hiking trailer, clever thing

[Joop]

Not much fun when my specialist told me that my knees had become too weak for lugging around a heavy backpack in the Scottish Highlands. After careful consideration I purchased a hiking trailer: a 'rucksack on wheels ', so to speak. I was a bit skeptical at first, but after several tours in Scotland (Cairngorms, Speyside Way, Moray Coast Trail), I now am pretty excited. Without any commercial relations with the builders of this hiking trailer, I say: clever solution if you want to keep hiking, even if your knees can no longer handle the weight of your rugsack. Movies:

Joop (from Holland)

[willsdad]

Funnily enough I was just thinking about something like this.

At some point I'd like to spend a week visiting more remote Bothies and taking a sack of coal to each. A contraption like this would make life slightly easier. But the price

I was thinking more along the lines of converting an 'old lady' trolley. Apologies to anyone who uses one of these. ..I just can't think of another way of describing one

[Ben Nachie]

Funnily enough I was just thinking about something like this.

At some point I'd like to spend a week visiting more remote Bothies and taking a sack of coal to each. A contraption like this would make life slightly easier. But the price

I was thinking more along the lines of converting an 'old lady' trolley. Apologies to anyone who uses one of these. ..I just can't think of another way of describing one

Google 'shopping trolley', and also look at sack barrows. That's what I have used in the past.

[Caberfeidh]

How about a golf caddy? A ratchet strap would hold your stuff on, and some of these golf caddies are made quite robustly with big chunky wheels. Or just take less stuff. Or a pack horse/ mule/ camel/ Lama. One of the 1970s Himalayan expeditions used pack-goats but I don't think it worked very well. Maybe you could rent some poor people to carry stuff for you?

[BobMcBob]

Also have a look in fishing shops, carp fishermen especially seem to be a lazy bunch

[lukemunrowalker]

That actually looks quite interesting, and would definately a bit of a conversation piece along the trail!

It would be awesome for a huge walk, a LandsEnd to John o'Groats, or the Camino Way, unacompanied. It would especially be pretty cool for a charity walk, it would be easy to bung a few flags and sponsors signs on there, bells & whistles yo!

I'd definately like to give it a try but at €600 / £529 it's a bit pricey. I actually have an Osprey backpack on wheels, which is great for holiday trips to South East Asia etc, it has big inline skate wheels that handle dirt paths etc, with backpack straps for difficult terrain, but this "Wheelie IV Traveller" looks as if it would handle even the muddiest of Scottish tracks.

It doesn't really need the harness I don't think, that's probably the dorkiest part, and it would maybe be a wierd feeling walking along with it bouncing up and down attached to your hips. I'd like to see version with the big wheels that is a little bit neater, a bit more like the Osprey one.

It's probably too much of a niche market but I'd like to see brands like Osprey, Lowe Alpine and Ortlieb have a go at this kind of thing, definately not for posers, but I'm keeping it in mind for those future 500+ mile treks

Pic from the website:

[Coop]

Not really a new thing now is it.
All the elderly dears have been using them for years albeit with a tartan design and heading for their weekly shopping

Disclaimer: - if you use one for your shopping I'm not saying it's an elderly thing

[lukemunrowalker]

Not really a new thing now is it.
All the elderly dears have been using them for years albeit with a tartan design and heading for their weekly shopping

Disclaimer: - if you use one for your shopping I'm not saying it's an elderly thing

Aye, that's the meme for sure.

But to be fair, the nerdy hiking wheelie looks as though it would carry 40+ kilos, thats an amazing amount of equipment for 500 miles of unacompanied trek along the Camino, even a golf trolley is probably gonna start to buckle at around 15 kilos

[Mal Grey]

It needs an extra wheel at the other end, so you can ride it downhill

To be honest, as mentioned above, I can imagine its a viable alternative for long distance stuff.

I actually think the harness could be a godsend, its amazing how much effort pushing and pulling is over rough terrain. I speak from experience pushing canoes full of gear on trolleys across parts of Scotland and Sweden - I'd actually far rather carry the stuff than push/pull it on a trolley. It can also be really awkward for your back, exacerbating any underlying problems.