A young Vancouver family lost all of their possessions in the theft of a U-Haul truck parked on a quiet Vernon neighbourhood.

Ryan Prevost and his wife Ashley had packed up all of their things into the rented truck, and were driving to Calgary where life is more affordable.

The pair decided to stop in Vernon on their way, spending the night at Prevost's parents' house. They parked the 20-foot truck in a common area in a quiet neighbourhood, and spend the night visiting with family. In the morning, the truck was gone.

"Absolutely everything we owned is in that U-Haul… Baby crib, all (the baby's) clothes, all of our clothes, shoes, dishes, pots, pans," Prevost told CTV News.

"It's pretty disheartening that someone would just come and take your entire life."

The van must have been stolen sometime between midnight and 7 a.m. on Thursday, Prevost said. Otherwise, someone in the community would have seen the big moving van driving out of the neighbourhood.

In addition to losing sentimental items, which the Prevost family hopes the thief will dump so they can be recovered, the young family's insurance won't cover the theft.

Although Prevost paid $80 to protect their belongings in the move, the insurance package he chose doesn't cover thefts.

"Had I known, I would have gone out and bought extra insurance," he said.

Prevost hopes someone will spot the stolen truck, which has an Arizona licence plate with the number AE 18311. If the truck is found soon, there's a chance that their possessions will still be inside.

"We're moving to Calgary, but what do we do when we're there now?"

With a report from CTV Vancouver's Kent Molgat