Towing a Gear Sled

[homerjay]

Anyone have any simple designs for how to tow a gear (food and alcohol)sled? I'm thinking just a modified cheap plastic sled with some ropes. I'll need to attach it to my pack, as I wont' be wearing a harness.

It's for towing food, booze, some gear up to a yurt.

[72Twenty]

Yep. In the past I've gone with the 'ol cheap plastic kiddie sled from Ace Hardware. I'd get the longer/narrow straight one. Don't get one of those wacky extrem-o funny shaped ones. Next, buy some plastic or plexi glass (about the size of wax scrapers), cut a slight angle on one side, drill some holes in them and coresponding holes in the sled, and mount them to each side of the sled towards the back as to operate as mini fins. This will keep the sled behind you and not going sideways as much on a cross-hill traverse. How tall you want them is up to you. The more weight, the deeper you want them to cut. Then if you want to, you can get a cheap cargo net and make fasteners to the sled so you can pack shit in it and keep it all together. You can actually turn a cheap sled into a nice cargo hauler for pretty cheap.

Edit: Use wingnuts to fasten the fins so you can take them off easily if you are gonna go on a long strech of groomed/hardpack flat trail or a road.

[peaches21]

i used one specifically designed for pulling gear in snow once...we rented it from local backcountry shop. the next yurt trip i went on, we paid the yurt operaters to snowmobile our stuff in(beer, bbq we donated to the yurt, food, and pregnant lady).

sled was loaded with 6 cases of beer and 1 pack. skin in was 6 miles and about 1,500 feet in elevation. at times one person was pulling with another behind pushing. it took us about two hours longer than the rest of the group, but damn that beer tasted good. getting down with it nearly as difficult.

i wouldn't do again unless it was an easy hike...

[72Twenty]

...and paint flames on it. It can then be used for backcountry sledding and tom fooleries around the camp/yurt.

[Yeti]

A good site with designs and links to more designs:
http://picearubens.tripod.com/Pulks.htm

[SkiingBear]

Might want to rethink the attaching with rope thing. If you have to go down hill for short stretches, what's going to keep the sled from plowing into you from behind? Some short pieces of PVC bolted to either side of the sled and then maybe an attachment to either side of the sled would work. I'd want something to keep the sled a reasonable distance behind me.

[Free Range Lobster]

If you can retro a set of extendable poles onto it for downhills then you can drive it like a rescue sled and be all set.

[Schralper]

Cheap plastic sled w/rope running thru 1/2" pvc tubing about 6' long ea.. X tubing with either duct tape or zip tie, so X stays. Tie the rope ends to sled. Hose clamp cheap 'biners to grab rail of SLED. Clip rope ends w/ loops tied into them to the 'biners. Pvc tubing and biners keeps sled from going under SLED when stopping/goin downhill, etc. also keeps it upright pretty good. Garbage bag or dry bag your gear. Some holes drilled around perimeter of sled for bungee/ tie downs and you're set. Used a setup like this to help some TGR boyz haul their 150lb canvas tent out from their month long campsite. Took 3 of us, 4 loads each to haul all the gear out.