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Comment by jandrese | Hacker News Reader

Non-crew cab is almost extinct. I think there are tax/regulatory reasons for this, but it also drives me crazy that so many trucks have beds that are terrible at carrying 8' long items like 2x4s and plywood sheets. At least with a 6' bed the stuff is only sticking out a little past the end of the tailgate.

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I would wager it is only the retail market where the non-crew-cab is nearly extinct. A two seat pickup is a niche vehicle, about as useful for carrying a family around as a two seat sports car.

> A two seat pickup is a niche vehicle, about as useful for carrying a family around as a two seat sports car.

Not to country folk—kids ride in the bed. Or crammed in the middle if there aren't too many of them and they're still fairly small and you're lucky enough to still have a bench seat.

Not legally (in many states).

Never stopped country folk before. See also: shooting stop signs.

Doesn't work for suburbanites with trucks, though.

Lay down in the bed and nobody will see.

Have you ever been in the back of a pickup? This would be incredibly uncomfortable at best and is likely to cause a concussion or worse.

I have. I had a pillow. Went about 45 miles. I don't recommend it.

Edit: The ride really wasn't so bad, but it wasn't exactly comfortable, and it was a bit awkward. I recommend riding in a factory installed seat with a seat belt. For safety.

Hasn't been my experience. Rural or not, everyone I know has a crew cab now. Supercabs are not uncommon, but the minority for sure, and single cabs are so rare that they catch your eye. Mostly because the fundamental design of modern trucks was clearly not intended for a single cab, so it looks chopped.

Damn, that changed fast.

Even in the work market they want the crew cab: for the crew to ride around in. I've been the person on a crew who had to ride in the middle seat of the small truck, I never want to again.

Pickup trucks aren't for carrying a family around. The whole point is to have a large open cargo space for building materials, equipment, etc... If you want to haul a family use a sedan or minivan. Those back seats in crew cabs are always cramped and uncomfortable anyway. They are a terrible tradeoff, and yet the entire automotive industry has gone all in on them.

What if you need to haul things while simultaneously carrying a family around? I don't find them to be a terrible tradeoff at all, and I expect that the reason the entire automotive industry has gone all in on them is because I'm not an outlier in that regard.

> What if you need to haul things while simultaneously carrying a family around?

Have one partner drive a sedan/wagon with the kids and another partner haul. A lot more economical too.

How is it more economical to drive the truck and car instead of just the truck?

Because you can drive such a truck https://preview.redd.it/jxpnmzv586e81.png?width=1024&auto=we... if you do not need to transport a family and a sedan and those two will weigh less and have better combined gas mileage than american larger truck. If you relax the assumption that you always transport both a family and a truck load you allow for more powerful trucks and still come out ahead.

In addition you do not need to waste gas if either capability goes unused and the mileage of transporting people won't depreciate the more expensive truck faster.

Get an ute then?

> Those back seats in crew cabs are always cramped and uncomfortable anyway

Huh? Show me a single sedan with the rear seat legroom of an F150? Heck, how many come within six inches of having that kind of legroom?

No wonder you think pickups aren't for carrying a family around.

FWIW, I have a Ridgeline with a 5'4" bed. My 10'6" surfboards are fine with the tailgate down (total flat length just shy of 7') and a red flag on the end.

Edit - I would have considered a Santa Cruz or Maverick, had they been available when I bought the RL. But, they're beds are smaller yet and one of the big selling points of the RL was the under-bed trunk, which is massive (about the same as the trunk on my wife's BMW).

The Santa Cruz has a lot of storage under the bed. I was shocked that Ford completely seemed to miss the boat with that in the Maverick.

I finally saw a Santa Cruz in person - the bed is quite a bit higher than I was expecting; then again that's how they get the storage :p

It's about half the size of the Ridgeline trunk, mostly due to shallower depth.

My trunk always contains a small toolbox, bicycle pump, electric SUP pump, several camp chairs and a folding table, PFDs, SUP/kayak paddles, water shoes/flip-flops, tie-downs, and some other odds/ends, with room to spare.

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