Fun With Pool Noodles and Aluminet

 One of the really sweet benefits of membership in Copper State Scent Work Club of Maricopa County (Arizona) are the monthly webinars on topics like "Reading Changes of Behavior Using Odor Theory" (Aleks Woodroffe) and "Keeping Your Dog Dialed in On Trial Day" (Robbin Reece Rodriguez).   These webinars are free for club members 😀  Last night's presentation by Stacy Saravo was a tremendous round-up of trial gear and preparation tips, "Trial Ready: From Gear to Game Day." Stacy described the dizzying array of options for nosework handlers and their dogs, along with car setups, packing lists and even trial prep mental management tips.  

She asked club members ahead of time for any recommendations they have and I sent pictures of my car tenting experimentation.  Unsurprisingly, some viewers were puzzled by the setup and I said I would provide more details -- so here they are.

The basic idea is that, although I do not have room in my car, a 2022 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk, to bring along a popup tent, I was jealous of my fellow parking-lot handlers who had shade to sit under.  My 70% aluminum shade cloth is large and by using stretchy Spandex window shades (love these things!) and a windshield sunscreen, I can block sunlight so don't need to cover the front of the car with shade cloth.  That lets me drape a generous amount of fabric off the back of the open tailgate.  The hatch, unfortunately, raises to be very vertical and cannot be 'paused' in mid-raise as is possible with some vehicles. That means the cloth drapes almost straight down across the back of the car.  I can sit on the bumper right in front of the Variocage, but my legs dangle in mid-air so it isn't terribly comfortable after a bit.  

I asked Doug about maybe making some kind of PVC-based frame that I could attach to the luggage rack, extending a framework behind the car, but he countered with the idea of using something to attach to the tailgate itself, and suggested my water aerobics pool noodles.  I tried these at a trial and liked using them as an extension, but they are pretty noodle-y and so drooped a bit.  Doug got a couple of wooden dowels that fit inside the noodles to stiffen them up a bit.  The resulting "canopy" provides just enough space for a chair.

Thus far, I've only needed to use a single small bungie to attach the noodle to the tailgate support.

One additional benefit of the dowel has been using it as a length extension; the bungie compresses the noodle enough that it doesn't seem to slide.  The pool noodle end is WAY up in the air -- I can't imagine anyone running into it -- but I feel better with it being soft and yielding rather than pokey, anyway. 

Here's a picture showing exposed dowel at the car end of the noodle, acting as a length extension.

How does this hold up to wind?  Well, it hasn't seemed to be the noodles that were the issue so much as the shade cloth whipping around.  Maybe an anchor on the outer end would be good; I see some people using their coolers for that, great because the cooler is already with you.  I just don't want to introduce trip hazards to the parking lot.   A shock-corded "tent pole" might also be nice on that outer end, but, again, may be trip hazard and could it become a projectile if the wind came up?  

I mentioned to Stacy that there are "new" pool noodles out called "Link Ems"  by Alcot Plastics (Amazon link but many retailers carried them over the summer) that are grooved rather than round so that they can be slotted together.  I saw these in various grocery stores (!) and thought they looked more dense than the 'old' noodles.  After handling, though, they really aren't.  Yes, you can hook a bunch of them together to get more structure but then you are carrying around a bunch more bulk, too.  But someone else may see uses for them that I haven't.  There are also solid-core noodles, closed cell foam backer rods for construction, square-profile foam rods for exercise and physical therapy and a whole assortment of connectors (noodle screws!) that have potential for the creative.  But I would like to keep things simple -- quick up and quick down -- as well as light (which is why I really like the whole foam idea) and as compact as possible.

If you are looking at shade and trial crating options, the single best resource, in my opinion, is the Facebook Group "Dog Sport Vehicle Set Ups and Ideas."  It's a public group, so you don't have to join or even have a Facebook account to see the posts and especially the pictures.  

Lastly, if I'm frustrated about not being able to get enough stuff in my car, why don't I just get a different car?  As a long-time and passionate Subaru Outback fan, that is a tough subject - I miss my Outbacks SO much! But the reason is that we travel 6 months of the year in our motorhome, and the Trailhawk with Active Drive II is the only passenger vehicle under 5000 pounds that can be flat-towed behind the motorhome that I can wedge an XL Variocage Double into to accommodate both our Standard Poodles.  It's not an optimum configuration by any means; the Variocage installation is NOT correct because the back seats have to be folded down, which means the crate can become a projectile against the driver and passenger seat in a crash, Not Good.  The Jeep cargo space is just stupidly small, but, at this point, it is what it is, and I tell myself that learning to pack more lightly Builds Character.  

Always happy to field questions or provide more info but would especially love to know about any alternatives or enhancements you discover!