Hiking with wheelbarrow

“Here is one I've never seen before:
Last week I went backpacking with a couple friends to Rock Island Wisconsin. You need to get to the island by hopping island to island by ferry boat. We were out day-hiking when we come across a guy and a girl pushing a wheelbarrow through the woods - the had backpacks on and a load of gear and firewood in the wheelbarrow. They said it was easier than carrying all their stuff in suitcases. They also said the ferry captain looked at them "kind of strangly"
Has anyone else ever seen this type of "backpacker" ???”

“yeah, i saw a guy with a hand-truck, carrying a cooler of beer down the trail!

what a nut!”

“It does not seem so strange if they share.”

“Was the wheelbarrow lightweight? Where can I get one?

Seroiusly, they were probably car campers taking the next step, slowly evolving into true hikers.”

“Ever hear of using a sled in the winter?

Maybe they are cutting edge backpackers. not”

“You know those cleopatra-type carriers that have two long poles and a platform in the middle, a chair goes on the platform for her to sit and two men grap the front and back of the poles and carry her...

I saw two dudes begin hiking at a trailhead carrying all their gear and a cooler of beer with one of those contraptions (whatever they're called).”

“I saw a photo of a guy in Africa with elephantiasis. He was literally wheeling his balls around infront of him in a wheelbarrow. Its true.

I don't know why I posted this...but I'm sure there are a few types on here that will appreciate it.”

“Yeah, What Rad said.”

“What did Rudd Say? vaaaaarrrrooooooommm”

“I think that "guy with a hand-truck, carrying a cooler of beer down the trail" was Rad.
----”

“Nope. It wasn't Rad.”

“I'm guessing it wasn't walkindude.”

“On a tangent to the subject, has anybody thought about using a rickshaw to tote gear in. Think a bike child/pet trailer, with more ground clearance, attached to a pack or hipbelt sled style sled style. Anybody ever built one of these?

Just a thought.”

“I have been on a few trails that would tolerate a wheel barrow, but damn few. What kind of trails ya'll got out there?

We'uns got too many switchbacks, narrow ledges and rocky hollers to be toting a wheel barrow.”

“How long ago was this? It could have been me, I just don't remember.

(formerly drinking bear)”

“I once saw a guy pulling a hand truck up the trail loaded with all his hunting gear. I suppose when he gets a deer he uses it to haul it out.”

“It wasn't me but I'll say it was someone in this Picture”

“A two wheel version with cart/bicycle type wheels is common in the Smokies on the Hazel Creek Trail.The carts have a name,that I do not recall at the moment.I have seen people hauling huge coolers,wood,chairs,all of the usual car camping gear and fishing equipment on these carts.”

“on the subject of elephantitis, I saw something this sunday at work (in the operating room). This dude looked like he had this montrously huge purple sack between his legs. I'm serious, you coulda plopped em in a wheelbarrow. I'm not sure it was elephantitis though; I think he was in there for a urethral laproscopy - somethin seriously wrong in there. Anyway, on that note, good night!”

“I'll bet the TTer in question was sarabelle. I know gojo has made her mow grass, wash windows and do dishes! I've seen pictures! He's such a hard master. LOL!”

“Two gentlemen near me use a wheelbarrow. They claim the old back and knees aren't what they used to be and it is the only way to carry the camping gear.

A strict interpretation of the Wilderness Act prohibits wheelbarrows and carts, but I have never heard of the prohibition being enforced.”

“Buddur-
That's a sedan chair.
The "piss-slaves" use those to carry the "queen".”

“Great picture walkindude. That was a big get-together.”

“Yes Nice pic. 'dude!!!!! What a Great Time.


I have dreamed of a human travious(sp) that is single or a narrow two wheeler. Have it connected to a adjustable shoulder/hip harness rig comfy for towing. Also have it braked or a way to apply constant friction to slow freewheeling on declines. Collapsable wheel and axial so the travious can easily slid across big trees and rocks block the trail. Or when trekking with another have some stays in the rear so one can lift and/or push with.......


It would weight not much more than the average MT bike. Incorporate choice metals (AL, Ti) in tubing and parts plus quality durable fabric.

Maybe I'll call Red Green on this one!!!!!!”

“Briar,
funny you should suggest that, being that I'm in the process of building (trying) one of those, planning on using it for hauling deer out of the woods or beer into the woods. I have been working on a couple of designs in my garage. My first design is a one wheeler and plan b is with two. 12" kids bike tire with bike(friction) brake. Using al conduit. I will let you know how or if it works out.”

“WOW!!!! interesting. Stalker I would be interested to see how this turns out.
Just curious are you building this from scatch? I would like to learn how to weld w/a arc gun.

Didn't I see a guy in a boot ad sometime ago with a trailer/cart in tow as he crossed the southern plains of S.America.

I envision the travious no wider than the person towing it and longer than expected for stability and load.

Will the load sit above or between the wheels? How much clearance are you having in the rear with only 12" wheels? Wouldn't you think something larger would roll over obstacles better. I was thinking almost like a 24" or 26" tires.”

“1. I'm in the R&D stage right now with a lot of aluminum conduit, al plate, and other parts and pieces laying in a pile and a note book with drawings. But I am planning in building it from scratch. Although I did see some of those al ramps in Wal-Mart, those for loading lawn mowers into your pickup, and they look like a good ready made frame. I couldn't find a price, and got p.o.'ed and left.

2. To weld al you need a heli-arch or a DC welder with al rod; I only have an AC welder, so I am trying to design this thing to bolt together.

3. I am designing to be used along with a light weight al/fabric deer stand (which this is causing me to scratch my head), so that I can hike into an area set up base camp bow hunt for a couple three days and if I am one with the forest, haul out a deer or pig. So I need this to be stable with 100-150 lbs.

4. So, that brings us to wheel size. Yes, the larger the wheels the easier it would go over the trail, but the trade off is a higher center of gravity, and in keeping all of this narrow could be very unstable. I thought I would start off with the smaller one wheel design (load on top) then if that doesn't work move on to two (sm.) wheels (load) on top, then as I see it, if you have to go to the 20"+ wheels it would have to be a two wheel (load between)

5. Here?s a thought, how is a non-ambulatory patient transported out of the depths of the forest when they can?t be air lifted? One, they are just plain carried out in a stokes basket or; two, the rescue crew has a single wheel with light weight frame that attaches in the center bottom of the stokes basket. Good two person design.

6. And for all of the pissers and moan?ers, there are many many trails that this would not work with, enviro concerns with causing ruts and erosion, not legal in some areas and most of all; it would promote white trash with too much cheap alcohol to leave their car camp and enter our world. ?I can see it now, Billy Bob and Fam coming down the trail with a keg a beer, chainsaw, boom bx, 15 guns and that many kids all loaded on a titanium frame, motor assisted travois and don?t forget the 3 hounds and two pit bulls in tow?.

7. For the love of God rabbit, what were we thinking!!!

really folks that won't happen, why use a high tech travois, when there are ATV's.”

“Briar Rabbit,

there is a picture of the litter wheel at the below address. Don't look at the price or the wieght, just the design and idea.

http://www.rescuenorthwest.com/Equipment/Litters/russ_anderson_universal_litter_w.htm”

“The best design I've seen is a one wheeled (about 12" like a bike tire) design. It looks like a stretcher frame mounted on this tire. Two sets of handles one on each end, requires two people to operate efficiently. I think it was for big game animals. It was about two or two and a half feet wide. Looked rugged and manuverable, but heavy as well.”

“How about this

or ”

“Mountain Hardware will prolly come out with a techy wheelbarrow soon!”

“(LIGHT BULB)

Stalker, is this gonna a be a game and gear hualer and deer stand in one. Is that what your thinking? If not, run that idea thru your R&D and lets gone into business. I think we may have something here.

You know Billy Bob too?”

“After rolling my 35+ pound 4 year old child up and down trails in a 12" wheeled jogger stroller, I have often thought about loading it up after it's no use to him and rolling my equipment around. I have easily wheeled him on trails like Horseshoe Canyon in Canyonlands National Park. I was planning on wheeling him into the backcountry of Yosemite but noticed strollers were banned(I geuss to the untrained eye the wheel pattern looks too much like a mountain bikes, only three of them)!

Hey what ever it takes to get your butt out there is better then sitting at home.”

“Rabbit,

Ya that's what I thinking, this might sound stupid but here goes.
al frame 18"x24" fabric cover, turnbuckle on bottom to tighten the fab. Use webbing to attach to tree. cable going up from sides of frame to top anchor pt where smaller al/fabric frame seat is attached. Al pole hold other end of seat up. now both of these al frames attach to long poles of the travois. Your only about 8 - 15 feet up in a stand, so plan on using ascender and short static line. Throw rope over a limb and tie off like hanging your bear bag. Use ascender and web harness to access stand. Also with the ascender and a pulley it would be easy to rig a hauling line(3:1 advantage) if you had a tough a/s/s section of trail to get up.
Now for the hard part, keeping the weight under twenty lbs, target is 15lbs. If can do that then this whole thing could be packed in and not have all of the hassels of fallen trees and such until it was time to haul out your catch. What ya think.”