Question booster in a moving truck?

[micapu]

I did a search, and the last time a similar question was asked was over two years ago, so I figured we could all benefit from a refresher.

We're moving from AZ to NC, almost 3,000miles worth of driving. DS2 will be with us in the cab, and I'm thinking I should get him a belt-positioning booster for the trip, since the Frontier we have is wonderful but mammoth-sized. We asked the U-Haul people (over the phone, when we made the reservation) if the truck will have a shoulder-belt, and they said yes, but DH will still go in and confirm everything next week. In the meantime, I'm planning & obsessing. So:

1. Has anyone moved recently with a child in the cab and a FF car seat or booster? how'd it go? Any tips, advice?
   
2. What booster should I be looking at, given that it will be used for this trip and then as a backup if we carpool or need something that can be installed quickly in someone else's car? (in other words, not the primary seat, that's what the Frontier is for)

Anything else I need to know?

***ETA: DS2 will be a month-shy of 6yo when we move, I'll have to measure his height but he's definitely on the taller end for his age (dad's 6'5")

 

[wendytthomas]

We've had a couple of moving vans. The first had a bench, so the three of us sat abreast. And I stupidly installed Piper's seat in the shoulder belt on the passenger's seat, which left me with the lap belt only in the middle (oh, I remember why, driver's side airbag. In retrospect I would have changed that around as she was forward facing).

Nathan had a van a couple of months ago and it had two captain's chairs with shoulder and lapbelts in it. No third seat.

How heavy is DS2? I'd probably get a Maestro or something, just in case you run into a lapbelt situation.

Wendy

 

[QuassEE]

The moving truck we just had (short-haul, but the largest UHaul you can get without an airbrake) was outboard l/s belts, lapbelt centre. If I had to put a child restraint and second adult in there, I would've had a harnessed seat centre and then adults l/s outboard... (shh, don't tell our Canadian audience..)

You should be able to go down to the rental location and see what they have in stock, then request a specific style of truck.

-Nicole.

 

[micapu]

edited original post to add that DS2 is almost 6yo, and tall-ish. Guess we need to get him weighed soon...

What's a Maestro? I haven't been on this site since we purchased the Frontier over a year ago, so I'm a noob all over again

 

[wendytthomas]

Evenflo Maestro. It's a combination seat, though the booster isn't much taller than the harness. It harnesses to 50 pounds with 18" top slots and runs about $75. It's also pretty narrow.

Wendy

 

[micapu]

Evenflo Maestro. It's a combination seat, though the booster isn't much taller than the harness. It harnesses to 50 pounds with 18" top slots and runs about $75. It's also pretty narrow.

Wendy

oh... we just measured, he's at a shoulder height of 18" right now, overall height is 46 3/4". Skinny-minnie, but kinda wide-shouldered -- this is one reason why we settled on the Frontier instead of the Nautilus, his shoulders looked cramped and hunched in the Nauti but not in the Frontier. Thanks!

 

[TerisBoys]

What about your other son? Most moving trucks are single cab.

 

[Pixels]

I've rented three moving trucks in recent months. Two were local moves (Uhaul) and one was one-way (Budget). The Uhaul trucks had lap/shoulder outboard, lap-only in the middle. No airbags at all, not even for the driver. The lap/shoulder belts did not lock (would require locking clip for a harnessed seat). The Budget truck had two captains chairs, lap/shoulder belt, and the seatbelt locked. Airbags for driver and passenger, with ability to turn off the passenger's airbag with a key.

 

[micapu]

What about your other son? Most moving trucks are single cab.

thanks for asking, DS1 is an adult living on his own now ;-) *sigh* He's not moving with us.

I've rented three moving trucks in recent months. Two were local moves (Uhaul) and one was one-way (Budget). The Uhaul trucks had lap/shoulder outboard, lap-only in the middle. No airbags at all, not even for the driver. The lap/shoulder belts did not lock (would require locking clip for a harnessed seat). The Budget truck had two captains chairs, lap/shoulder belt, and the seatbelt locked. Airbags for driver and passenger, with ability to turn off the passenger's airbag with a key.

That's a LOT of moves to deal with in 3 months!!! ::HUGS::

We called Budget and they would not/could not guarantee that we could get a truck with a bench seat. And we were told that *if* we managed to get one with a bench seat, it would only have a lap belt, in which case we'd be forced to use the Frontier... which would probably be quite uncomfortable for DH and I. That's why we called U-Haul, and they guaranteed us a truck with a bench seat and promised it'd have three l/s belts. DH will be going by to confirm all this in person. If we can't get a 3-across l/s belt truck, we'd use the Frontier for DS2, but DH is a big guy, and I'm not skinny either, so I was hoping to be able to use a BPBooster and save us a couple inches. We're planning to drive 12-14hrs a day, so a few extra inches would make a big difference.

 

[QuassEE]

which would probably be quite uncomfortable for DH and I.

I think you're under-estimating how wide a moving truck is! I can't see how you would be any more uncomfortable with a harnessed seat as compared to a booster seat. I suppose if you or your husband are quite large..VERY large!

The doors on the larger/more industrial moving trucks I've been in were all thin, with very little interior intrusion as compared to passenger vehicles. It makes a huge difference to interior space, on top of the fact that the truck cabs are wider than the interior of my minivan by at least a few inches...probably close to a foot in total?

Hopefully they'll rent you a diesel so the fuel costs on the beast doesn't kill you

-Nicole.