Dogs in back seat…

[Mcalc55]

Has anyone come up with any thoughts or solutions to the fold forward rear seats? I’m so bullish on the rivian but so disappointed that they use the really useless Tacoma-style fold forward seat design. One of The best parts of the Jeep Gladiator and my f150 is that their rear seat folds upward against the back of the cab and gives you a full flat storage area and great spot for dogs. I know they have all those rear seat dog hammocks and things like that but theyre all so cumbersome and look horrible. Folding the seat up and having a weathertech floor mat was all i needed. Has anyone measured the dimensions of that storage box area, maybe you could put a board on top of that and creat a flat area? I wouldn’t be very deep but maybe a dog could rest there. It doesnt look like the hinges of the seat top would be easily removed (when its folded forward) either.

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[crashmtb]

Get a dog hammock like the kurgo one. They work great.

 

[Forager]

Yeah, the fold forward seats is a big factor that pushed me toward R1S. I’ve gotten over most of my hesitation with the smaller truck bed.

Our dog is too big to sit on the seat, not that I want them on upholstery anyway, and far to big to sit in that space between the forward folded seat and the rear bulkhead. Sitting in the rear cargo area of an SUV is really the best option.

A side note, the hinges for the forward fold seat looked really cheap, like an inexpensive piano hinge. I hope the production models have something more substantial.

 

[Mcalc55]

Yeah, the fold forward seats is a big factor that pushed me toward R1S. I’ve gotten over most of my hesitation with the smaller truck bed.

Our dog is too big to sit on the seat, not that I want them on upholstery anyway, and far to big to sit in that space between the forward folded seat and the rear bulkhead. Sitting in the rear cargo area of an SUV is really the best option.

A side note, the hinges for the forward fold seat looked really cheap, like an inexpensive piano hinge. I hope the production models have something more substantial.

I agree and the hammocks are fine if that’s your only option but I never understood the storage area idea. My f150folds up and there’s a storage box bolted onto the floor if I want so I get the best of both.
Those hinges look cheap too, I agree. the hinge situation is annoying too because that likely makes them more difficult to disassemble. A simple bolt or two might have allowed you to easily take the lower seat out (I did this on my ford bronco) and get a flat floor.

 

[RideAlong]

I would recommend a seat cover , but the vinyl seat material used in the R1T should wear like iron.

 

[crashmtb]

It seems to me part of the reason they fold the seat bottoms forward and not up at the rear is because of the door opening being quite small. Having the seat bottoms fold forward gives better access to the underseat storage.

you can see how much accesss would be impeded by having the seat bottoms flip up in this picture.

I think the ideal setup is one like dodge’s where the seatbottom folds up towards the seatback, and you unfold a platf which gives you a large flat surface, while still having storage below.

 

[Zoidz]

It seems to me part of the reason they fold the seat bottoms forward and not up at the rear is because of the door opening being quite small. Having the seat bottoms fold forward gives better access to the underseat storage.

you can see how much accesss would be impeded by having the seat bottoms flip up in this picture.

I think the ideal setup is one like dodge’s where the seatbottom folds up towards the seatback, and you unfold a platf which gives you a large flat surface, while still having storage below.

The Avalanche seat bottoms flip front (hinged at the floor), and then the seat back flips down/forward to create the platform. It works well and essentially makes the entire space flat from the back of the front seats to C pillar. I asked Rivian about this months ago, they said the seat back does not flip down/forward. It's not a challenging design to do. Just a hinge at the seat back bottom, and a latch at the top. Not sure why Rivian didn't do it...? The surface is metal, most people who use it this way put a carpeted board or pad on top.

 

[Forager]

Good point on the access. That’s going to make 3rd row access in the R1S interesting. I expect the seats to at a minimum tumble forward, ideally they would slide.

Here’s the back of my 2009
F150 (stock photo from online). Plenty of room for the dog to lay under the 60 split and the toddler to stay in the 40. Small storage cubby off to the side for tools. I’m less a fan of the modern under floor storage boxes because I like the floor space, but I wouldn’t mind them if they are removable.

 

[Mcalc55]

Yeah that’s a great point on door access, hadn’t considered that and it makes sense although I also don’t know the logistics of creating a hinge that expands further out to allow the door to swing wide.
It sounds crazy but for an “adventure crowd”, many of whom have dogs, this feels like a very inconvenient design but maybe that’s just me..

 

[COdogman]

I have a Tacoma and previously had a Ridgeline. Before that I had various small SUVs, etc. Over the years I have tried almost every option for trucking dogs around that exists. I partially do this on purpose because I work with dogs all day and our customers often ask for our advice on different products. I like being able to give them decent personal opinions on what I think works the best. Obviously there are so many different sizes and shapes of vehicles AND dogs, that each solution is subjective.

It’s also important to note the difference between what is safest and what most of us end up doing with our dogs in our vehicles. The only truly safe option for both you and your dog is to keep them in a crate while being transported. If you are in an accident, your dog will have the best chance of surviving if they are contained, and a crate will help prevent them from running away if the accident causes a door or hatch to open. It also keeps you safe because a dog flying around the interior of your vehicle in an accident can injure you as well. This is hard to do if you have larger dogs or multiple dogs. At one point we had 3 Rhodesian Ridgebacks - we would have needed a small bus or large van to put 3 crates inside that fit dogs that size. There are companies that make a more narrow “travel” crate designed to fit in SUVs, but still you would be lucky to fit 2 of them in your vehicle.

Second safest would be attaching them to a seatbelt connection. This is a good option because it can keep them in the vehicle should a door open unexpectedly and it can keep them from flying through the cab freely. It also can work with some of the other available solutions like a seat cover. The problem with it is if you have multiple dogs and they move around, getting tangled up with each other LOL.

I’ve tried Leer caps, which was great for keeping the interior of the cab clean, but then I was worried about leaving the dogs back there in hot/ cold weather, as well as how they would do if there was an accident - I didn’t trust that back glass hatch at all. So I added this crazy thing to my rear vent and left the back truck window open to the cap. It was ridiculous and I hated the cap after like 3 months because I couldn’t fit most taller items under it. The vent extension did work fairly well though…

So most of us end up keeping our dogs in the cab with us, which I admit I like as well - except when I forget to lock the window and I suddenly hear the rear window being opened because my dog is standing on it. The best options in my opinion are the hammock seat covers. I love these because they keep the fur off the floor and seats and all I really have to do is some extra cleaning of the carpet near the doors. Some of the better ones even have covers that come up on the sides, helping to keep the fur inside the seat cover. I also like this option just for carrying stuff. It provides a nice large area to put things and protects the seats. I’m always surprised when I remove the cover to wash it how the rear seats look brand new compared to the front. You can also use a seat belt connection to attach your dog if you want.

Over the years I have purchased expensive versions of these hammock style covers, but honestly I prefer just buying the cheaper ones from Amazon because after a few months of use and washing several times I don’t feel bad about tossing it and getting a new one. This is the one I’ve used for the past couple years:

These are nice if you want to spend more. The only thing I don’t like about these is they don’t have any protection on the sides.
https://www.canvasback.com/truck-liner.html

If you have a little dog or a even a medium sized dog that stays put when driving, these contained seat carriers are a good option. Dogs that get nervous in the car might enjoy these because they have their own little safe place to lie down. One of our customers uses this with her english bulldog - he looks like Oscar the Grouch with his head sticking out of the top. You can also use the seat belt connection with most of these:

Sorry for the long post - I just thought I would share what I’ve learned over the years on the topic. Do what works best for you and your fur friends!

 

[drhnbtx]

I have this which has an MDF interior which makes it more of a platform that the pups can comfortably sit/lay on. With a 600lb weight limit, it is strong enough to allow for a nap during long charge sessions or heavy loads that may otherwise damage the seats.

 

[Mcalc55]

That

I have this which has an MDF interior which makes it more of a platform that the pups can comfortably sit/lay on. With a 600lb weight limit, it is strong enough to allow for a nap during long charge sessions or heavy loads that may otherwise damage the seats.

Thats pretty cool.
Seems like the consensus is just to keep the hammock in. I would just have liked the clean look of flipped seats and if I needed them for passengers, easy enough to flip back down. The hammock ends up being a pain to take in and out and doesn’t look nearly as good as the rear seats obviously. But gosh, good thing I have that underseat storage box Rivian put there ? also, as it relates to door access, the gladiator folds upward and I never saw a problem with those angles so it likely could have been done. Maybe that’ll be a fix along with the removable roof panels next year…

 

[Forager]

This cargo divider and crate is what I plan on making for our R1S (modeled by our dog in our LR3). I’ve since found a foam crib mattress that fits perfectly in there as a sleeping pad and have made a cargo blanket that covers the full area. This option was OEM, but since Rivian isn’t making cargo dividers, I’ll make my own. All of our cargo goes in the back behind the divider for safety.

 

[Blueassassin]

i had a Tacoma and my Husky always rode on top of the seats with no problems i put down a towl on the seats mainly to help with the shed. with the rivian could you not fold both seats forward then build a board on top of the storage box for them to ride on? could even put a dog bed on top of that.

 

[Blueassassin]

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