Traveling with pets can enhance your RV camping experiences. Our pets teach us to slow down, take it all in, and notice the little things. But not all road trip stops are pet-friendly. So, when you need to leave your furry companions behind, consider the benefits of an RV temperature monitor for pets.
Modern RVs are equipped with excellent air conditioning systems. However, a power outage or a system failure could leave your pets alone inside an RV that heats up rapidly, especially during the summer. As a responsible pet owner, you must ensure your pet’s safety to protect them from overheating and, at worst, heat stroke. Fortunately, a little preparation and planning is all that’s required to ensure a safe and comfortable RV temperature for your pets.
Why Do You Need an RV Pet Monitor?
We love bringing our pets camping, but we also know they can’t go everywhere with us. There are occasions—grocery shopping, dinner, quick hikes in non-pet-friendly parks—when our pets must remain safely inside our RVs…alone.
Overheating due to high temperatures is one of the biggest dangers to pets left in an RV. Sure, you can crank up your A/C unit while you’re away, but what if it fails or a power outage causes it to shut down?
RVs experience rigorous vibrations when traveling, increasing the likelihood of appliance failures, wiring issues, and other problems that could compromise those HVAC systems. Plus, most of those systems—especially air conditioning—require a reliable source of 120VAC power to keep your camper cool.
Because these issues and outages are impossible to predict or prevent, your best insurance is an RV temperature monitor that alerts you according to your programmed settings. This allows you to return to your RV to address climate control issues before they seriously threaten your pet’s health.
What Are Safe RV Temperatures for Pets?
On a 78℉ day, the temperature inside a parked car or RV can soar to 100℉ in minutes. On a 90℉ day, the interior temperature can reach as high as 109℉ in less than 10 minutes. Animals can sustain brain damage or even die from heatstroke in as little as 15 minutes. Pets cannot sweat like we do. They rely on panting to cool themselves.
After over six years on the road with our dogs, we have learned many lessons. Some lessons we have learned from mistakes, but when it comes to RV temperatures, there isn’t any room for mistakes—one mistake can be fatal.
When we leave our pets inside our RV, we like to set our thermostat to somewhere between 65 and 70℉. Our Waggle temp monitor alerts us when the temperature rises above 75℉, giving us a window of time to return and remedy issues before the interior temperature rises too much. Sometimes, it can even alert us overnight when the temperature dips below our set low limit and our RV furnace doesn’t ignite.
If you’re a full-time RVer, you must also account for the dangers of freezing temperatures through the winter months. For cats, anything below 45℉ is too cold. If the temperature dips below freezing, they are at high risk of hypothermia. Fortunately, most RV pet temperature monitors also allow you to set alerts for a low-temperature threshold.
Alarming Stats from an Arizona State University Study
Your RV’s size will determine how fast the temperature rises inside. A study by Arizona State University revealed some alarming findings regarding rising temperatures inside a vehicle.
“For vehicles parked in the sun during the simulated shopping trip, the average cabin temperature hit 116 degrees in one hour. Dashboards averaged 157 degrees, steering wheels 127 degrees, and seats 123 degrees in one hour. For vehicles parked in the shade, interior temperatures were closer to 100 degrees after one hour. Dashboards averaged 118 degrees, steering wheels 107 degrees, and seats 105 degrees after one hour. The different types of vehicles tested warmed up at different rates, with the economy car warming faster than the midsize sedan and minivan.”
– Arizona State University Study
RV Pet Safety Tips
Many RVers find it anxious to leave their pets for even a short period. Fortunately, there are ways to ensure their safety and protect them from dangerous temperatures.
Our first tip is to pick a pet-friendly campground. If possible, choose a shady campsite with ample tree coverage. This doesn’t impact temperatures inside your RV, but we also love campgrounds with water nearby so our pups can swim to cool down.
Second, use window treatments to block direct sunlight and prevent your air conditioning or heaters from overworking. You might only consider blackout shades to help you get a great night’s sleep, but they can also dramatically impact your RV’s insulation value and ability to trap cool air from your A/C unit.
Third, invest in a portable power source (i.e., generator or power station) for backup in case of a campground power failure. You’ll be able to run your A/C unit regardless of electrical troubleshooting or repairs taking place at the campsite.
Here are some additional ways to keep your pets safe and reduce our stress levels:
- Charge the pet temperature monitor to remain operable in case of a power outage.
- Charge phones to receive notifications of any temperature changes from the monitor.
- Limit time away to no more than two hours.
Why We Love the Waggle Pet Temperature Monitor System
We have tested many temperature monitoring systems, and the Waggle Pet Temperature Monitor has been the most reliable. It has a built-in cell signal that’s great in remote areas, and it doesn’t rely on Wi-Fi like many others. You set the parameters for temperature alerts, and a notification is sent to your phone immediately.
We’ve heard from many travelers with pets that monitors like this have literally saved lives in the summer at campgrounds that experienced a power loss. Minutes can often mean the difference between life and death. Time is everything, and the average temperature inside an RV can get hot or cold more quickly than you may think.
The internal battery lasts 4-6 days before recharging, and you can connect up to five phones for your entire family to help monitor your RV’s temps. The app—available on iOS and Android—does require a subscription, which is for Verizon cellular service and offers quarterly to two-year plans.
Obviously, that is extreme and we would never want to subject our pets to those kinds of temperatures, but it does emphasize that the average temperature inside an RV can get hot or cold quicker than we may think.
Keep in mind that many campgrounds, national parks, and RV parks have rules stating that dogs and pets can’t be left alone or unattended — and unattended means alone in your RV. So think ahead, especially on extreme weather days. Plan activities you can do together that are pet-friendly.
Extra Precautions for Pet Parents
Remember that many private campgrounds, national parks, and RV parks have rules stating that dogs and pets can’t be left alone or unattended. Yes, unattended does mean alone in your RV. So think ahead, especially on extreme weather days. Plan pet-friendly activities you can do together to minimize the need to leave your pets alone in the first place.
But if you do have to leave your pets for groceries or other short trips, take the following precautions:
- Leave them plenty of water.
- Park facing away from direct sunlight.
- Purchase a pet temperature monitor.
- Notify a trusted camper or park management when you will be away from your pet and leave an emergency contact number.
The most important aspect of traveling with pets is to recognize, acknowledge, and act on the individual needs of your pet. Age, health, and other factors determine what RV temperatures are safe for your pet. If in doubt, adjust trip durations or routes to avoid extreme temperatures when possible. Always know the available resources nearby for emergency pet care.
We have rerouted due to summertime temperatures as our dog Brickle has aged. We have planned pet-friendly trips to avoid areas that make Fruitycake’s allergies flare up. The great part about RV travel is the ability to change direction.
Have fun and go on those bucket list adventures with your pet, but take RV temperature precautions and plan ahead. A safe time is a good time for all!
What do you do to ensure your pets’ safety while on the road? Tell us in the comments below!
We have used Marcell for several years now. It allows us to monitor and receive alerts (email and/or text messages). Multiple people can be alerted of temper a ture, humidity, and loss of power. Another nice perk is you can subscribe for partial months of a year.
Great advice! Thanks for sharing your experience.