Back in the day, the back of the truck was..

[Odie]

...the best seat in the house...or truck.

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013...in-a-dog-cage/

My nephews and I would ride from Louisiana over to Toledo Bend lake in the back of my Dad's pickup. In fact, it was a matter of pride to
get to ride outside of the cab in the back. It was kinda standard that if there were two adults riding, the kids automatically went in the bed of
the truck.

There was no dog cage, but we did like the ride. I realize it's a different world now, what with recent events and all, but it was such a simpler
time back then.

[rdaniell]

Obie, How is this for "tailgating?" That boot you see there is mine as I was sitting on the ramp of the C-130 while the paratroopers were jumping. I was the loadmaster....

RD

[Willy]

When I was a kid, we rode everywhere in the back of the truck in all weather. If it was cold or rainy we got up against the back of the cab and let it shield us. Good weather, we'd stand up behind the cab and lean over it. There were so many of us kids that if we were going to ride anywhere, it would have to be in the back. There were no extended cab pickups back then. The bigger kids would keep an eye on the smaller ones to make sure they stayed in back there. No cage, although I've got a younger brother, us bigger kids would have put him in one if we had it.

I hauled my kids across a couple of states in the back of a pickup. It had a camper shell on it though.

[Odie]

Obie, How is this for "tailgating?" That boot you see there is mine as I was sitting on the ramp of the C-130 while the paratroopers were jumping. I was the loadmaster....

RD

RD, now that is the ultimate "back of the truck" riding!!

[rdaniell]

RD, now that is the ultimate "back of the truck" riding!!

Da*n straight and I was getting regular pay plus flight pay plus combat pay. It just don't get any better than that.:USA-flag:

RD

[Daveroo]

yeah i too grew up in a small town riding around in the back of a pickup,or on the top of the utility tool boxes on dads work truck,had an oakland utility bed with a piperack sat up there and rode all over town.plus we rode in the jeep,CJ5..1965..no seatbelts..i can remember being about 10 and hanging on for dear life as dad rushed to a fire whie we were up town in the jeep...man i held that chicken bar for all i was worth....as a ten year old i was just sure the tires were coming off the ground as he went around the corners...lol..sorta funny/odd thing about that day...the area that was burning that day was where i ended up on a wildfire on my first fire as engineer...

[Odie]

My Dad's truck had a very nicely handmade "headache rack whose top bar extended about an inch above the
back of the cab. It made for a good hold-on point if you were standing, which we always did. Kinda like being
in the cockpit of a PT Boat....sorta. :mixedsmi:

[aeronca1]

This topic sends a cold shiver up my spine. If any one of those trucks hit something, coming to an abrupt stop, the truck bed riders would be found at the end of a long strip of flesh left on the pavement......

[gradyhappyg]

This topic sends a cold shiver up my spine. If any one of those trucks hit something, coming to an abrupt stop, the truck bed riders would be found at the end of a long strip of flesh left on the pavement......

Or like my wife's nephew spend a month in ICU in a coma then wind up having to have a metal plate put in his head where he cracked his skull on the pavement.

[Navy Chief]

The locals on Guam drive mini pickup trucks almost exclusively. It's not uncommon to see an entire family riding in the back of those tiny trucks.....NC

[Navy Chief]

On a lighter note, former President Clinton admitted having some great times in the astro-turf covered back of his El Camino:mixedsmi: NC

[PRB]

My Dad was the maintenance person in charge of the Catholic school grounds, which included the giant Cathedral style church, the school, the building where the nuns lived, and the school/church parking lot. In winter he would have to plow that parking lot with his old pickup with plow attached. This meant great fun for us, as we rode in the back bed during these snow removal ops. In fact, he would take great joy and glee in getting a good head of steam going and "plow" into the snow bank as fast as possible, sending us little ones bouncing off the sides of the pickup bed. Can you imagine this today? He'd be in a jail so deep under ground he'd never be found. We all turned out fine, and with fond memories as a bonus.

The dog cage story is a bit disturbing. There seems to be more of these type stories surfacing over the past few years.

[Gdavis101]

I have been on the scene of a couple accidents that involved kids and adults riding in the back of a pickup and it just never ends well..

[n4gix]

When I was eight years old, my family lived in Oklahoma City, OK. I fondly remember the three winters there as when there was enough snow, my dad would drive very slowly around the block towing a bunch of us kids on our sleds...

Anyone trying that these days would probably wind up under the local jail.

[luckydog]

I was riding in the back of one once when it left the road and went into a river. I almost drowned trying to get the tailgate open..........

[Odie]

If I remember correctly, I think in the 1970s, SUBARU had a mini-pickup that actually had two rear-ward facing seats built into the bed. I want to
say it was the SUBARU PUP, but I may have the name wrong. They reminded me of astronaut seats in the Apollo capsules, with handholds built
into each seat.

[Barfly]

It was the "Brat" I believe...

[Odie]

That's it, Barfly....the name plumb eluded me!

[MCDesigns]

I grew up riding in the back of my Dads ford pickup, tail gate up or down, all kinds of weather, both my sister and I and nothing ever happened. I guess it could have now that I think about it, but i really enjoyed riding back there. As for the story, I can see how it might look from the outside looking in, but as long as she was able to go in and out of the cage and wanted to ride back there, then there is no problem in my mind.

[Dain Arns]

A different time for sure....
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