Kids riding in the TC?

Like someone said, there's a line between reckless and risk. If my childrens' safety is my only concern, why would I take them anywhere in the car other than a hospital?

Playing the what-if game can lead down a dangerous slippery slope of not "living", in my opinion.

Some things are different than years ago but it's mostly how people think that has changed. "Zero tolerance" is an irrational goal for most things.

Generally, I evaluate questions like this based on cost/benefit. Unfortunately, life is highly unpredictable . . . nobody really wakes up in the morning with a plan of being in an automobile collision that day. But, the fact is, each week there are enough traffic fatalities to fill a 737 and 10's of thousands of injuries. Last weekend alone, there were 6 fatalities in the Phoenix area.

So, as a parent, it is my obligation to do the best job possible to ensure my family's safety in case of one of these unanticipated events. For me personally (and we each must make our own choices), I believe it would be irresponsible and negligent in allowing anyone to ride in the camper (especially since its not designed with the safety of its passengers in mind) while barreling down the road. If you've ever seen an rv after a collision, you have likely observed that they pretty much disintergrate.

Agreed, it would probably be a fun and memorable experience to ride in the camper during our family vacation, but I would also live with the memory of my bad decision if someone was injured or killed in an accident. The benefit does not outweigh the cost.

Happy travels, have fun and be safe.

JimK-NY wrote:
Be sure to keep at least one kid in the truck so you have a spare in case of a major accident.

That is hilarious! With our four boys, they all resemble each other close enough anyway! ;)

Be sure to keep at least one kid in the truck so you have a spare in case of a major accident.

After this incident one would think I would never let the kids ride in the back



However, with a bit more knoweledge on the way my camper anchor bolts are maufactured (originally the manufacture advertised they were "bolted through the frame" which was a lie and I believed without inspecting myselfand learning the hard way) and choosing the best tie down system ever desinged with my Torkilift system, I allow the kids to ride in the back. Call me crazy or "young and dumb" but my best childhood memories are riding in the cabover of my grandpas TC and to take that away from my kids just because the world is getting "worse" is a bunch of BS. If it wasn't for the freedom feeling of riding in the back of the truck barreling down the road I felt as a kid I would have never fallen In love with the true freedom a TC provides.

Late 70s up through 1986, I rode in the camper all the time on family trips - we (my parents) only had a regular cab truck..... uh.... because that's all that existed in the GM truck lineup.

If I had kids, I'd probably not want them riding in the camper for safety reasons.

Our kids rode in the old Dreamer camoer in the early 70s to 80s from Oklahoma to Oregon and back and lots of places in between without incident. We had the pass through window and doughnut for them. No crew cab then. But then seat belts weren't all that common nor required then either in truck or camper. The Good Lord must have liked us or just didn't want any of us yet. Today I wouldn't do it as I'm older and seen too many disasters to be comfortable with it even if people didn't stick their noses in your business as is so common nowadays.

My sister and I used to ride in the cabover campers when traveling when we were young. I remember one trip when the driver slammed on the brakes when someone pulled in front of him and then accelerated after the incident. I rolled forward, from the stop, and then flew backward, over my sister and landed on the floor at the back of the large camper. I landed on my face. I was about 5 years old and it broke my nose. I'm lucky it didn't kill me.

Riding up there was fun, but I would never, ever, let my child do it.

Without getting too much off topic, I'm 58, so I suppose that I could be "senior" to many (LOVE AARP discounts! ;) As I have aged I am more cautious, but overprotective?... well I don't know, that's a relative term, but if I have somebodies life in my hands I now seem to be more cautious than perhaps when I was 25. I think most people are. No argument here and everyone should do what they feel comfortable with. I still hike out in the middle of nowhere in the wilderness for miles and miles with a backpack of supplies, fishing rod and a compass, and have taken my nieces/nephews with me. Some would say that's crazy or putting them in danger... but?... Anyway, to each his own!.. just go camping!! :)

Dak

When our daughters were young, birth to preteens, we lived in Nenana Alaska and had a truck camper, a Class C bunk house model and a 35 ft. 5th wheel. Very seldom did we let the girls ride in the truck camper while on the road, but early on we only had regular cab pickups with a bench seat. Four people was a bit crowded. IN the Class C, the girls road in the overhead much of the time and we never gave it a lot of thought as to safety. My philosophy has always been to not have an accident, whether driving or flying my airplanes and so far it has worked. I have over 3,000 hours of Alaska bush flying experience and we made, I believe, 6 round trips from Alaska to the lower 48, usually to Florida where my wife's parents lived. Not sure why the idea of the girls riding in the overhead of the Class C seemed OK but not so much in the TC? Must have been, we could see them better in the C.

Would never have allowed them to ride in the 5th wheel when on the road. But we soon set it up permanently on our lot on the Kenai River just upstream from Soldotna. We would then use our TC/truck to pull our jet boat down to fish and play.

Probably why families used to be larger in numbers, get that heir and a few spares and you didn't have to be so careful. LOL I still remember riding on the front fenders of my dad's pickups as we drove down the back gravel roads of rural Oklahoma where I grew up or started growing up. LOL

I know I am a lot more careful now with my grandsons than I was with my daughters at their ages. But that goes for everything not just riding in vehicles.