Pass-Through Between Camper and Truck

[michelle_east_county]

In the '70s there were a number of companies making accordian-like bellows or inflatable inner tube-like seals allowing one to open their sliding rear truck can window and squeeze through the camper front window into the camper. I don't know how dust or water-leak prone they were. Now, aside from the tiny opening power rear truck windows, there seems to be only the C R Laurence sliding unit and another company that makes one where the glass pops out and is removed, the latter having complaints. Only a few companies now make the inflatable seals, and I assume it might take several to fill large gap near top of window as modern trucks have the backs of their cabs angled, not straight up and down.

Has anyone had any recent experience with any of these components or otherwise had a pass-through?

 

[Kolockum]

Some guys have used inner tubes to make a seal between the cab and camper.

 

[Edgewood]

I used a bicycle inner tube on a topper. I believe it was a 26" mountain bike tube. Inflate a little bit and slide it into place then inflate to seal. This did cause the paint on the cab to wear a bit.

 

[desert-trails]

Our used Hallmark came from the previous owner with a boot they had made at a upholstery shop. It's tapered - wider at the top and narrowing down at the bottom.

Our F-350 came without a sliding window. I bought the CR Lawrence sliding one and had a local auto window shop install it. The sliding window is too small for anyone but our cat to fit thru, but that's why we installed it. We have driven in rain with no leaks. It does squeak a bit when it's cold but we're pleased with it. And so is the cat.

 

[SkyP]

I had one years ago (mid 70's) that was basically a cylinder open on both ends made of something like naugahyde.
At each end a springy steel hoop was sewn in the hem.
You'd kind of squash one of the springy steel hoops and stick it through both openings from one side, keeping the other hoop on the other side of the window openings.
Once through you'd release it and it would pop back into a circle.
Sort of like a giant hollow rivit sealing the two openings.

Hard to describe but as I recall it worked pretty good. Haven't seen one in years.

 

[michelle_east_county]

Our used Hallmark came from the previous owner with a boot they had made at a upholstery shop. It's tapered - wider at the top and narrowing down at the bottom.

Our F-350 came without a sliding window. I bought the CR Lawrence sliding one and had a local auto window shop install it. The sliding window is too small for anyone but our cat to fit thru, but that's why we installed it. We have driven in rain with no leaks. It does squeak a bit when it's cold but we're pleased with it. And so is the cat.

That boot made at the upholstery shop; what material was it filled with and what was the outer liner? Did your truck have a high-mount brake light and/or bed lights above the rear window? Those, plus a bed camera, are on mine and may mean in addition to needing to buy or build something wider at top like yours, it may also require a recessed section to accommodate the housing for above lights and camera. Closed-cell foam wrapped in vinyl comes to mind for one possible solution.

 

[michelle_east_county]

I had one years ago (mid 70's) that was basically a cylinder open on both ends made of something like naugahyde.
At each end a springy steel hoop was sewn in the hem.
You'd kind of squash one of the springy steel hoops and stick it through both openings from one side, keeping the other hoop on the other side of the window openings.
Once through you'd release it and it would pop back into a circle.
Sort of like a giant hollow rivit sealing the two openings.

Hard to describe but as I recall it worked pretty good. Haven't seen one in years.

' sounds like the metal hoops of a folding windshield shade. I could see this working as long as rain didn't follow a fold or wrinkle and run past either open window and leak inside truck or camper. Any leak or dust issues on yours? Was it sturdy enough to crawl through, assuming opening was big enough?

 

[SkyP]

Don't recall it ever leaking. It was on my 70's Toyota pickup with a shell. I don't think I could fit through the openings

 

[desert-trails]

That boot made at the upholstery shop; what material was it filled with and what was the outer liner? Did your truck have a high-mount brake light and/or bed lights above the rear window? Those, plus a bed camera, are on mine and may mean in addition to needing to buy or build something wider at top like yours, it may also require a recessed section to accommodate the housing for above lights and camera. Closed-cell foam wrapped in vinyl comes to mind for one possible solution.

It's foam rubber with a vinyl outer cover.

I do have the high mounted brake light but that doesn't affect the seal. I did remove the bed-light bulbs which comes on when the doors are open. The bulbs/lens got hot if they were on too long Our XL model F-350 doesn't have a bed camera.

So far we've had this boot on for almost three years and it works well. Probably wasn't too expensive for the original owner of the camper to have it made. We are in Southern California but have driven it back East in heavy rain and I never saw any leakage. Hope that helps.