Backpack to trolley conversion

[Nohoval_Turrets]

For Winter camping, I generally have so much gear that we pretty much have to camp near the car. I carry the group shelter and the heating (and fuel) on a separate frame backpack, and it occurred to me that if I added wheels, I'd have a serviceable trolley. Here is the result:





I took a trolley I use for sea kayaks - just a set of wheels and some supports - and strapped it tightly to the bottom of the frame. Then I attached a brush handle using some square lashing and loaded up. I walked over 3km with it this weekend, and it did brilliantly. It allowed me to go much further than I normally would in Winter with all the gear.

This is NOT a cross-country setup. I learnt that the hard way. But on forestry roads and tracks and paths, it makes moving big loads very easy. And it was nice to be able to reuse things I already had rather than buying something new.

I just wish the backpack was green rather than bright red.

 

[Jaeger]

Aye Up Nohoval_turrets,

That's good.

FYI there is a company in the US who not so long ago were R&D-ing exactly that kind of set up for the military.

With pack loads having become increasingly heavy over the past few decades they were looking for a means to take the weight off the PBI at least some of the time - on the types of terrain that you have mentioned, not pure cross country.

If I remember rightly the axle was an integral part of the ruck frame and the wheels easily detached/attached for change of terrain and the tug handle was telescopic collapsing into itself and the frame a la modern day suitcases.

A contact in the US told me that it fell out of favour when the latest plastic framed rucks came on the scene.

I started to knock something up myself with a modified Alice pack frame but had to put the brakes on the project when I found myself looking at motorised golf club carts and things started to get out of hand!

 

[RAPPLEBY2000]

if you don't mind the size of wheel, (the bigger the better off road!) and you don't mind a bit of DiY experimentation....Wheelchair wheels are tough, reliable and are detatchable for storage!

I was given an old wheelchair to play with(to strip for useful parts) I found most of the parts are high grade aluminium, most of the parts are designed to be modified for the user so easy to adjust and many of the bolts have groves so you can tighten them by hand. just an idea!

I've tried ot make all sorts of carts to carry my work gear, golf trolleys are ok but they are designed for stopping and starting so are constantly on that funny angle and they have annoying add ons like ball holders. the wheels and joints are very simple difficult to fix and tend to be a bit "flimsy" as they were never intended to be taken anywhere more rugged than soft grass, and they are designed not to damadge the grass as well, so the tread on some wheels i've seen are like rollmat foam! they would be ripped to shreds in woodland or stoney path!

 

[Nohoval_Turrets]

if you don't mind the size of wheel, (the bigger the better off road!) and you don't mind a bit of DiY experimentation....Wheelchair wheels are tough, reliable and are detachable for storage!

Well I'd considered a lot of options for the wheels, but then I realised I had the kayak trolley, which I seldom used, so that seemed a natural choice. I agree bigger wheels have advantages, but these are surprisingly good. They're quite wide, so can travel across softer ground without sinking. But wheelchair wheels are an intriguing idea - I'll look into it.

 

[Shewie]

The Dixon Roller pack is nicely designed, with one wheel it's probably better behaved on the rougher stuff

http://www.arrowhead-equipment.com/store/p320/Dixon_Roller_Pack.html

 

[Nohoval_Turrets]

The Dixon Roller pack is nicely designed, with one wheel it's probably better behaved on the rougher stuff

http://www.arrowhead-equipment.com/store/p320/Dixon_Roller_Pack.html

Yes, that looks good alright, but at $375 (versus free) I'll stick with what I have!

 

[Shewie]

Yes, that looks good alright, but at $375 (versus free) I'll stick with what I have!

I don't blame you

 

[Johnnyboy1971]

What you need is someone who is scrapping an old three wheel pushchair to modify.

 

[johntarmac]

This was the canoe trolley lash-up I used last weekend.



The 2x1 is notched over the frame so it didn't pull out from the bungee and apart from the horrible plastic innertubes that won't stay inflated it worked reasonably well.
There isn't enough clearance between the wheels and frame and the mud needed clearing off at regular intervals.

The next version will have puncture proof wheelbarrow wheels and I am going to weld up a frame from 20mm square section tube.
I have toyed with the idea of wheelchair or bicycle wheels but the diameter means they would come up either side of the load which means a wider and much higher trolley.

 

[Janne]

Ingenious! With large, ricksha or wheelchait style wheels it should be fine in terrain?

Or even better, those newfangled oversized baloon tyred cycle wheels?

It does not have to be much wider than the pack, maybe an extra 2 inches on each side. Same height if you construct a U skaped rigid frame and you fix the wheels on the top of it