RVing message boards > Truck campers
Riding in the back of a truck camper
baadpuppy:
I found this link while searching for information on motorhome width, height, and length legalities. There was information about riding in truck campers and towed campers for many of the states.
Personally, I would not want passengers anywhere other than the passenger space of a vehicle. In a motorhome, the back is designed as passenger as well as living space. In a trailer or truck camper, it is designed as living space, not passenger space. But that is just my opinion.
I hope this helps,
jim
George4:
I found a good listing of laws for all the states here. Looks like its legal in all the states except a few. http://www.towingworld.com/articles/TowingLaws.htm
Lou Schneider:
What kind of windows do you have in a slide-in camper? Motorhomes are required to have tempered safety glass in all windows to protect occupants from flying shards in the event of a crash, trailers do not.
Slide-in campers may fall under the trailer classification.
Beyond that, I'd have real concerns about the strength of typical truck camper hold-downs vs. having the camper body solidly bolted to the vehicle frame holding things together in the event of a crash.
Most states that allow riding in truck campers require a way for the camper occupants to communicate with the driver in case of an emergency. Do you have a sliding rear window in the cab and a matching window in the camper that will be kept open, an intercom system, or what?
George4:
--- Quote from: Lou Schneider on January 11, 2012, 11:51:29 PM ---What kind of windows do you have in a slide-in camper? Motorhomes are required to have tempered safety glass in all windows to protect occupants from flying shards in the event of a crash, trailers do not.
Slide-in campers may fall under the trailer classification.
Beyond that, I'd have real concerns about the strength of typical truck camper hold-downs vs. having the camper body solidly bolted to the vehicle frame holding things together in the event of a crash.
Most states that allow riding in truck campers require a way for the camper occupants to communicate with the driver in case of an emergency. Do you have a sliding rear window in the cab and a matching window in the camper that will be kept open, an intercom system, or what?
--- End quote ---
Well this got me thinking so I went and looked at all the windows in my truck camper and they are all tempered safety glass windows. And I am sure that the torklift tiedown setup I have bloted to the frame with stainless turn buckles is compairable in strangth to the way many RVs are attached to the truck frame. When you attatch the truck camper to your truck in the eyes of most states it now becomes a RV and falls into the same rules and laws as RVs do. And yes I have sliding windows in both truck and camper that is sealed around with a truk boot, that way we can talk and pass food and drinks through.
scottydl:
--- Quote from: George4 on January 15, 2012, 12:29:03 PM ---When you attatch the truck camper to your truck in the eyes of most states it now becomes a RV and falls into the same rules and laws as RVs do.
--- End quote ---
I guess it depends on what state you are referring to. In Illinois, it's just a truck with a load in the bed. But then again, Illinois doesn't have any regulations against passengers in a truck bed (believe it or not) so I guess passengers would not be legally forbidden in a truck camper. It still seems like an overall unsafe idea for the unrestrained passengers back there, which I'm guessing would likely be children.
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