Vista 32YE escape window concern

[John Locke]

Today I was looking at the rear emergency hatch window which doubles as an escape hatch. It appears you'd break your neck if you tried to use it without the aid of a ladder on the outside. It's too high to step out, and there's nothing outside of the RV on the back to step on. It's about a 7' drop to the ground.

I'm wondering what Winnebago intended their customers to use for a ladder outside, and inside. The bed on the inside is too high and a foot away to use as a booster to get out the hatch. If the window was another 1 foot bigger vertically, being another foot lower to the RV floor, that would have been a better design IMO, being to step out of the RV window, and you're 1 foot closer to the ground.

I guess I'll need to pull the levers and see how the window pops out. Hopefully it will fall off totally in an emergency, and not just hinge at the top, which would contribute to more complexity to exit in a hurry.

If Winnebago would have installed the roof ladder 1 foot closer to the window, it could have potentially been used as an escape ladder too. In stock form today it's too far away. It appears I may have to create an emergency escape solution myself that's feasible, since right now it appears unfeasible to safely exit through that escape window.

Even one of those after market rope ladders appear problematic. Maybe I can re-engineer a stock rope ladder to fit the thinner wall of the Winnebago, and shorten it to only 8' long. The true test would be to see my wife use it by herself, safely.

Any ideas from you guys would be appreciated.

[rk911]

i also worry...worry is not the right word...concern is better. i have a similar concern about this as well. we're not old (68 and 67) but my wife walks with a cane and i doubt she could make it out the window safely much less make it to the ground. i think MH mfgs need to reimagine escape exits. i think one high end mfg engineered an escape door with steps into a rear bath. for us i have installed extra fire extinguishers one of which is in the bedroom.

[blueridge-fl]

My view on these windows has always been that they are for extreme emergencies. In other words, they are used when you are faced with a choice of death or breaking an ankle jumping from the window.

Having said that, an escape window that goes all the way to the floor is a great idea.

[powercat_ras]

I bought a Kidde 2nd floor window escape ladder for those emergencies and keep it in the storage compartment under my bed. The are inexpensive and available at Walmart and Home Centers.

[UrbanTarzan]

As a gentleman i plan to push the wife out thru the hatch first... then use her as a cushion for my fall