Pass-through really necessary?

1000arms

Well-known member
You know, most people can't be honest and write that! :cool:
Lol.

There are also mounts for three M-16s on the insides of the cab doors- one on the left, and two on the right.

It was originally an armored gun truck.

We're having fun with this vehicle... :)
I corrected your post :cool:. See the following:

It is an armored gun truck. We're having fun with this vehicle. Muwahahahaha!
 

MTVR

Well-known member
Nah, they took the armor off before sending it to auction.

But I guess it's going to be a gun truck again...

 

Joe917

Explorer
I'm not saying a pass-through is the reason to buy a big expensive vehicle; I'm saying it's a reason (pertaining to capabilities/comfort). What I'm trying to decide is whether it's a good enough reason to shell out $350k+ for a vehicle. For me, the only way it would be a good enough reason is if there's a significant safety benefit. Other people may have different priorities.
Not my quote
 

AbleGuy

Officious Intermeddler
I'm not saying a pass-through is the reason to buy a big expensive vehicle; I'm saying it's a reason (pertaining to capabilities/comfort). What I'm trying to decide is whether it's a good enough reason to shell out $350k+ for a vehicle. For me, the only way it would be a good enough reason is if there's a significant safety benefit. Other people may have different priorities.


I think you might be over thinking this issue just a bit. You really don’t need to buy a high priced 4wd rig to have the pass through option, if you do a DYI job.

On our last (very cheap) 8’ hard sided cabover truck camper on our HD 3/4 Ton 4wd truck, we built our own custom weatherproof compression “boot” in between the front of the camper and truck’s rear window. We cut a large hole in the front of the camper to allow crawling through to the truck's cab through its sliding rear window, and visa versa. This worked great for the 13 years we had that combo.

We never had any concern about someone breaking into the cab and using that crawl through to access our camper (really?). If it had been a concern, a simple locking metal fence “gate“ would have been easy to install there. This feature was very useful for long drives, allowing one to go into the back to use the toilet (very handy through driving across L.A. on stalled freeways, and in other huge, traffic constipated cities like Seattle) or to go back and prepare a simple meal without having to pull over and stop. We sometimes took turns napping back there en route too. On the rare occasion when we had to overnight at Walmarts or rest areas, having the security of the crawl through was pretty nice too.

Today, with the tiny, worthless sliders* that come on newer trucks, building the pass through would be a bit more of a challenge. You’d have to have a custom rear window with a useable slider made. But still, that’s a heck of a lot cheaper that buying an ER!

*These are yet another irritating example of the modern “we’ll build whatever the hell we want, and screw what you the consumers want” practice of today’s vehicle manufacturers. For some dumb reason, as we get fatter, these damn “pass through“ windows get even smaller! They’re pretty damn worthless now, unless you want to toss your empty beer cans into your truck bed, or hand back a doggie biscuit to fido.
 
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MTVR

Well-known member
For some dumb reason, as we get fatter, these damn “pass through“ windows get even smaller! They’re pretty damn worthless now, unless you want to toss your empty beer cans into your truck bed...

You drink and drive?

You drink beer from cans?
 

s.e.charles

Well-known member
why couldn't the cab of a pickup be structurally enhanced to accept a decent size hole? everything else on the rigs I see has been altered. seems like some additional reinforcement would be possible.
 

mobydick 11

Active member
I currently have one of each ,pass through and slide in camper . Three reasons I vote for a Pass through . 1- heat and air can pass through and keep sleeping area warm or cool .This is a big advantage in the winter ,so nice to have a warm bed when stop for the night . 2- wife has to go to the bathroom every hour ,saves a couple hours a day if you are driving . 3- dog can go into the back and sleep on the bed or chair and you can put her food and water bowl on the floor for her .
 

Rufus

New member
Anyway, how important is a pass-through from the camper to the cab?

REAL IMPORTANT! If you don't have one, you'll want one. If you have one, you'll never give it up.

Some examples....Wyoming, February, near 0 degrees, blowing 45 mph. Gotta pee. Climb through or walk around? Your choice. Moab, March, raining like the devil, just pulled into my campsite. Climb through or walk around? Any long day of traveling, need food and drink? Do you take the time to pull over and get or do you send your partner through the pass-through?

Additionally, in the spring/summer/fall we tend to park the nose of the Fuso towards the rising sun so we get morning heat gain which flows into the house from the cab. Conversely, in the winter we have an insulated curtain that rolls down to separate the cab from the house.

My pass-through is about 24" high and 5' wide, making it easy for my 5'8", 140# wife to pass easily through both ways. But I'm a big lad. While I can use the pass-through, I look like a beached manatee in the process, but it is possible.

Any security concerns about getting up and going if things get dicey are, in my opinion, so rare that they're not worth discussing. But there is something to be said about having a second means of egress from the house if your primary access is blocked, the lock broken, or if a fire prevents you from leaving via the house door.

Again, in my opinion, a pass-through from cab to house is highly important convenience-wise, and moderately important safety-wise. YMMV.
 

Ramdough

Adventurer

Just adding to that.....

With a stair style camper entry, a dog can climb in. There is no way for a dog to get into my cab, I would have to lift her up and throw her in.

I am going through great lengths to maximize my crawl through such that I will have a hunch through. When I get older, I would prefer to walk through, than crawl or get down and back up.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

foxhunter

Adventurer
The pass thru on my u500 was a $10k option for my GXV body. It is a crawl through. The rubber connection that allows flexion between the chassis and the camper has torn three times in 8 years due to aggressive off roading. It costs $400 to fix. It comes in handy but if I had it to do over I would live without it
 

Joe917

Explorer
The pass thru on my u500 was a $10k option for my GXV body. It is a crawl through. The rubber connection that allows flexion between the chassis and the camper has torn three times in 8 years due to aggressive off roading. It costs $400 to fix. It comes in handy but if I had it to do over I would live without it
That is a GXV design flaw, not a general pass/crawl/walk through problem.
 

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