Impractical Jokers

Devotion to a regular-cab pickup takes its toll when the narrowly focused vehicle is forced into a role as everyday family transportation.

- EZRA DYER

There I was with the wind rushing past, the starlit sky above, the air alive with the soft thrum of a V-8 on a warm autumn night. Was I driving a Mustang convertible? Something fancier, like a Mercedes SL? Nope. I was in the bed of my 2003 Dodge pickup, wondering where it all went wrong. There's a difference between riding in the bed of a truck for fun and riding there because you must. I was in the latter camp thanks to my own decisions-namely, my foolish devotion to the regular-cab pickup. Ours is a family of four, and the Ram seats three. When those unforgiving facts collide, the guy who bought the truck gets to experience the great outdoors while listening to his wife slipping the clutch a little too much (but not being able to say anything about it on account of being, technically, cargo).