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Old 04-12-2020, 07:29 PM   #1
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Class A Escape Ladder

Has anybody found any ingenious ideas on how to set up an escape system though the back window of a class A RV?

Like most class A's, my Jayco Precept has only one door near the front. So, in case of a fire in the forward part of the camper that I can't put out with my fire extinguisher, our only escape rout is through the rear window. And right below the rear window is the big metal tow bar which, if you fell on it, you would certainly would get injured. I purchased a rope escape ladder but after testing it my wife and we decided it would be very difficult to get into position to get our feet in the rungs. I also have a roof ladder which is off to the side which can be reached but... again, it would be very difficult to get on that ladder also unless, perhaps, you were a young gymnast.
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Old 04-13-2020, 06:47 AM   #2
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My feeling is to help the dear wife out first. Maybe she'll come around and open the door for me. Well, I let her in when it's snowing, so yeah.....

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Old 04-13-2020, 10:54 AM   #3
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Let The Wife Out First

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My feeling is to help the dear wife out first. Maybe she'll come around and open the door for me. Well, I let her in when it's snowing, so yeah.....

I would certainly try to get my wife out first and we tried with the escape ladder I bought but she slightly injured her leg just trying to climb over the rear window's sharp bottom molding. As for opening the door for me, if my propane fired powered furnace were to burst into flame in the middle of a cold night, there is no way I could get to the door in the front even if my wife managed to escape through the window. I have a fire extinguisher in the back but it would probably not help much with propane poring into the furnace.

RV fires are not that rare and they usually burn to the ground. I do have life insurance though, which is a comfort.
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Old 04-13-2020, 02:33 PM   #4
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I've often thought about this as my teen daughter sleeps in the top bunk of our camper. There is a back door through the bathroom but if the furnace / fridge are the cause it would be difficult to even get to that door. There is an emergency window in the bottom bunk but no way to get there. I may have to look at cutting a hatch from top to bottom. Thanks for raising this question and getting me thinking again.
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Old 04-13-2020, 03:22 PM   #5
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Escape Out Window

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I've often thought about this as my teen daughter sleeps in the top bunk of our camper. There is a back door through the bathroom but if the furnace / fridge are the cause it would be difficult to even get to that door. There is an emergency window in the bottom bunk but no way to get there. I may have to look at cutting a hatch from top to bottom. Thanks for raising this question and getting me thinking again.
One thing I am looking into is something I can quickly throw over the bottom of the window frame which is aluminum and rather sharp. While trying to test climbing through the window, my wife bruised herself on the sharp edge. What ever I come up with, it has to be compact enough to store in the bedroom without getting in the way. I was thinking about a piece of tubular rubber insulation like that used on plumbing.

Of course, once I get that to work, there still is the challenge of finding out how we can get on the roof ladder or on an escape ladder without falling out of the window on to the tow bar. One idea was to find something to set on top of the tow bar to land our feet on and climb down.
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Old 04-13-2020, 03:25 PM   #6
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I'm no help with your dilemma. We have an HTT. If it is closed up the small E-exit window is directly across from the entry door, and directly over the water heater. I know that it would be extremely difficult for me to get through that window as I'm 6'+. With the rig opened up, I will go through a canvas window first, as there is a lot of room. Plus each bunk has a zippered screen.

Good Luck
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Old 04-14-2020, 03:47 PM   #7
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My wife has enough issues that I doubt she could ever make it through the "escape" window at the back of our Precept.
Much less safely.

The best bet for her would be an "emergency exit" door as school buses have, and then a couple rigidly mounted steps for a final descent to solid ground .

Is anybody doing that sort of modification ?
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Old 04-15-2020, 11:25 AM   #8
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Rear Door

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My wife has enough issues that I doubt she could ever make it through the "escape" window at the back of our Precept.
Much less safely.

The best bet for her would be an "emergency exit" door as school buses have, and then a couple rigidly mounted steps for a final descent to solid ground .

Is anybody doing that sort of modification ?
A rear door in a Precept is probably not a bad idea. It would not be that hard to do considering you'd only have to cut through some interior wall and outer fiberglass shell. It would also require some framing to support the door.
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Old 04-15-2020, 07:42 PM   #9
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A pool noodle might work on the window ledge.

A company that modifies vans for the handicap might be able to do a rear door, with whatever modifications you need. Pricey no doubt!
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Old 04-16-2020, 07:35 PM   #10
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Exscape Window

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A pool noodle might work on the window ledge.

A company that modifies vans for the handicap might be able to do a rear door, with whatever modifications you need. Pricey no doubt!
A pool noodle sounds like a good idea. I'll try it. It put pool noodles on the corners of my slide-outs to keep from bashing my head on them when I walk around the RV.
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