I was reading a site about ultralite backpacking, and reminded me of this that I have thought for some time now ... When the Indians travelled around the woods, the men didn't carry anything coz they had to be ready to fight ... the women carried everything. They didn't use backpacks -- they used sledges of some sort that they dragged around behind them. My question: why do we carry anything through the woods? How about some sort of plank or frame on puffy off-road type tires that you could wheel around behind you? Like remember how much suitcases weighed before they put wheels on them? With a backpack harness/yoke to distribute they weight? Easy to put down whenever you want. Pulling rather than lifting. Anybody ever make such a contraption?
Actually men did carry the supplies... Especially when Europeans came. They used it has a career and carried the Europeans belongings around as they travelled (since most were nomadic). In fact, there once was a special on television with a reinactment type thing where people retraced the steps, and they got ancestors of the natives to carry the luggage (which was an honour because they were honouring what their ancestors had done before them).
I prefer to travel ultralite, carrying nothing other than my own clothes on most day trips! Anyway, regarding your contraption - I am thinking the exact same thing. I think the terrain is important - the location for me is very rough, but mainly because of lot's of bushy vegetation, heathers, uplands/wetlands, grass, etc. I think a sled type shape would work really well as it's large surface area would ride on top of the vegetation, and it would allow you to transport much larger loads than by carrying them. It would be pulled by a harness. Unfortunatly, it would perform rather less well if I need to descend onto the hard rocky forest tracks, but maybe a pair of wheels could be slotted into it! I'm not sure if there is anything like this you can buy. Maybe a child or adult snow sled could be adapted. Other ideas I've thought of include a simple old wheelbarrow (pushing rather than pulling), or for faster travel a push bike adapted into a load carrying trike, like those used in Asia. Obviously it all depends on what you're trying to achieve and more importantly the terrain! Just some general ideas.
we don't drag stuff because we practice Leave No Trace, and big ugly wheel tracks or drag lines would look shitty, not to mention tear up the ground and cause erosion. Might have been fine 500 years ago, when the whole damn continent was basically a wilderness, but now the wild places are small, broken up, and over-used. Gotta protect them. Besides, the indians, when traveling singly or in small parties, didn't drag anything. They carried a little bit of food, a weapon (bow, usually) and maybe a large animal skin for a blanket. They lived off the land. Most of us now don't have that ability, and even if we did, not only are their hunting regulations to deal with, but just the fact that if everyone was "living off the land" even while camping, we'd soon run out of wildlife.
I think you're making a sweeping generalisation! I'm a believer in leaving no trace too, and indeed the devices I have mentioned have been based on this idea, within sensible limits. As an amateur engineer it's not hard to sort out the problems you mention - wheel tracks for instance could easily be resolved with wide tyres and very low pressures, although in my case I only suggested a wheeled cart for on existing forest tracks used by the forestry commission - so wheel tracks are largely irrelevant if they're travelling over tracks used by large 4x4's! Likewise non-wheeled dragging carts - provided the load does not weigh too much, I can envisage the sled sliding over the top of the vegetation without leaving any tracks. I can envisage this only working in the wetlands, where the moisture rich vegetation has a flexibility and spongeyness you rarely see anywhere else. Certainly, you're far more likely to leave tracks from your own footprints in the wetlands - I believe that two people wrestling with a particulary heavy or bulky load would cause more damage struggling with it, than one person pulling it by sled/cart. Indeed the most "damage" I see up there is from the local wild goats and the small but heavy "footprint" of their hooves. I guess it all depends on local circumstances and the type of vegetation and habitats. The examples I've posted are particular specific to a rather limited environment. One last thing - You mentioned that if everybody is living off the land it simply wouldn't work - but that maxim works the other way too, if only one person is living off the land for hundreds of miles, then even if they treat the land harshly - their impact is practically zero, since any damage or use of natural resources is replenished faster than that they can do it.
Oooh - just noticed too... Charlotte is 57, so it would be a fair point to say that the more mature members of society would appreciate a simple load saving device. Sticking to your principles is fine until you do your back in and can no longer participate! Just some random thoughts.
Many of the old Fortyniners came west pushing wheelbarrows with their belongings in them. I have seen historical evidence of them reaching some very remote places even in the Trinity Alps of N. Cal. Perhaps a more modern light weight/light impact version could be designed. As to living off the land I really tink that if everyone tried it the wildlife would be in little danger in the long run and it would be the city dependent sheeple who would die off first....
Jules I have to agree with Trippin. Dragging a load up and down the AT would be destructive, and would probably cause more strain than most ultralight packers would normally experience.
The rocks on the PA section of the AT would eat that contraption alive. It would be well suited for hikink across the praire or desert. Check out the various backpacks available. Just do some research and find the right one. When you learn how to properly load and adjust it will start feel like part of your body. Just check out Backpacker magazine or get on www.whiteblaze/net and ask for advice.
Zoomie - Well we will have to agree to disagree on this one, I still maintain that it depends on the type of topography you are faced with. Tall rigid grasses would be particulary vulnerable, but shorter spongey vegetation would work in in it's vegetation. In any event I will be trying out something like this at some point, so will be able to report one way or the other as to the trail of destruction that I leave (or dont leave) in my wake! It's in my interests that I dont leave tracks as I would rather people didn't have a trail to follow me about. A backpack is still ideal 99% of the time, but if you need to carry an unusually large or heavy load (such as shifting timber) a sled maybe the only practical choice. NB: if you are okay about using plastic, then a polypropylene or polyetylene sled should deal with all rocks nature can throw at it!
