled on. . I also placed a small memory foam pillow between them to fill the small gap over the drivetrain hump. 

The back seat  will require 2 of these. 

https://www.orvis.com/solid-foam-backseat-extender/90XR.html

Don, Orvis now offers these backseat extenders with storage. A bit more pricey but with nice storage space for important things a dog might want to keep handy like, you know, French fries 

[Time4ANap]

1 hour ago, FiveRoooooers said:

Don, Orvis now offers these backseat extenders with storage. A bit more pricey but with nice storage space for important things a dog might want to keep handy like, you know, French fries 

Those are nice. Guess I could have made something like that to custom fit the opening as well.  We needed something quick when we bought the other cushions and when I priced out ordering blocks of foam vs the Orvis product there wasn't much difference in price to do a DIY due to the foam prices. 

Maybe there should be a holder in the top for the fry containers. 

Edited January 2, 2022 by Time4ANap

[GreyPoopon]

On 1/1/2022 at 8:29 PM, Time4ANap said:

We bought these floor well fillers for the Camry. 

Perfect, with or without storage. Also much easier than my setup, which was inexpensive and works well, but is a PITA to get in and out. I can't have humans in the back seat or even vacuum without a lot of work. The one advantage of mine is that the whole area is covered so the dogs don't see the distinction, but that could be done with the Orvis blocks as well.

Jan - I had much the same setup in my '02 Impreza, which was even smaller than the Crosstrek. Betsy and Edie used to ride there together without much trouble. I think I even had Perry, Minnie, and Betsy there for hour-long trips. There's probably a pic locked up in Photobucket.

Edited January 3, 2022 by GreyPoopon

[JenniferS]

I used to have a Forester and now have a Chevy Equinox which is about the same size. I have tried many things since I am also a dog walker and have a lot of different types of dogs in and out of my car. The best I have found so far is this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07NC4PNKX?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2_dt_b_product_details

It is like a hammock, but with a more solid base. I still put cushions in the foot wells for more stability because my new boy weighs almost 80 lbs. and stands up  a lot in the car. 

Two dogs that get along well fit in the back seat. However, when I had two greyhounds I did one in the backseat and one in the way back.

[ramonaghan]

16 minutes ago, JenniferS said:

I used to have a Forester and now have a Chevy Equinox which is about the same size. I have tried many things since I am also a dog walker and have a lot of different types of dogs in and out of my car. The best I have found so far is this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07NC4PNKX?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2_dt_b_product_details

It is like a hammock, but with a more solid base. I still put cushions in the foot wells for more stability because my new boy weighs almost 80 lbs. and stands up  a lot in the car. 

We have something very similar in our Outback and it has served us well. 

[cleptogrey]

i have always used the back seat on my cars. never a hammock seat cover- a good fitting seat cover w/ a large towel on it.  we have traveled for days on end and never had a problem. when doing shows i will the foot well with boxes but other wise they are empty. often i've had a dog decide to lounge down there, especially since cars no longer have that transmission hump. to me less is more -

[FiveRoooooers]

I ended up going with an Orvis microfiber hammock and the girls are doing really well with it. I kept our homemade wooden platform in place (so I can still access that space between the front and rear seats) and put kennel mats on top of it, with the hammock over everything. It has given the girls a stable and secure ride.

[GreyPoopon]

Great! Glad the girls are happy.

[LBass]

[FiveRoooooers]

How's that hammock working out for you, Annie Oooh M? 

Actually, it seems to be pretty good! We've been taking multiple rides to get them both acclimated and they're doing great!

[Remolacha]

[BatterseaBrindl]

[LBass]

That is the most adorable picture of Annie.