Inevitably while car camping it rains and the dog gets wet and muddy. So while looking for and option to get him off the ground we tried one of those folding camp chairs, but he is too big. They are a great option for smaller dogs though. Those old folding lounge chairs are a good size for the dog, but they take up too much space in camp. There are cheaper off the shelf options of elevated dog cots but they require tools to assemble and have small bolts that could get lost. We wanted a tool free, collapsible option, and those off the shelf are very spendy. So I decided to make one, that way it could be the size we needed and I would be sure it worked like we wanted.
Off to the home improvement store to get some supplies.
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| 12' of 1" schedule 40 PVC and 4 corners |
The fabric to make the actual cot out of can be expensive, but I found this super classy, fairly heavy duty stuff at the thrift store for under $8. I wound up getting over 25' of it, which is more than enough for close to 8 dog cots this size, but at the thrift store you never know what you will get.
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| I placed the whole thing upside down to mark where to I needed to cut the fabric |
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I marked there to cut he corners out so the fabric can fold over the rails, I also marked the center so i didn't make the holes for the PVC too small. I pulled out the
sewing machine portable benchtop thread injector and laid down some lines. Nothing fancy just tight straight stitches, I didn't even hem the edges.
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| It is a little rough, but it is for the dog. Anything beats the ground right. |
The whole thing took less than an hour to make and only cost about $15. We got exactly what we wanted in a elevated dog cot. I plan to use some of the abundance of fabric I have to make a carry bag for it. I'll let the picture speak for the results.
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| Stitch tested, Stitch approved |
