Truck/camper person-sized pass-through?

[Linda_Sue]

Still doing research and considering what vehicle I want to upsize to. I've always loved pickups, but had resolved to get a van style (or even small motorhome) so that the living area and driving area can be accessed from the inside (in case of emergency or similar urgent getaway).

I've always wished there was access to get from a camper into the cab of a truck. Does such a thing actually exist? I guess I should clarify, does it actually exist for a plump person? lol

I just happened to come across the one and only reference and one and only video regarding such a thing: a woman and her son test whether the window can be opened enough for them to go through in case an emergency. Both of them are slender (but the hole actually looked pretty big) and it turned out it was no problem.

Has anyone ever heard of such a thing? Is it something that could be done custom? (the video was a few years old so I don't know if they will see my question regarding this)

Or is that just too fussy and I should stick with a van conversion or camper van?

Thanks!

 

[maki2]

The pass through windows typically fit into the standard back window opening in a truck. They are sold as developed and sold as items by aftermarket companies and are often sold by companies that specialize in selling truck caps. It is not a situation where you cut a hole in the back of the truck and stick in a window. So the size of the pass through depends on the size of the standard rear window in the pickup truck and the answer is no they don't make oversized ones for plump people to get through. I would imagine that larger the truck the bigger the rear window.

I never had large pickups, just got small ones as I was not doing a lot of heavy hauling work with mine. Homeowner sized versus heavy duty working truck size. But when I bought the truck cap for my pickup then I also chose to purchase a sliding window as I had planned on doing a lot of camping in the cap. The Truck Cap dealer installed it for me. I have no idea what they did with the original window, maybe the scrapped it or maybe they sold it to a junk yard. The opening was big enough for my son to get through, he was at an age where he was not so tall that he could not sleep up front. Of course the other advantage was opening the window so I could carry longer boards without leaving the back of the cap up.

 

[bullfrog]

It is very convenient to be able to walk from your bedroom to the driver's seat. Most truck campers require you go out the back down steps and walk outside to the truck cab unless they are built as class C motorhomes.

 

[maki2]

Even if you have such a pass through you would quickly get tired of crawling through it. So you would rarely use it for that purpose. But it is certainly handy to pass things back and forth through it and of course for the extra ventilation. If two persons are traveling together one of them might use the cab as their reading or napping nook... if it is a king cab where you can recline the seats.

 

[Harry-O]

I know I'm not fitting through my rear sliding windows any time soon!

 

[crofter]

There was a dweller at RTR who showed her pickup with access through the rear window. For a larger opening, you could remove the rear window altogether. I saw a pickup with this modification at camp, and the dweller loved it. Pickup had a short box and the bunk extended partway into the cab.  -crofter

 

[MG1912]

I think that whether or not your concern regarding the pass-through window is “too fussy” depends on whether or not you need a truck camper.  If you do not require a truck camper, then yes, the concern about the pass-through window might be “too fussy,” as you put it, because you could just avoid the issue altogether by going with a different vehicle.  But if there is a reason why you need a truck camper (as opposed to a van or class B/C), then such concern may be justified.

I full time in my truck camper.  If I was in my camper and a situation arose -- and I needed to get out of the area immediately -- I would have to get clothed, exit my camper, lock it, walk around to the truck, get in, and then finally turn the key and drive off.  This doesn’t bother me because I avoid overnighting in unsafe places.  Of course, you never know what will happen and you can't foresee everything.

There’s also the factor of “you don’t miss what you never had.”  I am used to going outside to get from my camper to the truck, so it doesn’t bother me to do so.  If I was used to the convenience of walking from my bedroom to the driver’s seat, it might bother me more.

I am not a petite guy, but I could fit through my camper’s pass-through window.  It would not be comfortable, but I could fit.  I could not fit through the truck’s rear window, however.  It’s just too small.  Maybe a child or a very petite woman could do it, but even then it would not be comfortable. 

Most people with truck campers have trucks with extra cabs (extended or full), and we mostly have that extra cab packed full of gear and supplies.  You’d have to move that stuff, keep the rear cab clear, or climb over it all the time if you wanted to use the pass-through to go between the truck and camper.

I just don’t see using the pass-through to travel between camper and truck as practical, at all, but there are apparently people who do it, such as the example crofter mentioned above, or the people you saw in the video.  So anything is possible.

 

[PECVD2]

I had an ‘80s Ford with a Lance overhead camper.

The previous camper owner had a large pass thru slider window installed.

I went to the Lance dealer and purchased a medium density foam gasket that they made for that size slider (wasn’t cheap) that fit around my entire back window on my truck. (Yes it rubbed on the truck and removed paint as it was a tight fit but it sealed pretty well.)

They sell some inflatable and accordion type bellows seals now that work with the newer trucks which nearly have an entire glass back surface. Google trail FX 30000 or !ance truck camper pass thru seal.

Look at breezewindow.com to maximize pass thru area in truck window.

Lots of options actually if you have $

 

[Linda_Sue]

OP here. Thank you for the insights, everyone. Yes, I realize it would in fact not be practical for routine use. However, I really do like the idea of a pickup but my main concern is no easy access to the cab in case of emergency.

Since posting I've been trying to find suitable wording to Google some more, and I have finally found that some caps/canopies have a window that folds down in order to be able to clean between the cab and the cap. Very civilized, as my old vehicle didn't have that and it got pretty grubby between the two, over the years, in spite of my efforts.

Also, that there are a couple of trucks that have rear windows that roll down (Tacoma Tundra, and a Nissan... I can't remember the name of the model off the top of my head).

If I decide to go with a pickup, I will probably look at this combo.

 

[maki2]

I guess I never really noticed the issue of dirt between as I pulled my truck canopy off a few times a year.

But I suppose if I still owned that setup I would loosen the hold down clamps and slide the canopy a few inches towards the rear and use a long handled brush. Then slide the canopy back and tighten the clamps. Best done with the help of a friend but a strong person could do it on their own.

 

[B and C]

The pickup models you listed only come in 1/2 ton AFAIK. You will have to keep your build light and your possessions few.

 

[highdesertranger]

the easiest and cheapest thing to do is to remove the back window of the pick-up and install an accordion boot. of course the cap/camper must be able to accept the boot, most will.

this gives you an opening the size of the back window. I have done this on several trucks, including my current Chevy. I posted pictures of it on here years ago

highdesertranger

 

[highest_vision]

the easiest and cheapest thing to do is to remove the back window of the pick-up and install an accordion boot.

[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]Did you find that you had to make those two opening the exact same size as the [/font][font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]accordion boot sellers say? Or were the two openings already more or less the same size?[/font]

 

[highdesertranger]

the openings must match exactly or the boot will not fit correctly. there are ways to correct the openings so they match, that are not that difficult to do. highdesertranger