Toboggan or Pulk that is the question ????

[Twodogs]

Right folks on the last trip my smaller size pulk worked fine on the last trip but was way top heavy off road so needs to be longer to lower the load ,


Snowslead do a tidy slede that would suit the needs the newly released expedition model ,


http://www.snowsled.com/ice-blue-plastic-pulks/


Downside is possable flight length problems ,,


OR,,,,,

Make a taboggan its all been done before downside is after watching the lads rolling them up in the cold ,,, hard work ...


Cost wise theres not a lot in it as a sheet of plastic or the snowslead shell will work out about the same ,,,


Any thoughts or view ???

Cheers
Twodogs

 

[Johnnyboy1971]

I keep looking at the car roof boxes and wish they were a little tougher.

 

[Twodogs]

yep and the plastic must cope with the cold

 

[Johnnyboy1971]

Think they would be ok with the cold it's just the lack if impact resistance. They do flex but are still quite brittle.
I like the look of the one Paul showed in the Estonia thread.

 

[bilmo-p5]

Make a taboggan its all been done before downside is after watching the lads rolling them up in the cold ,,, hard work ...

Could you make one that folded-up rather thal rolled-up?

 

[DUCky]

If you are going to be on flat reasonably hard snow surface, both pulka and toboggan will work well and the toboggan might have the edge for ease of pulling and stability. If you are going to walk on an incline or in more hilly terrain, the pulka is probably a bit more stable as it is less prone to slide sideways. Walking with snowshoes in softer snow, the toboggan has the advantage of being narrow and staying within the showshoe track. Tracking in really deep and powdery snow as we had in Jokkmokk this year, both the pulka and toboggan will be murder to pull.

 

[ex-member BareThrills]

It would have to be pulk for me. I like the idea of packing my gear directly into my transport.

id be interested in a weight comparison too.

A 130cm pulk would be about 5kg plus 15kg of load to hit your checked baggage limit. I reckon i could fit the remaining gear in a carry on. This saves the weight of a big bergan which would average 3kg.

With a boggan im guessing you need two bergans (or bergan plus holdall) plus the weight of the boggan itself. 7kg total at a guess?

As for ease of use ill bet there isnt much in it but a pulk is ready to rumble off the plane. Damage needs to be considered too. if your pulk gets mashed in the hold you are finished before you start but a boggan is likely to hold up much better if squished. packing the boggan is a pain but you are a big lad so shouldnt have a problem

Load capacity will be huge with a boggan. I marvelled at how much Teepee can fit on there so if you are not travelling light and utilising mostly issue gear then this has to be a factor that would make you think boggan especially as you are fitting the wifes gear on too.

For me it would be a pulk as im pretty confident it will work for me and the gear i own.

 

[maddave]

I used a boggan in Sweden and the only downside is the rolling up. However they side slide with inclines. On roads they are more robust than pulks (wayland wore holes in his snowsled in one day). They're more airline friendly , but if you're going off piste and hilly then a pulk will be bwtter imo

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Shewie]

I'd go for the thinner stuff which Pete used on his first one, it looked to be a lot easier to roll up and transport than the later one.

 

[Teepee]

The 5mm toboggan was difficult to roll up, my 3mm one is very easy. If you can avoid much grit, its the thickness to have. At 3kg and easy to roll, it can be carried if needed.

It comes down to terrain as others have said. Mountains need a smaller pulk. If its reasonably flat and travel is on skidoo trails, rivers and lakes, the toboggan wins hands down IMO. If your travelling along sideslopes at all, the boggan is a real pain. Teamwork can get round that though-thew guy behind can keep the boggan in line with a rope.

Pulks weigh more too as they have sides. If I was getting a pulk for carrying our heavy loads, I'd make or buy something like the Siglin Pulk; Linky here.

I'd say the most important requirement is being able to pack the load with the centre of gravity low enough. Any sled piled even a little too high or badly packed is a complete nightmare.

 

[Twodogs]

Some interesting points to think about there , Hmmmmm

Cheers Gents
Twodogs

 

[Andy BB]

Nice trip report on a Fjellpulken here http://hikinginfinland.com/2011/05/fjellpulken-xcountry-130-pulka.html

when I did the Norway trip, I made my own -

This did MUCH better than expected. To give some idea of size, the toboggan is 4' 3". I massively overloaded it, yet it still did the job remarkably well, including pulling over the odd bit of tarmac and several km of gritted snow with little visible damage. Not bad for a cheap ebay sledge with some holes drilled for rope to tie the lad down with.

The added benefit - which you can't really see from the pics, is that the large cases were both wheelie trolleys. On tarmac and around town I could use them on the wheels (one in each hand and small rucksack on back/ribz on chest). Once the snow was reached I flipped the sledge over, tied the second case to the sledge, put my coat on top of that, and off it all went as a pulk.

 

[Teepee]

Nice trip report on a Fjellpulken here http://hikinginfinland.com/2011/05/fjellpulken-xcountry-130-pulka.html

when I did the Norway trip, I made my own -

This did MUCH better than expected. To give some idea of size, the toboggan is 4' 3". I massively overloaded it, yet it still did the job remarkably well, including pulling over the odd bit of tarmac and several km of gritted snow with little visible damage. Not bad for a cheap ebay sledge with some holes drilled for rope to tie the lad down with.

The added benefit - which you can't really see from the pics, is that the large cases were both wheelie trolleys. On tarmac and around town I could use them on the wheels (one in each hand and small rucksack on back/ribz on chest). Once the snow was reached I flipped the sledge over, tied the second case to the sledge, put my coat on top of that, and off it all went as a pulk.

They are a really nice size for hillier stuff Andy.

I've had completely the opposite experience with that exact same sled though. Its a Paricon sled. The nose shape keeps it in ruts and it takes its own path.

It also cracked on the first day of use with 30kg in it when it ran into a rock in a twisty trail in Scotland. It made from Polypropylene and as such, won't handle temps below -20c very well. Once cracked, the cracks keep growing. despite drilling the ends of the cracks, mine is now split in 2.

Taking these sleds to parts of the world where its easy to drop below -20c, I honestly think its unwise to rely on something that could fail completely. I know your trip wasn't that cold but going in extreme weather could have the sled fail. Best to stick to tested materials IMO. Polyethylene, glass fibre or metal.

HDPE and UHMWPE will tolerate down to -100c.

 

[Wayland]

Agree with all the points above.

I didn't have too much trouble with rolling my toboggan but I was in a relatively warm place when I did it.

Providing you have a cord with a loop round the outside to stop it unwinding and pull inwards on the nose-ward hauling strap it's not a big deal.

It's also only done twice on most trips, outbound and return by public transport.

That leaves the only real disadvantage with the boggan being the side sliding which is not a big problem if you work as a team.

I have been wondering about making some bolt on fins for the back end to counter the problem otherwise though.

 

[Ivanhoe]

There're so many weirdos here, and the expeditions are so well planned
that it must be possible to arrange a loan or rent from someone who's
got a pulk.


I have two and a friend of mine also has two, and they are never ever
out in the snow like they want to... The same is probably true for other
peoples pulks...


It would totally be worth it just to avoid the hassle of bringing a pulk
with you on an airplane.

 

[Andy BB]

They are a really nice size for hillier stuff Andy.

I've had completely the opposite experience with that exact same sled though. Its a Paricon sled. The nose shape keeps it in ruts and it takes its own path.

It also cracked on the first day of use with 30kg in it when it ran into a rock in a twisty trail in Scotland. It made from Polypropylene and as such, won't handle temps below -20c very well. Once cracked, the cracks keep growing. despite drilling the ends of the cracks, mine is now split in 2.

Taking these sleds to parts of the world where its easy to drop below -20c, I honestly think its unwise to rely on something that could fail completely. I know your trip wasn't that cold but going in extreme weather could have the sled fail. Best to stick to tested materials IMO. Polyethylene, glass fibre or metal.

HDPE and UHMWPE will tolerate down to -100c.

All valid points there Teepee. Lucky I've picked up a new Fjellpulken then

Interestingly, the one area that always worried me was the bit before the snow - you know, the airport/train/bus station, getting around the town when there isn't snow etc. Which is why I found the wheelie-bags so useful. May have to come up with something a bit different for my Fjellpulken though....

 

[Wayland]

I have to admit, finding no baggage trolleys at Stockholm station was a bad moment for me with the bags I was transporting.

It's great when you're out on the snow but carrying a load of camera gear on top of everything else is a bit of a pain really.

 

[Teepee]

All valid points there Teepee. Lucky I've picked up a new Fjellpulken then

Interestingly, the one area that always worried me was the bit before the snow - you know, the airport/train/bus station, getting around the town when there isn't snow etc. Which is why I found the wheelie-bags so useful. May have to come up with something a bit different for my Fjellpulken though....

I have serious pulk envy of your Fjellpulken Andy

There's no way I'd be dragging that through gravel and a little wheel set would have come in really handy at the airport.

The answer of course is a "Hoverpulk"

There're so many weirdos here, and the expeditions are so well planned
that it must be possible to arrange a loan or rent from someone who's
got a pulk.


I have two and a friend of mine also has two, and they are never ever
out in the snow like they want to... The same is probably true for other
peoples pulks...


It would totally be worth it just to avoid the hassle of bringing a pulk
with you on an airplane.

Wierdos!

Taking a toboggan or pulk on the plane has benefits too. It protects gear inside (sometimes ) and means its easy to haul straight out of an airport. My 3kg 'boggan really isn't much hassle.

 

[maddave]

Talking with RedFox after our adventure we are thinking of designing a complete pulk package. A pulk base with an attached zip cover making it into a large hard bottomed bag. Then adding the "trolley dolly" wheels to the back so they only hit the floor if the nose of the pulk is lifted high up. Big haul loop on the front and Robert is your mothers brother !!

 

[Twodogs]

It will be interesting to see how you get on ,

Twodogs