Sled for winter backpacking,

[walt walkabout]

I'm looking for a sled for backpacking this winter. Black Diamond used to carry one but when I looked at their web site recently I couldn't find it. I would also like to see what other manufacturers have.
I did a google search and came up with a lot of kiddy sleds and dog sleds and snoemobile sleds but nothing for backpacking.
I would like to find one like the Black Diamond,with control arms and belt, but I don't want to spend $300 bucks.
Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Walt

[GreatDivide14]

Back in the stone age when Backpacker Magazine was still good, they ran a piece about towing a kiddie sled for that purpose. It consisted basically of a properly sized plastic sled, two pieces of PVC pipe (a letter shortly followed recommending crossing the poles for better stability), some form of hipbelt (perhaps a lumbar pack to keep snacks and a spare hat on hand), and Stuff to hold it all together. A professional rig would be lighter and probably sturdier, but sure as hell not as cheap. You could knock off a few ounces, perhaps a pound or so, by getting aluminum tubing instead of PVC. In any event, if you aren't planning on doing anything too exciting (i.e. traversing eastern Siberia), the DIY variety should suit you just fine for maybe thirty bucks, less if you use PVC. The tinkering possibilities are endless.

[Montana Ron]

I'm looking for a sled for backpacking this winter. Black Diamond used to carry one but when I looked at their web site recently I couldn't find it. I would also like to see what other manufacturers have.
I did a google search and came up with a lot of kiddy sleds and dog sleds and snoemobile sleds but nothing for backpacking.
I would like to find one like the Black Diamond,with control arms and belt, but I don't want to spend $300 bucks.
Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Walt


Hi Walt,

I use this one: http://www.tipikifaru.com/armadil.htm
I know it's more than you want to spend but it may give you some ideas. You may want to check out the telemark tips web site www.telemarktips.com for more ideas. I've seen many threads on the ttips site discussing sleds.

[Montana Ron]

Hi Walt,

I use this one: http://www.tipikifaru.com/armadil.htm
I know it's more than you want to spend but it may give you some ideas. You may want to check out the telemark tips web site www.telemarktips.com for more ideas. I've seen many threads on the ttips site discussing sleds.

Here's a good link with detailed plans for building your own sled.

http://www.telemarktips.com/Sled.html

[brad nicholson]

skiing at least? please tell me you are! backpacking and dragging a sled reminds me too much of the scott expedition.

[walt walkabout]

Not skiing but snowshoeing. How this got started is my buddies are using a couple of cheap plastic sleds to haul in one of those propane deep friers to melt snow. It works well but the heavy steel base and HEAVY tank make a load. Combine this with using ropes to haul the sled instead of handles makes it tough going. Not a good way to go for any distance but for the few miles we plan on it works. Sort of. Not well. Dumb,if you ask me.
The posts here about how to make handles for a sled is just what I was looking for.
For myself, I am thinking of using the sled to haul all my gear instead of a pack and I figure that for the weight you could carry enough fuel rather than that big clunky deep frier.
Thanks for the info one and all.
Walt

[brad nicholson]

if you are hauling a deep frier then i hope you are at least hauling wings and beer? now that is dedicated packing, i think renting a dog team would be your best bet though!

snowshoeing with a sled might be a pain though, i am thinking about my snowshoe trips and imagining pulling a sled. sounds like a good suffer fest.

let us know how hauling the deep frier goes. that is right up there with most amazing things i've heard of being packed along in the back country, next to the thru-hiker i met one time one said he had a blow-up doll to while away the boredom at night.

[KeithEA]

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Listed under sleds. NOT snow sleds. It would need some minor modifactions such as light weight PVC pipe for the houl lines to run through so it won't run over you going down hill. Maybe a pack belt for your waist to tie the lined on. Keith

[walt walkabout]

Thanks one and all for your insights and links. I posted the plans for the sled on another site to a friend of mine,one who hauls the frier, and got a couple of posts from other people who use sleds.
Only theres are called a PULKA which is a finnish sled. Using pulka to do a search yields much better results and here is a link you might want to check out.

http://www.travelnotes.de/scandi/winter98/pulkae.htm

Winter shoeing is looking better and better. Now if I can only come up with the $250 bucks for those Northern Lites.
Walt