If you can and have the ability and you are truly concerned if issues pop up I would sugest pulling a slead and negating the space issue.
Not really practical to pull cargo sled from a trail machine. A touring machine maybe but I don't get much enjoyment from a touring machine. Plus, pulling a sled will kill the mileage range.
There is no problem what so ever dragging a sled with a trail machine. Agreed, it's boring because you can't play as much as when you don't pull anything, but you need only one sled and you can rotate on the job.
You need only one (small) sled to bring complete, comfortable camping gear for the whole group (tent, groundsheet, sleeping pads, sleeping bags, stove). Add two jerry cans of gas, that'll more than make up for the lost mileage. Two jerry cans is about 40 kilos. Camping equipment is perhaps 40 kilos if you're generous. 80 kilos (about 160 pounds) is virtually nothing when mounted on a sled. You can easily pull that kind of load with basically any kind of machine unless conditions are really marginal. My own experience with this is from Spitsbergen, not many gaz stations there... Most trips involved at least two jerry cans on a sled. (Although I freak out when I think of how we utterly failed to prepare on some of our trips... whish I then knew what I've learned from this site...)
Most likely, you've already made the decision for no sled. That's OK, it is your choice, a sled would make life a bit easier but it's not impossible. I just want to make sure that you don't make that choice on false assumptions.
I respect your decision not to pull a sled, infact the renter may forbid it. But I must adress the issue of preformance and pulling a sled.
During my time with the State of Maine's College Conservation Corps and donig SAR in Maine I often was on a sled that I pulled a modified dog sled with (***WOOOF***) The sled had a 1 inch thick plywood triangele and a Universal joint that connected the sled to the snowmobile. This allowed me to pull gear (as in Chain saws, chains, straps, grip-hoists, fuel, food, axes,, you get the point), or people, plus one of my coworkers would ride in the mushers position on the dog sled (no he never cracked a whip, but he did yell "MUSH you Skirvy dog" a lot).
During this time (about two winters) I would patrol trails that were groomed as well as break new trails and do rescue missions. I had that snowmobile and dog sled combo in up to 3 feet of fresh unbroken snow, launched it in jumps (my coworker never let me live it down when we launched about 10 feet in the air) and managed to find lost snow mobilers on the trail and bring them back using the dog sled as a trailer.
While I did have to be aware of overhead objects(almost took off my coworkers head once or twice), to be honest I never noticed the weight as slowing me down, nor preventing me from going somplace that was "intresting" There must have been a bit of a tax on the motor more than if it was just the snow mobile alone, but to be honest,, The benifit outweighed any loss of mobility.
ChicagoCraig, I do realize that where your going the snow will be deeper, and a finer powerder than I was donig in the East Coast, so the decision to not take a slead I can understand. I also have to not my personality type is to enjoy a snowmobile that would have a double long track, and is more methotical and powerful, than fast and fun. so for me slapping a sled on the back would be easy peasy.
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