Those do look great. I could use a couple of them when we travel.

My concern, when I haul the mutts around in the truck - read cap - is carbon monoxide. I like to keep a little air circulating, certainly when I might be parked with the engine running for any time. I crack the front window of the cap a bit.

And, of course, driving for any distance needs a bit of air circulation, and scheduled stops for basic needs. Though you need to make sure that monoxide isn't being sucked into the back of the truck through the tail gate.

I find the first hour is the duration for a need for the first pit stop. Then two or three hours... A bit of exercise or stretching is good for man and beast.

That said, a rubber mat in the bed, some old towels and bankets tossed in, and the dogs will cozy up to each other if there is real cold - not often.

Overnight is not a problem - the truck is not running. More than one dog in a confined area will generate a bit of body heat that a blanket over a crate will mostly contain. Multiple dogs will generate more heat...

I don't use straw because if there is any air flow when driving on down the road...

Two cents.

I prefer to keep dogs indoor because I consider them as part of my pack. I want them to be with me indoor at night. If you feell ike it might be impossible since you are going somewhere North. Like everyone suggested you can put straw in crates. Hope you will have a safe drive up in North.

Just a quick note that I know Will is aware of, but for other maybe new readers: Dogs do great is the low temps that folks from the northern states and Canada are talking about, but they have been acclimatized.

A dog who has lived his whole life in a southern state is a different matter.

Cold-acclimatized dogs burn calories faster and grow thicker coats.

 Quote: Connie Sutherland

Just a quick note that I know Will is aware of, but for other maybe new readers: Dogs do great is the low temps that folks from the northern states and Canada are talking about, but they have been acclimatized.

A dog who has lived his whole life in a southern state is a different matter.

Cold-acclimatized dogs burn calories faster and grow thicker coats.

Excellent, just want to add that here where I am at tends to get below zero with or without windchill at times. Even though my dogs are acclimated to the cold, there is a difference between being able to move around to keep warm and being in a crate stationary.
Even my dogs will get cold without some sort of protection around or in their crates. Especially the Mals and the Dutch being they do not have double coats. They do get a bit more fluffy in the winter but not like the Bloodhound, Lab and GSD.

Most of the time if I do not have the covers on the dogs curl up into a ball in the straw....with the covers on, I usually find them flaked out on their sides looking nice and comfy in their crates.

I also agree about the exhaust fumes. I keep an eye on, open windows when the rig is running and also try to park where the wind tends to blow the fumes away from the rig.....

I live in Alaska and I have had dogs all my life so here is a small tidbit. When you feed you dog in the morning and at night mix water in with the food. The cold is very dry and you dogs need extra water when it is cold out just as they do if it's 80 degrees. I leave you with warm thoughts it is -35 here right now. I do not leave my dogs outside either because I want them to be part of my pack. The straw works really well and that is what most dog sled teams use.

That would be my concern as well Connie.
My dog thinks it's just about perfect when it's 10 degrees F.
However I'm sure she wouldn't want to even move anywhere but into the water at 70 degrees.

Bringing warm acclimated animals into the death cold (no hyperbole there) of the north should be done with careful planning. If possible I'd ditch the aluminum crates, all that metal will make it almost impossible for the dog to generate any heat without the metal sucking it right up. Any chance of fixing up some kind of heat for the floor padding, or a separate source of heat for the whole back of the truck? Even if you can keep the temp in the 25 degree range it'd make a big difference. They'll still need plenty of bedding to lay still in below freezing weather and be reasonably comfortable at the balmy 25 degree range but should be okay.

If the dogs can get along in close proximity of each other, I'd get two wire crates tie them together so the dogs have a common wall and drap the whole thing in a survial blanket with a heavier cover over that for good measure. Leave some opening for some fresh air and crack open a window on each side of the cap. And don't forget bedding of some sort in both crates.
Any ways thats what I'd do.

Randy

 Quote: Connie Sutherland

Just a quick note that I know Will is aware of, but for other maybe new readers: Dogs do great is the low temps that folks from the northern states and Canada are talking about, but they have been acclimatized.

A dog who has lived his whole life in a southern state is a different matter.

Cold-acclimatized dogs burn calories faster and grow thicker coats.

They do just that. Though Paw pads on cold metal in the back of a pick up truck do NOT mix even with a hardy northern breed. My old Malamute/Wolf X burnt his paw pads being tied in the back of a pickup truck. The paw pads I understand have moisture in them and is akin to putting your tongue on a frozen fence post when the temps get into the -10c or so. The rolling pick up truck the wind even strips more of the heat away from the metal and just compounds the effect.

http://www.ontariospca.ca/4-carefactsheets-safety-1.shtml

Here is a quick low down on cold weather animal care ..

Dogs sweat through their paws.

I would not use metal OR plastic pans in the bottom of the crate. both will draw off the dog's heat in the cold. Cut a piece of plywood to fit. Put straw in the crate and cover the crate with something that breathes (not Plastic tarps) but will contain the dog's body heat a bit. If the dog is out of the drafts it can handle the cold much better.
Make sure they get plenty of chances for water. That's as important in the cold as it is in the heat.