Crew Cab or Regular Cab

The crew cab 8 ft. bed truck is massive. I personally don't need the space for passengers but our lab is comfy in the rear floor of our extended, suicide door truck. I bought the long bed before i went camper shopping knowing there was a better selection of used long bed campers. My idea set up would be extended cab, short bed truck with non slide short bed camper. Lighter and shorter for maneuverability. Maybe next time.

Liked my regular cab for 11 years. Did not like my Chevy Duramax parts eater however.
But checking any truck sales lot these days shows what most people want.
Shorter overall length is great though. Lower ferry fees if you want to take one to Alaska. Fitting into parking lots is much easier.

Finally the Ability to carry less junk can be liberating.



My former rig, don't miss the Chevy parts eater but miss that camper a little.
All that shade over the windshield turned out to be a real positive for me.

My observations of recently moving from an extended to crew cab:
1. Larger bulky items will fit better in an extended cab where there is no pillar between the front and rear seats and the rear doors are hinged to the back.
2. The extra amount of extra space to haul gear is surprising in crew verses extended.
3. It is more convenient to access items in the back with crew doors than having to open front and rear extended cab doors each time.

I have owned one standard cab truck and would not go back to one due to the lack of seat comfort and interior storage. My first extended cab truck had no rear doors - This was fine in my youth, but the access is about as good as a coupe with a back seat. My second extended cab had suicide doors on both sides - This works well for access but leaves back passengers trapped until the front door is open. My current truck has a crew cab making access much easier to the rear as long as items fit through the door opening.

Although I have not had the crew cab very long, I feel the extended cab is the best compromise for overall length and extra cab capacity. If my Ram was offered with a Super Cab like my previous Ford, I would have chosen it over the crew. Ram's Quad Cab in the smaller trucks (their version of the extended cab), reduces the rear door openings too much for my use. GM's extended cab works just as well or better than Ford's, but the cab is shorter in height and can be a head banger for taller people.

Went from a regular cab to an "extended" cab because I drive with the seat all the way back leaving no room in the regular cab for any seatback adjustments to change position on long hauls.

One down-side I noticed which is probably exacerbated in a full crew cab - my view down into the bed while loading is more limited than it was with the regular cab.

I do value the extra storage and also it's convenience. For one example, on a photography trip around Yellowstone last year, I was making numerous stops at promising locations. I also found it a lot more convenient to just open the back truck doors to get cameras, big lenses, tripods, etc. Going around and climbing up into the camper 3 or 4 times at every location to get all the stuff out would have gotten very old after twenty stops or so.

My choice is neither. Crew cabs are too long and regular cabs too small. I prefer the Super cab with the 8' box. Enough room for the occasional 4 people for short distances, or for the Golden Retriever. Although not as maneuverable as a regular cab, it isn't bad. I find that I can see the curvature of the earth down the side of any of the CC long boxes ;-)

My super cab is the compromise I was looking for and this is the second one I have owned.

Bedlam wrote:
The advantage of the standard cab:
1. Shorter wheelbase allowing for tighter turns
2. Shorter overall length
3. More weight distributed to front axle
4. Less expensive

The advantage of a larger cab:
1. Room for more passengers
2. Room for more gear
3. Less proposing with longer wheelbase
4. Driver seat may have more adjustments

Add more payload capacity to the list for the standard cab. That's the primary reason I got mine.
Secondary reason was that I wanted a long bed and the crew long bed is REALLY long and not very good maneuverability.
I've got my eye on an easy to remove bed cover for shopping items, etc when camper is not on the truck.
My previous truck was a regular cab also, but a little smaller TC.
No problems with porpoising.

cc is also good for car seat for the grandkid. i'm glad i went cc this time,instead of s/cab.the underseat and floor storage on the ram is awesome.

Crew cab truck are nice if that's your only vehicle, because it makes an awesome grocery and stuff hauler when shopping. More room for grocery runs.

homefor2 wrote:
My T shirts and shorts don't need hangers. If I need to hang something up, I'm not wearing it. LOL

That's the best description of wardrobe choice I've ever heard! Mind if I use it?

JPF59 wrote:
Does any one know if the over hangs are all the same length whit the N-S beds ?

I would venture to say that they are all within 6-8" of each other. All that I have seen, the matress ends at the rear edge of the overhang, but the front edge stops at a small shelf or something ahead of the mattress.