Sunday, March 7, 2004
Sled Camping
Backcountry camping in winter demands that you carry more gear. It's essential to have a warmer sleeping bag, thicker ground pad, sturdier tent, more substantial cook stove, additional fuel and multiple layers of warm clothing. The extra gear adds up and can make you feel like a beast of burden under the weight of a heavy backpack.
A sled is a good alternative for many winter trips, allowing you to haul your gear behind you instead of on your back. Sleds are best suited for use on gentle terrain, as thick woods and steep slopes can make sled hauling difficult. I like to use them when setting up a base camp from which to explore the surrounding woods and mountains. Over the years I've tried a variety of sled contraptions with varying degrees of success, but I finally decided it was time for a real sled that was more durable and comfortable.
Construction was easy and took less than an hour. First I drilled two attachment points in the front lip of the sled and three more holes along each side for lashing points. Then I threaded the rope through the pipes and tied one end of each pipe to the front of the sled and attached the other ends to each side of the hip-belt. I used clevis pins through the pipe-ends for the hip-belt-to-pipe attachment (which required drilling a few more holes), but you may simply tie loops in the rope-ends and clip to the belt with a snap link).
Pat Johnson, an adventurer from Gorham, designed her own sled for a recent ski trip into Baxter State Park. In fact, all eight members of her group were using sleds for the first time, each having made their own sled especially for the trip.
"It was easy to build. I'm not very technical, but I built it all myself, no problem," Johnson said of the sled-making process.
Dave Benham of Saco, another member of the Baxter trip, said the group had a good experience using the new sleds, although it was pretty tough work.
"You're basically just shuffling your feet and pulling the sled along. It was work – definitely one of the hardest things I've done in awhile," said Benham. "But the sled was much better than a backpack."
Besides getting the weight off your back, the other big advantage of a sled is that you can carry a few "extras" with you that you'd never even consider if you had to lug them in your pack. Benham's group, for example, ate luxurious meals of fresh shrimp and scallops over pasta and a whole chicken with peppers and onions, all accompanied with wine.
"We ate like kings," said Benham, who even brought a six-pack of beer along.
Johnson, too, was sold on using sleds.
"You can take more stuff, more extras with you. That's the beauty of a sled," Johnson said, but also cautioned against adding too much weight. "On level terrain the sleds go beautifully, but going uphill you can really feel the drag on your hips."
To help relieve the stress on the legs and hips, Benham recommends carrying a partially-filled pack on your back and stowing the heavier, bulkier items in the sled, making sure to keep the load low and balanced.
Sleds take a little getting used to, so you'll want to make sure you test out your sled system ahead of time, Benham said. At the trailhead in blowing snow and freezing temperatures is not the time to be figuring things out.
With only a few minor adjustments for fit my new sled system worked smoothly when I took it out for a trial run. So now I'm ready to go on a few late-winter and early-spring weekend trips to the mountains. And I'm sure I'll have a few "extras" in my sled too.
CAREY KISH is the former president of the Maine Outdoor Adventure Club. He can be reached at: happycamper@careykish.com