Double cab drivers need your input...

03 Cobra · August 17, 2021

I have a '15 2500HD crew cab now and am looking to get a new '22. Logic would have me move into a crew cab again because that's what I have now and the wife and young daughter like riding in the back seat. However, I am intrigued by the new double cabs. For the guys that have a double cab how would you describe the back seat experience? Do you put people back there on a regular basis without complaints or only once in awhile? I know the T1s have bigger double cabs than previous generations but I don't know if they are big enough to keep the family happy!! Thanks, Fellas!

Edited August 17, 2021 by 03 Cobra

Random · August 18, 2021

My previous '14 was a double cab and while it got us by for a while, it eventually got to a point where my boys were getting too big to be comfortable for long road trips. Getting a crew cab for my current truck was a priority and my family is super happy we went that route with all that extra leg room. I've ridden in my buddies 2021 double cab a few times and we fit 4 adults without a problem. If we were going on any trips longer than our lunch breaks, then I would probably be calling shotgun so my legs wouldn't cramp up from not being able to stretch them out.

If you plan on taking the family on long road trips I would highly suggest sticking with the crew cab. While the double cab will get you by, even on long road trips, as your kid(s) get taller it will slowly become a problem.

03 Cobra · August 18, 2021

9 hours ago, Random said:

My previous '14 was a double cab and while it got us by for a while, it eventually got to a point where my boys were getting too big to be comfortable for long road trips. Getting a crew cab for my current truck was a priority and my family is super happy we went that route with all that extra leg room. I've ridden in my buddies 2021 double cab a few times and we fit 4 adults without a problem. If we were going on any trips longer than our lunch breaks, then I would probably be calling shotgun so my legs wouldn't cramp up from not being able to stretch them out.

If you plan on taking the family on long road trips I would highly suggest sticking with the crew cab. While the double cab will get you by, even on long road trips, as your kid(s) get taller it will slowly become a problem.

Hey thanks, Random, for the reply! It's great to hear first hand from someone that has been in a current HD truck with a double cab. Your experience is what I expected (but didn't want to hear!!). Crew cab is probably best overall and supports the "happy wife" mind set especially since she's used to a crew cab with my '15 HD. It would probably work for us during short trips but if we get into a 4 or 5 hour drive to go camping with a cranky kid or two we could have a problem.

I hope I get a few more replies with additional perspectives. Why I am asking is I am intrigued by the option to go 2500HD with a double cab and standard bed. It cuts about 10" off the length of the truck and seems like it would improve drivability in town with parking and such.

Dunn · August 19, 2021

Had a 2020 HD crew cab and 2 1500 dbl cabs.....I would not want to sit back there for any length of time.....HD and 1500 are basically same.... If you want to transport people get crew cab

nards444 · August 19, 2021

I have had two chevy double cabs, the last one being a 1500. Up front I wont go back. The extra 3-4 grand solves all the headaches up front. I would imagine the 1500 and 2500 cabs are probably about the same plus or minus a few inches.

I can say double cabs are terrible with car seats speically infant ones only fit in the middle. Only way I would get into the a double cab would be this. One it might have to be a good deal. 2. Frankly nobody ever rides back there, and thats where I was when I had one until I had kids. Yeah its fine for 2-3 adults for a short time, but nothing I would want to do for hours on end. The other situation is maybe the kids were small and I only planned on having the truck 3-5 years or so and would get another by the time they got bigger.

With that said or could be like when we grew up with the suicide doors, get in back didnt matter and deal with.

Even so with a crew cab you lift up seats and have a huge area to put things, i find myself putting things there instead of the bed.

03 Cobra · August 19, 2021

Good points, Guys, and thanks for the first hand accounts! So far the feedback is consistent...even the current / larger double cabs don't support long(er) trips with adults in the back seat.

KARNUT · August 19, 2021

I mostly had extended cabs preferred them. Never used mine as passenger vehicles. We either used my performance cars or my wife’s car. My trucks were generally for work. Usually diesels and slugs. Come to think of it. Until recently I would say boring to drive. I wanted fun to drive.

LDM · August 19, 2021

When I first started looking at newer trucks after my old Tahoe blew a head gasket, I wasn't sure on which would be the better choice, double or crew cab. I liked the extra space in the crew cab for stuff as I don't typically carry passengers very often. However, it was almost impossible to find a crew cab with the 6.5" bed, they all came with the smaller bed. I haul more stuff in the bed than I carry people, so in the ended I decided that the extra space for the crew cab was less important.

You can fit regular size adults in the double cab without too much issue, although I don't know that it would be super comfortable on long trips. I definitely wouldn't want to sit back there if you are 6"+ though.

Really wish I could get the double cab with a 8" bed but I'd have to move up to the 2500/3500 to get that and they aren't easy to find either.

Dunn · August 21, 2021

On 8/19/2021 at 9:39 AM, 03 Cobra said:

Good points, Guys, and thanks for the first hand accounts! So far the feedback is consistent...even the current / larger double cabs don't support long(er) trips with adults in the back seat.

both my double cabs were 19 RST and currently 21 elevation.....dbl cabs are for storage, which is what i use it for

Grumpy Bear · August 21, 2021

If I lived the RV life and my summer was pulling a 5th wheel really long distances...crew cab it is. I expect that is a really small percentage of truck owners who have families and live to camp.

That means a box is superfluous and we are no longer talking about need....but want.

Buy a Suburban or a Buick LaCrosse. Caddy CTS, Chevy Impala, Chrysler 300....Oh wait....nobody makes a four door family car anymore because we all need a box instead of a trunk...and kicked really comfortable cars to the curb so we could impress people we don't like buying things we don't have the money for to impress people we don't even really know.

KARNUT · August 21, 2021

I’m amazed at all the passengers trucks I see on the road. I was with my brother in law in his Tahoe when he put gas in it 50$. A full size truck would be the same. My cars and CRV stay under 30$ for a fill up. The CRV fully loaded was 34K my Camry was the same. I love my old used Avalanche. I treat it like my old classic cars of the past. I ain’t taking a trip in it. I just don’t get people paying 50-60k for a passenger truck.

03 Cobra · August 22, 2021

Well Guys the other day I was able to get my wife's impression of a double cab and as expected it was in line with the feedback provided here! We were on our way to the store and I swung by a Chevy dealership and they had a new double cab 2500HD on the lot and the doors were unlocked so I had her get in the back seat. I didn't tell her the back story about why I wanted her to sit in it just that I wanted her to give me her impression of the back seat. The first thing she said was how the bottom cushion is shorter doesn't support her leg like in our current crew cab and that even with the front seat pulled forward it felt a lot tighter. I asked her if there was any scenario where she could see herself riding back there and she said no way and got out! Well there you have it! My quest to see if I could make a double cab with a standard bed work has ended with a hard NO!! Back to searching for crew cabs. Thanks to all that contributed . I really appreciate this forum and when folks stay on topic and provide productive and constructive input for the sake of helping someone else.

nards444 · August 23, 2021

On 8/21/2021 at 7:52 AM, KARNUT said:

I’m amazed at all the passengers trucks I see on the road. I was with my brother in law in his Tahoe when he put gas in it 50$. A full size truck would be the same. My cars and CRV stay under 30$ for a fill up. The CRV fully loaded was 34K my Camry was the same. I love my old used Avalanche. I treat it like my old classic cars of the past. I ain’t taking a trip in it. I just don’t get people paying 50-60k for a passenger truck.

I am more amazed on the amount of 2500-4500s running with just wheel barrows and jet skis behind it.

End of the day this is America and people want they want and dont care about smiles per gallon. Realistically 35k vs 50k isnt that much difference on the loan front.

KARNUT · August 23, 2021

7 hours ago, nards444 said:

I am more amazed on the amount of 2500-4500s running with just wheel barrows and jet skis behind it.

End of the day this is America and people want they want and dont care about smiles per gallon. Realistically 35k vs 50k isnt that much difference on the loan front.

My way of thinking got me able to retire at 58. First it’s a 50K ride with 50 dollars gas at fill up. Then it’s a 35 hundred square ft house when a 25 hundred is more than enough. Then it’s Starbucks when it’s just as good at home. And so on.

nards444 · August 24, 2021

18 hours ago, KARNUT said:

My way of thinking got me able to retire at 58. First it’s a 50K ride with 50 dollars gas at fill up. Then it’s a 35 hundred square ft house when a 25 hundred is more than enough. Then it’s Starbucks when it’s just as good at home. And so on.

My mantra has always been balance. I could get cancer and die in 6 months or die in a car crash today and die as well, and casketts dont have pockets.

If you do things right you can have both.