VIDEO: What happens when you sleep in your truck bed at -15

We’re camping every month this year!

You may remember that we tried this in 2023, but then I got very sick the weekend after and stayed sick for almost two years. (This illness was unrelated to camping.)

This year, we camped the last weekend of January. A cold snap was coming through and it was -15C in Manning Park.

We had enough money to buy a truck, but not yet enough to buy a camper. We did not let that stop us though. Lee built a platform in the backseat of the truck, hoping somehow two adults and a dog could fit back there. But after it was built, it was clear that barely one of us would fit in the back seat. We debated just camping in a regular tent, but that’s quite cozy with the three of us.

We finally settled on laying down in the truck bed, with the tonneau cover over us. I almost call it the “coffin” cover in that video, because honestly that is what it feels like. We put up our big white tent over us for a little bit of extra privacy and warmth.

And then we spent two days skiing. One at Manning Park report and ski touring up Fat Dog trail.

We ate dinner at the Manning Park Lodge for some extra warmth on Saturday night.

Dog safety

Keeping Jasper warm was a challenge. She has the warmest coat you can buy at Ruff Wear, but it wasn’t enough. We also tried booties to keep her toes warm, but they got filled with snow when she bounced around.

Since coming home, we’ve purchased a sled dog coat designed for Yukon and Alaska working dogs. We have also checked out some different styles of boots for dogs, like long gaiters. Before you know, she will have more gear than us.

Whenever Jasper wasn’t moving with us outside, she was bundled up in our -20C winter sleeping bags in the warmest possible spot we could find. And we checked on her at least every hour.

She loved ski touring with us and chasing us down the mountain.