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  1. #51
    Chard's Avatar
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    Thanks PineMartin, great post & video.

    It sounds like at the end of the day, like everything else, selecting the proper gear depends on the conditions you expect to be dealing with.

    I definitely agree with your stainless steel thermos and clothes bag ideas. It's nice to wake up in the morning knowing you have a bottle of hot water for a quick coffee.
    Survival is about getting out alive, Bushcraft is about going in to live - Chard (aka Forest-Hobo)

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  2. #52
    Senior Member Bubba's Avatar
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    Mongrel managed to traverse the same trail we all did with his long narrow sled so it can be done.
    Don't let life get in the way of living.

  3. #53
    Senior Member Jayson's Avatar
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    Lastnight me and Aidan loaded my gear on my small wooden toboggan wrapped in a 8x10 poly tarp. all my gear besides the survival basics and layer clothes fit nicely. I will always wear a small pack with my basics and quick need items. Heading out with the dogs shortly...terrain is very similar will report my experience.
    Packed for as cold or a bit colder temps!

  4. #54
    Senior Member Gary_R's Avatar
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    I agree with PineMartin for the most part.
    There is different sleds for different situations. For the average "weekend warrior" you don't need an expedition sized sled nor do you want one. As many people know I used a Jetsled Jr. for my pulk design and for the terrain and style of camping I do it works fantastic. It goes over downed trees, through deep snow, up hills and track along trails with no issues for the most part. Over the past two years of using mine I noticed that very much of the performance of the sled is affected by your pole design. The tighter (less slop) connections tend to allow it to track and even let you rotate your hips to steer your pulk while you maneuver through your terrain. The crossed poles also make a huge difference. On my last trip out we have 4 sleds with us, 3 of us had the traditional crossed poles and never really had any issues at all, the 4th we had to jerry-rig which ended up with his pole connected in the center of his belt. for the straight areas that was fine but on the trails the sled didn't track and we had to constantly help it to keep it out of tree wells and on the trail. This ended up making him use more energy than he should of had to.

    Another thing to take note of is that after using a sled for a short while you will tend to tweak you hiking habits. Kinda like a trailer on your car if you just hook it up and forget its there you are bound to have trouble or end up in a world of hurt. In the same reference to cars, traction effect things as well. Just because the snow is packed and you don't sink doesn't mean you should toss your snowshoe and not use them. Kinda like walking on sand, if youf feet slip even a little you end up using far more energy. Even with the added weight on your feet, having traction makes you perform more efficiently.
    My DIY Pulk Project
    http://www.landofrath.com/?p=573

  5. #55
    Senior Member
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    Trip Report:

    I had a great time getting out with the gang, even if it was only for one night. Besides the camaraderie, my Underground Quilts 0* underquilt came in and I was looking forward to testing it out.

    I left Toronto at 06:00 Saturday morning and made it to the west gate about 10 minutes before it opened at 09:00 and there were already groups of people waiting to get permits. After changing into the latest winter camping haute couture (wool pants, pac boots, fleece jacket and cotton shell), I took my turn in line and listened to the others in the line-up to see if any were headed to our area. Fortunately, everyone was headed to other parts of the park. I don’t do well in crowds… I got to the trailhead at 09:30 and had the toboggan loaded and on the trail by 10:00. The first group had packed the trail the day before (thanks, buddies!) and I didn’t need my snowshoes. This was fortunate for me as I had hurt my toes a couple of days earlier and it was painful bending the toes.

    The day was bright, crisp and beautiful. As you’ve seen from Bubba’s photos, it was picture perfect. It took an hour and 20 minutes to find the others and none too soon as my foot was beginning to throb. It would stay painful for most of the weekend and taking my boot off and putting it on was agony. After checking in with everyone at the campfire and enjoying the warmth, I went to find a location to call home for the night. I found a nice spot on the other side of Jayson and Cedar and proceeded to hook up the Chrysalis with the new UQ and my cotton sock. I also ate lunch and tried to get a picture of the Whiskey Jacks taking food from my hand. The birds were just too fast for my point and shoot camera. My camera battery died on Saturday, so I didn’t take as many pictures as I wanted.

    As I was setting up and eating, others started showing up. PineMartyn, Lofty and son, and Bubba walked by on their way to the main campfire. After I had setup, I joined the others by the main campfire. It was nice to chat and spend the day with everyone. I made dinner with a new stove I bought from a forum member, Boudah who is making these Hex woodstoves. It worked well and if Boudah makes a titanium version, I’d buy another!

    I slept warm through the night using the UGQ 0* Zeppelin and a –30* F sleeping bag as a top quilt. I had a small thermometer inside the sock and it was reading –17* C on Sunday morning at 07:00. The outside temperature was –27* C when I stuck my head out. I could really feel the temperature difference on my exposed face.

    The UGQ Zeppelin did a great job keeping my backside warm. There were no cold spots and I did not need to use the secondary suspension line. It dialed in the first time and I didn’t make any further adjustments after putting it on. I give the UGQ 0* Zeppelin 5 stars for workmanship and ability to keep me warm. I had the long version with 3 oz. overstuff, draft collars and the resist down. The sock helped with increasing the temperature around me, but I had condensation on the sock above my face. I’ll see if next time, I can vent it by opening the end zippers to reduce the condensation. Previously at Valens, there was no condensation at –5* C.

    After breakfast and a visit by the campfire, I headed to the trailhead and back home. The way back only took an hour as there was less climbing and I was now familiar with the trail. It was a short trip but good to get out and test some equipment. It was good to see old friends and make new ones. Looking forward to the next trip.

    I went to get the toes checked when I got back; it turns out to be a torn ligament on one of the toes.

  6. #56
    Senior Member
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    Toboggan:

    The toboggan I have is about 8.5’ of useable surface plus the curl at the front. The top of the curl is 8” in width and it increases to 14” at the middle of the toboggan and than tapers to 12” at the end.

    I use duffels for my gear and the only difference between the load I had and other trips when I use a canvas tent is the wood stove. In one of the pictures, this is the load structure from the weekend. In another picture, it shows the woodstove added at the end. I use a Four Dog titanium stove measuring 11” X 11” X 22” and weighing about 14 lbs. I stuffed the duffels full of sleeping bags to fill them out for the picture. In reality, they don’t fill out quite so much. If included, my canvas tent adds about 20 lbs.

    I wrap a plastic tarp around the duffels to make it glide better through deep snow and to keep them drier. Some people use tanks to hold the gear together, but I find the tarp more multipurpose. On top is another duffel that holds gear I might need while getting from point A to point B. I also strap my snowshoes, ice chisel and shovel on top. The system I use to tie everything together is shock cord woven crisscross along the length of the toboggan. The shock cord clips into plastic carabiners running along the sides of the toboggan. This makes for very quick loading and unloading. It also makes for a very secure load that doesn’t shift. When I need to go over logs, I lift the front of the toboggan over about a foot and then pull the rest of it over. It slides up and over like a snake with the load intact. The same for going under logs; it will hug and conform to the ground surface to get under the log. That would be more difficult with a wooden toboggan.

    It’s taken me 6 years to get to this system through trial and error. There was much fist shaking and cursing along the way. Every year, I tweak it a little more. Over those years, I’ve learned to handle the toboggan through dense bush and around hairpin turns. Each year, I learn a little more. I like this style of toboggan, but not everyone will. There are different modes of transporting in the winter and part of the fun is finding what works for you and continuing to improve it.
    Attached Images Attached Images

  7. #57
    Senior Member dant8ro's Avatar
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    Wow Mongrel,

    Does that qualify as a gear closet, or more of a gear annex? lol.

    Good to see everyone getting out.

    Dan.

  8. #58
    Senior Member Jayson's Avatar
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    Hope to see you out again soon Dan.

  9. #59
    Senior Member
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    Quote Originally Posted by dant8ro View Post
    Wow Mongrel,

    Does that qualify as a gear closet, or more of a gear annex? lol.

    Good to see everyone getting out.

    Dan.
    It's my Fortress of Squalidtude. One of these days, I'll have to sort through all that gear and probably get rid of half of it. Anyone want to buy a tent?

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