Help me figure this out?

First off, sorry if this is kinda rambling...I've been thinking about this for a while but am terrible about getting my thoughts out concisely.

DD3 is getting close to outgrowing her RA rfing. I thought I'd be OK w/ ffing her in Dh's truck when she turned 2, but uh...no. She is a peanut, at 21 months she only weighs 22.6 lbs.

I really like the RA for ease of installation and the super easy harness adjuster. Only thing I don't like is that it sits up on a base. The truck sits up high enough that it is a pain getting dd into her seat. That will be a moot point, though, because we're planning to move her to the center. I'm concerned about how I'll get anything installed in the middle. It's a Dodge Ram crew cab with a lightweight locking latchplate in the middle. I have NO CLUE how to use it to install a seat.

Dh doesn't really care what I get, but he has mentioned that he likes the LATCH connectors on the RA and KF's base. I'm thinking that it is important to either have a rfing tether or ARB in the truck, right?

I really like the look of the MR, but the hook LATCH connectors and the lack of rf tether/ARB rule it out.

I like our TF well enough, but honestly, dd is swimming in it. It doesn't support her head really well when she sleeps because the sides are so far from her head. The buried adjuster is a pain, but that shouldn't be an issue with the TF ARB, right? Only other concern is the seat is a beast, lol. I need to see how it fits in a 3 across. The Ram is huge, though, and I don't think it would be a problem to fit anything short of a Regent between the older girls' boosters.

I'm afraid any Britax seats are out because of the base and lack of leg room. Same for Recaro. Too bad, because I really do love our RA and liked our MA.

Only other seat I can think of is a Radian. I'm afraid of the Radian. I've never seen one IRL, let alone tried to install one. I'm not sure how it would install with the seatbelt in the middle, but I guess if I get the XTSL, I could just leave her outboard and use LATCH. The crew cab on the Ram is huge, so I think the Radian would fit behind the passenger seat just fine.

There isn't too much of price difference between the TF ARB and Radian XTSL, not enough to sway me anyway. They each have their pros/cons. The higher rfing weight limit on the XTSL is attractive, but I wonder if I'll need that, yk?

So, any input? Am I being overly cautious in wanting a rfing tether or ARB in the truck? Anything else I'm not taking into consideration?

Don't be scared of the lightweight locking latchplate. It's my favorite kind of way to install a seat. Just buckle, tighten, and done. As long as the latchplate doesn't slip, they are the easiest (IMO) way to install a carseat. If it does slip, a half twist to the male end will usually take care of it, or use a locking clip.

As for the higher weight limit on the XTSL, uh, no, you don't need that unless you really want her rear facing at 6 or 8 years old.

The only reason I may lean toward the True Fit over the Radian is that you said it would have to be outboard, and in some vehicles the Radian is SO reclined. That's my only thought I guess, I dont have much more to offer, sorry

Thanks for getting through my novel of a post, lol.

So, it looks like I should just go ahead and get a TF ARB, huh? Hopefully dd will last in the RA until Learning Curve releases those new covers.

Unless your going to RF a really long time, I would go with the TFP

Below in my pic is a TFP and a RNXT

Too bad you're not closer to Houston! I'd love a chance to play with a RN. I confess, I would almost get a RN over the TFP because the RN has such purty covers.

I wouldn't worry too much about a 3-across in a Ram. My dad has one and we've done three across with a regent and 2 other carseat, not even boosters. I think you could do any 3 across in there. I personally would go ahead with a TFP. But I'm not overly impressed with RNs. I'm sure there's someone in your area with a RN you could try.