Banff National Park happens to be close to our own backyard and only a few hours away. It was only fitting that we did our winter test of the full size GRID truck camper there. We wanted to see how our 4 season insulated camper did in freezing overnight temperatures and on the icy winter roads. We know the tires have great reviews for lots of conditions, but we felt most comfortable really testing a 40″ tire with the weight of a camper on the worst winter road conditions one could find. Then we know exactly how it performs from experience.
If we are going to head out to Banff, we might as well have some fun while we are there. We hit up Sunshine Ski Resort and also did some ski touring along the Icefield Parkway. We then made our way out of the park to a provincial park called Kananaskis. While there, we enjoyed some winter surfing on the river. If you have never heard about this fun sport, you’ll have to check it out. The one in Kananaskis was specifically designed for river surfers in mind. You can learn more about it HERE.
Needless to say, the GRID performed amazing in winter conditions and on icy roads. We experienced -30C temps at night with 80km/h winds. Along the Icefield Parkway, we had to use the winch to help pull someone from the ditch and get them back on their way. It was a good thing we were out. That particular area has no cell coverage and sees few visitors in the winter months. Other pickups did come by, but they didn’t have the weight capacity to help the individual because the roads were to icy for them to pull or winch in one spot. While some might think these expedition truck campers are built for show, they can actually be used for their intended purposes when that arrises.
