Here is a interesting idea that I ran across, it has some good as well as some bad attributes. The price he wants for this thing is very high but the idea is sound. Wouldn't be hard to make but I have read about a lot of parks prohibit these on the trail but studies say that it does not harm the trails. There is a law that prohibits mechanical devices used in park areas including dear carts, dollies, etc. Any thoughts? Do a Google for DIXON ROLLER PACK reviews.

http://dixonrollerpack.com/18148.html

Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAAEn1qR1qw

This is not me..........

Wilderness areas do not allow mechanical stuff like wheels.

Don't know about all parks.

If I understand their site correctly, the maximum recommended load is only 100 pounds and the normal rig is designed for 50 pounds. That's not nearly enough. Many folks backpack routinely with 50 pound loads, although it is better to be lighter.

I note they do not give the weight of the conveyance itself. It looks heavy, somewhere between seven and ten pounds (I am guessing).

It certainly has possibilities. I have used enough wheeled Stokes litters to believe that the wheel is here to stay and is indeed a good invention. But I am not standing in line to get one.

I like the idea, unfortunately the site looks like a home job and it is somewhat confusing. It's all over the place.

There is weight information for a 7.5 pound rig capable of carrying 50 pounds and 9.5 pound rig for a 100 pound load. The 50 pound Rollerpack comes with the bag and costs $295.00. The 100 pound Rollerpack is the same price but doesn't come with a bag.

My granny used to have something similar for getting her messages back from the shops in the 1970s, but it had 2 wheels and was therefore was a lot more stable. It also came kitted out in an advanced digicam camouflage fabric.

It would be a nightmare to hike through the Rocky Mountains dragging that thing. I used "dragging" literally, because it won't be "rolling" over the rocks we have here. It might be good on a paved street, but a car would be even better for that job.

I can imagine a lot of areas where the ground is flat and solid enough for the wheel to do its work - like the terrain shown in those pictures.

On the other hand, most places a wheel won't work at all. It will sink into mud, marshes, sand and will get stuck, pinched and abused by rocks, logs and sticks.

Actually, the wheel thingy should work just fine anywhere you can ride a bicycle without being a die-hard offroad racing expert. In my neck of the woods, you usually can't ride cross country except on good trails.


The 50 pound version is just a waste of good building materials, IMO - at least it would be for me. 50 pounds is the upper limit of what I consider reasonable for a backpack (I try to stay below that, but I have no worries with 50 pounds). The 100 pound version is more interesting. I have a very good backpack made for that kind of loads, but my knees are eternal grateful that I never load it up with 100 pounds. (I've been pretty close, but only very short distances - typically going a few miles from the car to the cabin loaded with wine and food). I see a similar purpose for this one - hauling loads a few miles from your car to your base camp or cabin on a "bike capable" kind of track. Is that worth the stiff price tag? Not in my world, but each to his own.


This thing made me think about travois kind of sledges, which I only know from Wild West stories. Anybody tried something similar?


Oh, and in the winter time you definitively want a pulk to haul heavy gear on the snow. Unlike this rollerpack, pulks have a track record of probably several thousands years. But pulks require snow to work properly.

EDIT 1: My initial comments may have been a bit too harsh. Getting that pack off your back is a great relief, even if it's not overly heavy (< 50 pounds) and a comfortable pack. Particular in hot weather. The "bike friendly terrain" limitation will be unacceptable for me, though.

EDIT 2: I checked their web site, and see they have a "ski attachment accessory" for this contraption... which is a foot long ski that takes over the job of the wheel. I have a hard time seeing how this would not interfere with your own snow shoes or skis. But can't blame 'em for trying.

A larger daimeter wheel would help, think mountain bike wheel/tire 26" or 700c. Larger daimerter wheel will roll over rocks easier than a smaller diameter one. Look at the wheels on deer carts.

There's a lengthy discussion on the product on the Hammocks Forum. Also, Arrowhead Equipment is a distributor of the Roller Pack & Ski. No difference in the price but he also sells other camping and hammock gear so you can add other items that you might want or need and save on shipping/handling charges from separate vendors. I have no affiliate with Arrowhead except I've bought my KAQ underquilt and other products from Paul. His workmanship is tops and is only exceeded by his customer service.

BTW, Paul uses the roller Pack and has been in conversation with the comany on making some modifications. (Hammock folks are always into making mods!) I'm sure Paul will be happy to honestly answer any questions you have about the product.

BTW II, I digress but I recently picked up his Super Dinner Bivy for freezer bag cooking. I haven't tested mine yet but Paul's tests show it retains heat for rehydration for a very long time.

I agree. A larger wheel would be a significant improvement. I wonder if wheel weight or cost was a consideration for the particular wheel chosen.

Actually... Looking at the product again, because they chose to keep the wheel attached in the backpack configuration, the wheel had to be small enough not to impede movement. Which is a nice way of saying the wheel won't hit you in the backside.

I'd think about a larger quick detach bicycle wheel for this pack...

Ir make the wheel attachment rotate 90 degrees when backpacking. Unless that wheel in the picture is plastic it would weagh close to a bike wheel.

I'm just starting to research the single wheel bike trailers, kids don't like riding in the burley trailer anymore so I'm listing it on craigslist. Have my son on a trailerbike behind my bike and my daughter is in a seat on the back of my wife's bike so single wheel bike trailer could be used behind my wife's bike for more gear hauling ability. I could adapt a backpack style like this and unhitch and take like that.

Sometimes our govt makes ridiculous rules that just make no sense. Okay, if they consider a single wheeled cart a mechanical device that is too damaging on the environment, then how about we just use a sled or a travois instead, and we can then drag our load through the wilderness. Since neither are a mechanical device, they should be just fine for trail use. Now, how much damage would two poles ploughing the trail do?

I really wonder where these people get these ideas. I can understand their motivation, but not their reasoning. Then again, the US F&W declared a local Arid Lands Ecology zone off limits to all hunting, even though a herd of about 800 elk live on it. To avoid overpopulation, once a year the dept sends a dozen agents up into the ALE in 4wd vehicles and helicopters to "cull the herd" for a week or more. Gee, those must be some special vehicles they use that leave no tracks in those delicate environmental areas. Oh yeah, and what do they do with the "culled" animals? Well, they leave some for the scavengers and give the rest to the local native american tribes to do with as they wish. Yep, your tax dollars going to pay for USF&W officers to hunt elk and on public lands and provide the tribes with free meat.

I have used one of these to haul out elk.

http://gametote.com/

Works even with down fall, (WORK being the operative word).

Still easier than making several 3 mile trips with backpacks.

Weight balanced on top of the wheels (gametote) like that will make it harder. You have all the weight going down on the wheel and a high center of gravity making it want to fall over.

a wheel hanging behind splits the load part on the wheel and part on you but also lowers the CG. If you get a large wheel then use a pair of bent arms to connect to the axel then come downward you can get the weight below the axle and make it more self balancing rather than wanting to fall over.

A quick image search found [url=thishttp://www.eaglematetrailers.com/images/empty_trailer.jpg][url=thishttp://www.eaglematetrailers.com/images/empty_trailer.jpg][url=thishttp://www.eaglematetrailers.com/images/empty_trailer.jpg]thishttp://www.eaglematetrailers.com/images/empty_trailer.jpg[/url][/url][/url] not a bike trailer or backpack carrier but see how the frame drops down below the axle? Use a larger daimeter wheel and drop the frame down some and put the weight down low making it easier to balance. Then the length of the bars coming up to you act as a lever laving the weight less but also the whole amount isn't on the wheel either

How would that work in downfall?

I've carried rucks in excess of 100 lbs... Alaska, arctic training, I was the radioman for the C.O. It royally sucked. And as we were using cold weather batteries worn on your chest, I was tethered to the ruck by the cable. Double royal suck.

But there is one downfall of this device, snow. That and I want to be able to tow/drag more than 100 lbs if I was using this thing. Wondering if the 100 lbs is the real max, or the suggested max.

I can tow a garden wagon for a lot cheaper and probably carry a little more.

The prohibition against wheels in wilderness has nothing to do with environmental damage. It's about appropriate use in designated wilderness areas, which, almost by definition, are roadless. No modern goodies allowed.

The basic problem with the Roller Pack is that it just wouldn't work on nearly all back country trails (not just wilderness) that I have seen. What do you do when you come to a three foot diameter log, with protruding branches, lying across the trail, on a steep slope. Obstacles like that can be quite challenging to a lightly loaded hiker.

Don't even think about going off trail in mountainous areas.

Has to be said: Wheels can/do compact soil and disrupt ecosystems. Tracks can be seen for decades after a single ill adapted vehicle passes. I have seen such tracks turn into washes when the rainy season comes around.

Narrow wheels highly loaded cause more damage than wider ones lightly loaded. The forest service rules on no wheels is far easier to enforce than debating the vast unwashed masses who would seek to comply the letter of the law while violating the spirit. Forest service vehicles are typically ATVs using large and wide flotation tires that usually cause less damage than a person walking as long as they are driven responsibly.

A travois is a viable choice but the FS guys will object as they leave tracks that can last for a century. I used one in an exercise. A handy way to move a load too heavy or bulky to carry. A sapling with the majority of limbs left on can be used as a crude travois and saves time because you don't need to limb a larger tree to make poles.

Come the first of the year you can play with discarded Christmas trees as a sort of field-expedient travois. Tie a piece of one inch webbing to the butt as a harness. Pulling the tree is quite easy. Depending on your strength and their weight dragging several kids on top of even such a makeshift travois can be easy, and quite entertaining for the kids. Moving several hundred pounds is not an unreasonable undertaking.

Something to keep in mind if you ever have to move someone, or something, in the woods. Note: cutting trees is usually frowned upon but you are pretty likely to get a pass in a real emergency.

I'm no pro, but that looks kinda silly to me. I can think of so many hiking situations where it just wouldn't go very well, that it cancels out any possible functionality for me. Also, I can't help but think if the guy tumbles down a hill or something, those poles could jab into his back or something, which would really put him in a bad spot! It might be good for urban survival, like if you decide to walk out of a city or something.

Looking in the local paper -

A national hardware store is having a sale - a 4 wheel garden wagon is on sale for $49.95, down $10. Max load is 450 lbs. Big thing, 4 tires, not wheels. Sides made of metal gridwork. Think flexible flyer on steroids.

While I wouldn't want to haul 450 lbs up a hill... it's still more bang for the buck.

On a related note - If it is truly a survival situation, who cares what the FS thinks/says about wheels? Better to ask forgiveness...

Hi everyone, Paul from Arrowhead Equipment here, been getting a number of hits on my site from the links the Bill posted above so thought I would check out the forum. And like Bill said I do use the Dixon Roller Pack, have had a test one here for me to play with since November and really like it. So if anyone has any questions about how it works feel free to ask me. I plan to get out in the next week or two here in Idaho in some very rugged terrain and show just how much the DRP can handle. Initially most folks think it would limit the options that they have for backpacking, but most of us that have used one find that if anything more options are available. Any way let me know if I can help with some first hand actual experience.

That's just great...

Myself, I am a gear junkie and love shiny, new inventions. At the same time extremely conservative about changing even the tiniest detail of tried and true concepts. So, my first gut reactions may have been a bit to harsh.... I love the way you think out of the box with this rollerpack.


Two questions:

1) I am guestimating the rollerpack has about the same offroad capabilities and limitations as a bike. True or false?


2) Any real life experience with the ski kit used with snow shoes or skis?

Actually of road/of trail is not hard at all with the Dixon Roller Pack.

Here are a few videos of the DRP in action. This first one is of Bob Dixon the inventor showing it in cation over some rocky sections.

Bob Dixon over rocks


And here is another guy from Hammock Forums and his first trip with his last fall.
Mule's Browning Hill Trip

And here is one done by one of my customers on the first trip he did with his--2 days after it got to him.
Chad rolling the DRP

I do plan to get out and take some pictures and video of the DRP on some very rugged off trail hiking in the next week or two as the weather up here is finally getting better.


On question #2 --I have not had the chance to try the Ski my self, but have talked with Dixon a fair bit about it. He has done a lot of testing with the Ski and said it works great with snow shoes or just on foot over all sorts of terrain.

Hope that helps, but let me know if you have more questions.

Me three. I think a single fatbike style bike wheel would be optimal here. The upside is bike wheels are light and strong. The fatbike styles would work even better on varied terrain.

Pictures of various fatbikes:
http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=497766

Single wheel bike trailers:
http://www.extrawheel.com/

Fat bikes in action (it looks like they are having fun!):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dg6imj-k39g

-john

Not to ruffle any feathers but the larger wheel would change the performance in a different way with the DRP. Raising the Center of gravity and changing the way the wheel takes the load. In the current design the majority of the weight is taken by the wheel. raising the wheel connection would balance the load more evenly between between the user and the wheel. The opposite of what a user wants. Several factors play into it but at current most users feel less than 50% of the load with the DRP. Mule (the guy in the second video that I linked above) posted his pack weights over at Hammock Forums a couple days ago for a group hike, he weighed the full DRP with frame and all came to 40 pounds, then he connected the waist belt and weighed himself, he only gained 15 pounds. The lever action that is employed by keeping the load on the small wheel would change as you increase the wheel size. As you may see in the videos the lower part of the frame of the DRP is made to act as a drag skid should you cross any obstacle larger than the wheel can handle. This comes into play when stepping over and around large rocks, logs steps, or anything else that may get in the way when hiking. When Skidding the load is still counterbalanced off of the user and you do not feel the weight on your self.

I have a couple of questions for you,

1. Can you put a normal pack on there instead of the duffel bag arrangement. For Ex. Osprey argon 110 ( http://www.ospreypacks.com/Packs/ArgonSeriesMens ) and how does it perform with both big and small packs?

2. How is the stabilizability if your load is not dead center of the unit. (some packs it is hard to get everything centered on the axis of the pack)

3. Have you tried it in any parks on trails where a ranger had saw you and let you use it.

4. The warranty is for 90 days on a product pushing $300, my question is why the short warranty,and the durability of the product. The warranty is telling me that the guy who makes this is not sure of the durability of the product. To build one in parts is nothing compared to the price so the warranty should reflect the confidence of the product.

5. What is the max weight of the design. I carry a lot of water on board and this is where this would come in to a advantage for me. Water is my biggest weight killer.

Color me skeptical, however my initial thoughts are that this rollerpack is best suited for well established and cleared trails only.

Sorry but that one video link of the man going over "rocky terrain" with the rollerpack is a bit misleading....I can foresee issues going across larger boulders and boulder fields etc. All it would take for that wheel to slide off a bigger rock sideways too much and causing a person to loose their balance enough to have him/her suddenly do a head or face plant...

I can also see problems where any trail that has mud sections that dragging this loaded through the mud will only cause that little skinny wheel to sink in like an anchor. What about climbing over/under downed trees on a trail?

Also it would be a hindrance, especially this time of year when many trails that start at lower elevation only to encounter snow at the higher elevations then drop down a bit where there is no snow again. Continuous switching from rollerpack mode to full backpack mode would get old fast under this condition or any of the above conditions I mentioned above.

Another poster mentioned the 90 day warranty. Why such a short time for a product that appears to be fairly well constructed? Most people would only get out for a few days of actual hiking within that 90 days and certainly not every time with the rollerpack.

90 days is very short. Many quality outdoor products have a lifetime weather, sometimes excluding outright abuse.

My heart rate is not increasing when contemplating this product