CHEERHUNTING Outdoor Dog Bed: An Honest Review

I have bought three outdoor dog beds in the past two years, and the first two are in a trash pile behind my shop. The CHEERHUNTING Outdoor Dog Bed is the third one, and it is the only one I would buy again. That is not the same as saying it is perfect, and I want to be clear about that up front, because most reviews you will read make it sound like this mat will change your dog's life. It will not. It will give your dog a dry, warm place to sleep off the ground, and it will survive a season of hard use. That is the whole job, and it does that job well.

I am Rick Dawson. I camp most months of the year at state parks and national forest campgrounds within a day's drive of my home in upstate South Carolina. My dog Tucker is a 55-pound hound mix who runs cold at night and will follow his nose off the site if he is not tied out. We have used this CHEERHUNTING bed on eleven trips since last spring, from a rainy weekend at Lake Hartwell to a cold October stretch in the Nantahala National Forest. This is what I learned.

How I've Used It

Tucker has slept on this bed every camping trip since April. That is eleven trips, roughly thirty nights, in conditions ranging from 85 degrees and humid to a 28-degree night in the mountains. I have used it on bare ground, on pine needles, on gravel pads, and once on the plywood floor of my truck bed under the topper. I have hosed it off at the campground spigot, scrubbed it with dish soap, and left it out in the rain by accident more than once.

The bed is a flat mat, not a bolstered nest. It measures roughly 36 by 24 inches, which is plenty for a 55-pound dog who likes to stretch out. The top surface is a soft fabric that feels like a thick woven polyester. The bottom is a heavier waterproof material. There is a thin layer of padding inside, maybe half an inch, enough to keep a dog off the cold ground but not enough to call it a mattress. The whole thing rolls up and straps closed with a buckle, and it weighs about two pounds. I carry it strapped to the outside of my pack or tossed in the truck bed.

The first night I used it, I made a mistake. I put it directly on the bare ground inside the tent without checking the tent floor for a small tear from a previous trip. It rained hard that night, and a puddle formed right under Tucker's hip. The bed itself stayed dry on top. The waterproof bottom did its job. Tucker was fine. I was the one who felt stupid, because I had ignored the same tent floor for two trips.

What I do now takes about five minutes. I clear a rectangle a little bigger than the bed of pine cones, sticks and the small rocks that always seem to work their way up through a gravel pad. Then I lay down a cheap tarp folded so no edge sticks out past the bed, because a tarp edge that sticks out catches rain and funnels it right underneath. The bed goes on top, and Tucker's blanket goes on top of that on nights that drop into the forties. That three-layer stack is the difference between a dog who sleeps through the night and a dog who gets up at two in the morning and tries to climb into my sleeping bag. The bed handles the wet. The tarp handles the gravel. The blanket handles the cold.

What Nobody Tells You About the Fabric

Here is the thing most reviews skip. The top fabric is loud. When Tucker shifts in the night, it makes a crinkling sound like a nylon jacket. The first few trips I woke up every time he moved. After a while I stopped noticing, and Tucker never seemed to care, but if your dog is a restless sleeper and you are a light sleeper, this matters more than the waterproofing.

The fabric also collects hair and dirt like you would not believe. Tucker sheds a moderate amount, and after one night the bed looks like a fur coat. That is not a flaw, it is just reality. The good news is that it cleans up fast. I have hosed it off at the campground, let it dry in the sun for an hour, and it looked new. I have also thrown it in the washing machine on a gentle cycle with cold water and hung it to dry. It came out fine both times. I would not put it in the dryer, because the waterproof backing could peel or crack.

One thing I did not expect: the bed slides on smooth surfaces. On the plywood truck bed floor, Tucker would push it around with his paws before settling. On tent floors it stays put better, and on grass and dirt it does not move at all. If you plan to use it on a hard, smooth surface, a rug underneath or a corner placement helps.

Inside the truck it is a different story. When rain is coming hard I sleep in the bed of the pickup under the topper, and the CHEERHUNTING bed fits crosswise behind the wheel wells with a few inches to spare. On the ribbed plastic bed liner it stays put, because the ribs give the bottom something to grip. Tucker has figured out that the bed in the truck means we are staying dry tonight, and he climbs in on his own and circles twice before he drops. That is a small thing, but anyone who has tried to coax a wet hound into a tight space at night will understand why I mention it.

The Waterproofing Test That Mattered

The real test came in May at a Corps of Engineers campground on Lake Hartwell. It rained from Friday afternoon until Sunday morning, sometimes hard. We were in a tent on a site that drained poorly, and by Saturday night there was standing water in the corners of the tent. Tucker's bed was in the driest spot I could find, but the floor was still damp. I put my hand under the bed on Sunday morning. The bottom was wet. The top was completely dry. Tucker slept through both nights without a single shiver.

That is the test that matters, and it is the reason I keep recommending this bed to people at the campground. I have seen dogs spend a miserable night on a wet blanket or a damp sleeping bag. This bed prevents that specific misery. It is not a miracle. It is a waterproof layer between the dog and the ground, and it works.

Drying it out afterward is the part nobody plans for. The waterproof bottom does not soak up water, but it does hold a film of mud and wet leaves when you pick it up. At camp I prop the bed against the tailgate, bottom side out, and let the sun and wind work on it while we eat breakfast. Twenty or thirty minutes on a breezy morning is usually enough to get it dry enough to roll. If it is still raining when we break camp, I roll it with the wet side out and unroll it on the garage floor as soon as we get home. Rolled up wet for a whole day, it comes out smelling like a pond. Rolled up wet for two hours, it is fine.

The bottom was wet. The top was completely dry. Tucker slept through both nights without a single shiver.

Where It Falls Short

I want to be honest about the limits, because I think they matter for the right buyer. First, this is not a winter bed. On the 28-degree night in October, Tucker was cold on this mat even with a blanket over him. The half inch of padding is not enough to insulate a dog from frozen ground. For cold-weather camping, you need a thicker bed or a pad underneath. I used a closed-cell foam pad under it on that trip, and it helped, but the bed alone would not have been enough.

Second, the bed is not chew-proof. Tucker is not a chewer, so this has not been an issue for me, but I have read enough reviews from people with aggressive chewers to know the fabric will not survive a determined dog. If your dog destroys beds at home, this one will not be the exception.

Third, the strap that holds it rolled up is functional but basic. It is a simple buckle, not a heavy-duty clip. It has held up fine for me, but I can see it being the first thing to wear out after a couple of years of regular use. It is not a dealbreaker, but it is worth knowing.

Packed size is reasonable but not small. Rolled tight with the strap, it is about the size of a sleeping bag stuff sack, and it weighs little enough that I do not think about it in the truck. I would not carry it in a backpack on a long hike, though. For a campground where you park ten steps from the site, that does not matter. For backpacking with a dog, look at something lighter and accept that you are giving up some of the toughness that makes this bed worth having.

How It Compares to What I Tried Before

The first bed I bought was a cheap foam pad with a fleece cover. It was comfortable for about two trips, then the foam flattened and the cover ripped at the seam. The second was a more expensive bolstered bed that was great in the living room but useless at the campsite. It soaked up water like a sponge, took two days to dry, and was too bulky to pack. I gave up on it after one rainy trip.

The CHEERHUNTING bed is different because it does not try to be a living room bed. It is a camping tool. It is flat, light, and waterproof, and it dries fast. That is what I need when I am loading the truck at 6 AM and trying to remember whether I packed the stove fuel. I do not need a dog bed that looks like furniture. I need one that keeps Tucker dry and rolls up small enough to fit behind the wheel well.

The second bed I tried was a padded mat with raised edges, the kind that looks great in the product photos. Tucker liked the edges as a pillow. What he did not like was how the stuffing flattened on one side after a few weeks, so he ended up sleeping in a dip that held cold air and, on one wet night, a puddle. Raised edges also make a bed harder to roll and harder to dry. After that experience I stopped looking for comfort features and started looking for a bed that would stay flat, stay dry on top, and go back into the truck without a fight. That list is short, and this bed is on it.

Who This Is For

This bed is for people who camp with their dog in three-season conditions and want a simple, reliable place for the dog to sleep. It is for dogs who sleep on the ground, on tent floors, on gravel, or on the tailgate. It is for people who do not want to haul a heavy, bulky bed and who do not want to wash a soggy blanket every Monday morning. If that sounds like you, this bed will probably make you happy.

It also suits older dogs and dogs who run cold, because the biggest favor you can do those dogs at camp is distance from the ground. The ground pulls heat out of a sleeping animal all night long. Tucker is six and healthy, and even he notices the difference. A twelve-year-old dog with stiff hips will notice it more, and so will the person sharing a tent with that dog.

Who Should Skip It

Skip it if you camp in deep winter, if your dog chews everything, or if you want a plush bed your dog can sink into. Skip it if you need something that will keep a short-haired dog warm on frozen ground without extra layers. And skip it if you are looking for a bed that looks nice in photos. This is a utilitarian piece of gear. It looks like a camping mat, because that is what it is.