Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

I typed it in search, and it didn't really come up with much. It seems to be more common to install an escape window than an escape vent/hatch. Hengs seems to be the most common brand, but review aren't the best. I had one in my truck camper, and thought about putting one over the bunk on my gooseneck as well. I could pop out of the top and climb down the neck into the truck bed in an emergency. Speaking with PPL Motorhomes today, apparently Hengs bought out the competitors and there isn't much else. Has anyone gone this route, or just stuck to the escape windows?

With back barn doors it is easy to lock one in position and put the other one on a latch. I looked at the Heng vents, but was afraid that the curve of my roof was too much.

Rainier70 wrote:With back barn doors it is easy to lock one in position and put the other one on a latch. I looked at the Heng vents, but was afraid that the curve of my roof was too much.

I only have one door out on the passenger side.



But I could pop out of the roof,and climb down the neck into the bed.

sleepsontoilet wrote:

Rainier70 wrote:With back barn doors it is easy to lock one in position and put the other one on a latch. I looked at the Heng vents, but was afraid that the curve of my roof was too much.

I only have one door out on the passenger side.



But I could pop out of the roof,and climb down the neck into the bed.

I just went with an escape window. I was worried about leaking on the roof as it was and with the money spent "dolling" up the inside I thought it best. Downside is I lost wall space, and had to cover it while in the mountains on the hunt in October, during 20 degree weather. I am, however interested in how it goes for you. Will be watching to see what you find. I'll also see if I can research some stuff around here, see what I can find out for ya. Good luck!!


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I've seen people put escape hatches out through the floor.

I didn't remember that was your build.

With only one door, I would definitely put in either a egress window or the Heng rooftop escape vent. As was said, rooftop may leak. If it was me I would choose a window as I like to see out too. So depends on what you want and envision for your build.

My trailer is only 6X12, but I'm trying to envision any scenario where I could not get to the door and jump out of it in some kind of "emergency." Fire, I'm trying to extinguish it first, then bolting out the door if I'm inside. If I wake up to a smoke or CO2 alarm, I can be out the door in 3-4 seconds. Fumes, I'm exiting right out the door and leaving it open. The door can never be more than a few feet away from wherever I am in the trailer. Explosion, if I survive, the door is the fastest exit. If there was time in some kind of emergency, I could always break out a side window and try to squeeze through it, but I'd probably create a real emergency then, stuck in the window!

Am I missing something? Anyone have any real-life stories of needing an escape hatch in a tiny trailer?

Gonefishin wrote:My trailer is only 6X12, but I'm trying to envision any scenario where I could not get to the door and jump out of it in some kind of "emergency." Fire, I'm trying to extinguish it first, then bolting out the door if I'm inside. If I wake up to a smoke or CO2 alarm, I can be out the door in 3-4 seconds. Fumes, I'm exiting right out the door and leaving it open. The door can never be more than a few feet away from wherever I am in the trailer. Explosion, if I survive, the door is the fastest exit. If there was time in some kind of emergency, I could always break out a side window and try to squeeze through it, but I'd probably create a real emergency then, stuck in the window!

Am I missing something? Anyone have any real-life stories of needing an escape hatch in a tiny trailer?

One of my gazillion OCD quirks is being a safety nut. Probably never in a million years would anything happen, it's the what if that drives me crazy. My old truck camper had one over the cab, and just made me think about it. But I did a search and didn't really come up with a whole lot. I was hoping someone had a Hengs and could attest to them being decent, or agreeing with the horror stories on amazon. Apparently they're one of the only ones in existence and they frames are brittle and bend easy, and several complained the lid cracks really easy too. I hate to cut a hole that big and be stuck with junk.

Gonefishin wrote:My trailer is only 6X12, but I'm trying to envision any scenario where I could not get to the door and jump out of it in some kind of "emergency." Fire, I'm trying to extinguish it first, then bolting out the door if I'm inside. If I wake up to a smoke or CO2 alarm, I can be out the door in 3-4 seconds. Fumes, I'm exiting right out the door and leaving it open. The door can never be more than a few feet away from wherever I am in the trailer. Explosion, if I survive, the door is the fastest exit. If there was time in some kind of emergency, I could always break out a side window and try to squeeze through it, but I'd probably create a real emergency then, stuck in the window!

Am I missing something? Anyone have any real-life stories of needing an escape hatch in a tiny trailer?

After looking at your trailer, the door specifically, on the outside, I don't see a lock bar for when it's closed. So you could be alright in your thoughts. Mine, however, has a lock bar. And my thought was that if by chance I can't get out the door because it's bared from the outside, I have a second way out. That is the only reason I put in an egress window in my small trailer.


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MAC33 wrote:

Gonefishin wrote:My trailer is only 6X12, but I'm trying to envision any scenario where I could not get to the door and jump out of it in some kind of "emergency." Fire, I'm trying to extinguish it first, then bolting out the door if I'm inside. If I wake up to a smoke or CO2 alarm, I can be out the door in 3-4 seconds. Fumes, I'm exiting right out the door and leaving it open. The door can never be more than a few feet away from wherever I am in the trailer. Explosion, if I survive, the door is the fastest exit. If there was time in some kind of emergency, I could always break out a side window and try to squeeze through it, but I'd probably create a real emergency then, stuck in the window!

Am I missing something? Anyone have any real-life stories of needing an escape hatch in a tiny trailer?

After looking at your trailer, the door specifically, on the outside, I don't see a lock bar for when it's closed. So you could be alright in your thoughts. Mine, however, has a lock bar. And my thought was that if by chance I can't get out the door because it's bared from the outside, I have a second way out. That is the only reason I put in an egress window in my small trailer.


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If one of my wheeling buddies wanted to, they could lock the door handle from the outside hahaha. That's actually getting cut on hopefully this week. I almost finished insulation today except for some tape on the roof seams. Hoping to get the floor installed and the rv door/windows put in this week. Then put the cabinets in for a trial fitment and see how everything lays out, and where I want to put everything.

I've considered an escape window on the door side towards the back. That will be where the dinette is going, and currently it doesn't have any windows around it.

I have an eye bolt next to the latch so I can pad-lock it "open" anytime I'm stopped and in/around the trailer. Can still lock the RV door from the inside, though I seldom do.

After a lot of searchkng and thinking, I ended up installing an emergency exit windows. It is a great window that can be opened out in the rain and serves as an emergency egress if ever needed. I got mine ised on eBay very inexpensively.

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Scamp sells their hatches in the online store and they are big sized and also screened to use as a vent!
I loved mine and that is what i will use if i decide i need one.


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EZDog wrote:Scamp sells their hatches in the online store and they are big sized and also screened to use as a vent!
I loved mine and that is what i will use if i decide i need one.


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I read several threads on their forum, and most seem to not care for them. I found several threads about replacing them with a fantastic fan. Maybe I'm over thinking get it, and it's just not really needed.

sleepsontoilet wrote:

EZDog wrote:Scamp sells their hatches in the online store and they are big sized and also screened to use as a vent!
I loved mine and that is what i will use if i decide i need one.


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I read several threads on their forum, and most seem to not care for them. I found several threads about replacing them with a fantastic fan. Maybe I'm over thinking get it, and it's just not really needed.

I loved mine but there is no way a Fantastical Fan would have been able to replace the one that I had either?
I have a feeling you might have read about a different version of the hatch?

They are not as nice a rugged as a FF for sure but the escape hatch model is so huge,cheap and useful that it would be worth it to have one even if I had to replace the cover every year!

Mine was positioned over the bed and it was great unless raining to be able to look up at the stars all the time and get fresh air there too.