Truck, family, and traveling…..any thoughts?

So we are having our first child early next year and a debate on vehicles has come up (wife wants a new car). In this discussion it has come up as to what needs we have to fulfill for the new car (SUV). We currently have decided on a 2008 Highlander, just looking for the right one now.

One aspect we are discussing is the role of my truck. I have an 03′ Dodge 2500 quad cab. My wife thinks there is no way young kids are going to sit and be comfortable in the rear seating and that we will not be able to use the truck for trips (2-4 hours north). I don’t see any way around not using it as if we take a mid-sized SUV (two kennels should fit in an 08 Highlander) and put both dog kennels in the back it leaves no space for any cargo. So, any trip we go on with the dogs will leave no space inside the SUV.

For those of you with pickups…do you use them much for family trips with younger kids?

My brother has 2 kids (2 & 4) and they are great in the truck. They sit in car seats until their 5 or 6 anyway. He has a Silverado 2500 and a Ford F-350. They actually travel in the F-350 Quad Cab most of the time because of the room. Silverado is number 2 and their car is #3. I will be getting a Quad cab to replace my 1/2 ton ext. cab next time.

Raised two boys with a pick up truck, the wife drove the suv. No problem, remember, it’s not about the back seat but the comfort and safety of the car seat. The only issue I had was having only three doors on the extended cab, now I have four Good luck.

BTW, took the family out west this summer with the Chevy truck-topper. Couldn’t have worked out better.

Is your Hemi the full crew(regular size doors)? If not, I would plan to upgrade in the upcoming years. Once you start loading multiple kids into car seats, you’ll understand what I mean.

Get your wife the Highlanger. She will be very happy. They are a very highly rated vehicle for safety. I wouldn’t allow my wife to purchase one, but let’s not get into American/Japanese today.

Now, you can go about hauling more cargo several ways. Bumper extender and/or car top cargo box. By the time we had kid #3, our explorer just didn’t cut it. So we upgraded to the Expedition(another story). We couldn’t even get 3 car seats in the 2nd row. It’s impossible to use the 3rd row for kids in car seats. I had both the bumper hitch and car top full along with the back end for our long trips to SD(Xmas, lots of chit). 6+ hours on a good trip. Put the “needs to stay dry” on top in the waterproof carrier. The other stuff like coolers etc on the bumper.

Good luck!!

I guess it was a good thing you couldn’t hear me laughing as I read through this. I had the exact same circumstances 14 years ago. I kept my truck and THANK GOD I did. At the time, i had a Ford F-250 ext. cab. Having that bed to put all the baby stuff into was awesome. The first time you head somewhere that will be an over-night stay, you will freak out on how much stuff you need to tote along.

In comparison, my sister-n-law just had her second baby (now a year old and first just turned 3) They came up camping with us for a quick get away weekend. I cracked up when I saw their SUV. Luggage rack with one of those plastic boxes on it, receiver hitch had a luggage rack in it, kids were packed in like sardines, and all they did was complained about having no room. Found out later they sent some of their stuff with a FEW of the other couples that came up. Big vehicle with little room.

Also, my girls are now 11 and 14. We did a 4000 mile road trip this summer in just under 2 weeks. MN, SD, WY, CO,…. Having the truck was perfect for light camping equipment, coolers, luggage, and plenty of room for us up front.

IDO Trip link

Thanks for the info…this definitely helps confirm my thoughts! And that’s a good point on the car seats. They will be in a car seat for the next 6-7 years anyways…..so comfort is somewhat of a non issue (at least until then).

I do have the 4 door, and this is one the reasons I upgraded to the 4 door Cummins, and sold the regular cab Hemi. Plus the topper makes it that more useful.

One of the reasons this has been a debate as most (all) of the used low mileage Highlanders we are looking at do not have the tow package, so I wont be able to tow the CL 1850 Sportfish with the SUV. I figure that’s a non-issue because I would rather tow with the diesel anyways…..and the kids should fit just fine (at least for a while anyways).

Thanks for the info….I think we may be able to go without the tow package and keep the truck for the bigger duties of the family. We don’t plan on having more than two kids.

Congrats on baby #1!!

Whatever you decide make sure it has a DVD player. Life saver on those longer journeys.

I traded my pickup for a Suburban in 2001 after our daughter was born. Great tow vehicle
and room to spare even with a couple of dogs!!

Good Luck!!

I have 3 kids, ages 2-8. We roll in my 4 door Silverado at least 6 times a year to Winnie (4+ hour drive). Good luck with anything other than a PU truck. Not only is the truck filled to the hilt, but I had to start bringing my boat home every trip just for the sake of hauling more &^%$ for the kids (bikes, strollers, etc…)

I have 2.5 and 8.5 year olds and a 2500 Suburban. The kids love to ride in dad’s “big truck.” They love the view for being higher up and I feel a lot safer than in our Impala. Room for 8 or take out the rear row of seats and you have 6 feet of room.

either a Tahoe or a Suburban.. that will haul the wife and child and backpack, front pack.. fanny pack, stroller, car seat, buggy… baby bed.. baby blankets.. baby diapers.. Baby clothes..a bag for diapers.. a bag for dirty diapers.. a bag for puked on baby clothes.. and you get a sandwich bag for all of your stuff..

Keep the truck. All points already mentioned apply. I had an extended cab and moved up to a 4 door now that they are able to open their doors themselves. 4 door is great for loading an infant car seat as well…easier on your back!! The highlander is small for hauling kids and stuff on long trips. Only way to get an suv that will haul what you need is buying a full size suv like the suburban types!! In my opinion, keep the truck for long rides and hauling and get the vehicle she likes for all other options. As noted earlier, get the portable dvd player for the car/truck…it is a life saver…lol

Ted

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that will haul the wife and child and backpack, front pack.. fanny pack, stroller, car seat, buggy… baby bed.. baby blankets.. baby diapers.. Baby clothes..a bag for diapers.. a bag for dirty diapers.. a bag for puked on baby clothes.. and you get a sandwich bag for all of your stuff..

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Try that with 3 still in diapers for 6+ hour trip. I don’t know where my wife finds it, but she somehow packs everything in our whole house. Can’t wait til we have to take big items like bikes.

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For those of you with pickups…do you use them much for family trips with younger kids?

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Both of my kids grew up in the back seat of a pickup. No problems
Things to eventually get:
Four door, king cab truck
DVD player, and a boat load of movies
For room, I love Tahoe’s and Suburbans but spend 4-6 hours driving with a dog that’s been sprayed by a skunk
I will take my truck and topper over anything

I’ve got an 2001 extended cab silverado and have two boys(2.5yrs and 2.5 months), right now they both bit, but my oldest is getting a little crowded when the seat is all the way back. Now when he switches to a booster seat he will have more room again.

With that being said, the wife just got a tahoe and loves it. Tons of room for both boys and 4 adults if needed(no third seat).

I guess for me, we will always have a truck and an SUV, just makes sense for us and we will be able to take either vehichle on trips if needed.

Good luck!

Dave