Pickup Lines: You'll want these truck accessories to take on Canadian winter

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Winter in this country guarantees a trio of annual certainties: the steady march of Ron Maclean’s hairline up his head on Hockey Night in Canada , a seasonal disappointment at Tim Horton’s Roll Up the Rim contest, and the appearance of 4×4 pickup trucks at every skating rink from Kamloops to Kapuskasing.

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Anecdotal evidence suggests that, other than sports cars, trucks are some of the most accessorized vehicles to ply Canadian roads.

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One can speculate and theorize why this is so (while probably making a few crude generalizations) but this article is intended to simply suggest a few add-ons that will be useful during these winter months. We’ll save the psychoanalysis for another day (or at least until David Booth’s next Motor Mouth article ).

Tonneau Cover

Taking a truck with a 6-foot-5 bed to Costco is great — until the family wants to stop at their favourite roadhouse for a feed on the way home. Now that 108-pack of toilet paper and the commercial-size sack of flour is going to be left out in the open. This is where a tonneau cover suddenly becomes indispensable.

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Topping the open bed of your truck, these are available in a variety of styles, from soft tarp-like units that roll up when not in use, to hefty rigid covers that flip and fold like origami. Look for one which doesn’t hamper the bed’s utility, yet is form-fitting enough to offer good protection against the elements, and prying eyes.

Floor Mats

Yes, this is a hackneyed suggestion that’s been around since Henry Ford perfected the production line. But that’s because it is a good suggestion . Investing in a stout set of rubber all-weather mats is a tremendous way to save your vehicle’s carpets from becoming saltier than Karen asking for the manager.

This type of protection helps with resale value down the road. Be sure to buy a set of mats that has been developed and designed for your precise model of truck. Both WeatherTech and Husky Liners are good examples of this attention to detail.

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Satellite Communicator

When driving in cold temperatures and outside cell service range, a backup form of communication is a good tool for informing family, friends, and rescuers of your safety and location if you run into trouble.

This compact unit, from the creatively-named Somewear , weighs just over 100 grams and pairs with the associated mobile app to provide global connectivity via the Iridium satellite network. In addition to text messaging, the Somewear device can be used to drop a pin of your current location, or to alert search and rescue via a built-in SOS alert button.

Snow Plow

If you ever wanted to make like Homer in the ninth episode of The Simpsons’ fourth season, attaching a plow to the front of your truck is the way to go. Before laying down four figures on a menacing blade of steel, be sure to research which plow (if any!) is suitable to affix on the nose of your pickup. Some machines are hampered by weight restrictions, attachment points, and suspension geometry.

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Once you’ve got the all-clear, begin researching pros and cons of the various plow types, with straight- and V-blades being the most common. Plow King won’t know what hit him (but here’s our disclaimer: please don’t hit anybody).

Winter Tires

No, not every jurisdiction in this frozen Popsicle of a country requires winter rubber as a rule of law. Yes, you should still invest in a set and put them on your truck before the snow starts to fly. There’s truth to the old saying that tires are technically the only thing touching the ground; and a set of bald rubber at each corner can render all those advanced driving aids completely useless.

Also, remember your truck is four-wheel- drive , not four-wheel- stop . Winter tires do a great job of maximizing traction while accelerating, but they’re also crucial to finding grip when you stomp the binders after Bullwinkle decides to make a quick dart out of the roadside shrubbery.

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Supplemental Cab Heater

This accessory isn’t so much of a buy-it-after-the-fact product, as a factory option available on some diesel-powered vehicles. At extremely low temperatures, it can take forever and a day for coolant in these machines to generate any semblance of warmth. Since ventilation systems generally take their heat from coolant cycling through the heater core, there’s a decent chance you’ll freeze your giblets off before anything other than ice cubes is emitted from the dashboard vents. A supplemental cab heater deploys an element (sometimes more than one) to provide a bit of warmth until the coolant is up to operating temperature.

Battery Booster Pack

No one wants to be left on the side of the road or in the middle of a cold parking lot with a fistful of no-go. Vehicle batteries can go flat for any number of reasons, though that’s a lot less common now that truck makers have started including auto-off timers for headlights and interior illumination. Still, deep cold can do a number even on a healthy battery, so having a booster pack handy can save the day. Pro tip: Look for one with a dedicated on/off switch, since in this author’s experience, the packs that rely on a trickle of power from the dead battery to activate are generally useless.

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Remote Starter

If it’s possible, specc’ing one of these things from the factory is the best bet. It will be neatly integrated into your truck’s electrical system and will likely have a handy activation button built right into the key fob.

Aftermarket installations can be sketchy, with improper installations playing havoc with wiring and leaching electricity into other systems like water through a colander. Even dealer-installed remote starters run the risk of causing problems if they’ve given the installation work to the new guy who just started yesterday. Play it safe from the start if you can.