![\"Act](\"https:\/\/pmags.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/act-1024x768.jpg\" "\\"Build")
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For flat or moderately sloping terrain, sleds are an excellent way to transport equipment. Here’s how to make a simple sled without spending too much money.<\/p>\n
![\"Sled](\"https:\/\/pmags.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/sled-41.jpg\" "\\"Build")
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When traveling to mountain huts or winter camping, sleds (also called ski sleds) are a great way to haul gear while skiing or snowshoeing on flat or moderately sloping terrain. Winter gear and clothing can be heavy, especially when traveling to mountain huts. I used to bring a lot of good stuff (food and alcohol!).<\/p>\n
In the past, whenever I traveled with a partner, I always found myself carrying more stuff. \ud83d\ude42 It’s much easier to pull it with a sled than to carry everything on my back.<\/p>\n
You can buy very good quality geared sleds on the market, but they are quite expensive.<\/p>\n
Unless you’re planning some serious adventure (like skiing in Antarctica?), a simple gear sled is sufficient for most purposes.<\/p>\n
My reason for using a sled is simple: to make carrying large amounts of food and alcohol much easier! \ud83d\ude00<\/p>\n
Please note that sleds have their limitations. They don’t perform well on steep terrain. Even on relatively gentle terrain, using a sled requires extra caution. For most people, sleds are generally easier to pair with snowshoes than skis.<\/p>\n
That being said, here are my instructions for building a cross-country gear sled.<\/p>\n
If you buy all the materials at once, the cost of building this geared sled will be around $50.<\/p>\n
However, if you’re like most outdoor enthusiasts and already have some materials on hand (elastic ropes, ropes, tarpaulins, carabiners), then the cost might just be the sled and PVC pipes\u2026 or perhaps only $25.<\/p>\n
Materials<\/p>\n
A children’s plastic sled (like the kind sold at Walmart, Target, or your local hardware store).<\/p>\n
If you have a larger budget, a JetSled or similar product would be better.<\/p>\n
Children’s sleds are best suited for flat, wide terrain. Wooden sleds are easier to use in tight spaces and are more durable.<\/p>\n
Tip: JetSled (wooden sleds) are often on sale at many hardware stores in March and April. Thanks to some readers’ suggestions, I’m currently using this type of sled.<\/p>\n
(2) A 5-foot 1\/2-inch PVC pipe. Home Depot sells 10-foot PVC pipe and can cut it in half for you.<\/p>\n
(2) A 6-foot rope<\/p>\n
(2) Small carabiners. Carabiners for hanging water bottles are not recommended. Climbing carabiners are best if available. However, the weight-bearing carabiners sold in hardware stores, while not specifically for climbing, are perfectly adequate. 5ft x 7ft waterproof tarpaulin
\nLarge nylon gym bag (or two; see below)
\n(3) 1ft elastic cord and (2) 2ft elastic cord
\nSteps
\nBasic sled construction
\nThread the ropes through each tube.
\nSecure the ropes and tubes to the sled<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/span> Packing Gear<\/p>\n Lay the tarpaulin on the sled. Place the duffel bags (or multiple duffel bags; it’s a good idea to use a separate duffel bag for food and drinks) on the tarpaulin.<\/p>\n “Binner Wrap” Nylon Gym Bag: Wrap two one-foot ropes around the nylon bag and secure them to the top and bottom thirds of the sled, respectively.<\/p>\n Cross the other two ropes at both ends of the sled into an “X” shape.<\/p>\n At this point, you may also need an avalanche shovel.<\/p>\n Now, cross the PVC pipes to form an “X” shape.<\/p>\n Connect the pipes in the middle of the “X” shape with elastic ropes.<\/p>\n The “X” shaped formation is more stable and provides better control.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n You can also use a backpack instead of a travel bag. I find gym bags are better suited for pulling sleds. Of course, backpacks are more versatile. Specific needs may vary from person to person.<\/p>\n Why use a tarpaulin? Tarpaulins have many uses in the wild. They prevent snow from getting into your sleds, and if you have multiple sleds, a tarpaulin can hold everything together well (especially if the sled shakes or even tilts)<\/p>\n Carrying Gear<\/p>\n Secure the carabiners above the waist belt of your backpack.<\/p>\n Try to position the PVC tubing along the sides of the sled, rather than just at the back. This improves the sled’s rigidity and maneuverability.<\/p>\n Carrying Pack. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n For flat or moderately sloping terrain, sleds are an excellent way to transport equipment. Here’s how to make a simple sled without spending too much money. When traveling to mountain huts or winter camping, sleds (also called ski sleds) are a great way to haul gear while skiing or snowshoeing on flat or moderately sloping<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1485,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_surecart_dashboard_logo_width":"180px","_surecart_dashboard_show_logo":true,"_surecart_dashboard_navigation_orders":true,"_surecart_dashboard_navigation_invoices":true,"_surecart_dashboard_navigation_subscriptions":true,"_surecart_dashboard_navigation_downloads":true,"_surecart_dashboard_navigation_billing":true,"_surecart_dashboard_navigation_account":true,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1484","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/activeyout.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/4145647021_b0ab53b5d6_o.jpg",550,392,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/activeyout.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/4145647021_b0ab53b5d6_o-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/activeyout.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/4145647021_b0ab53b5d6_o-300x214.jpg",300,214,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/activeyout.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/4145647021_b0ab53b5d6_o.jpg",550,392,false],"large":["https:\/\/activeyout.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/4145647021_b0ab53b5d6_o.jpg",550,392,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/activeyout.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/4145647021_b0ab53b5d6_o.jpg",550,392,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/activeyout.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/4145647021_b0ab53b5d6_o.jpg",550,392,false],"newsx-150x100":["https:\/\/activeyout.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/4145647021_b0ab53b5d6_o-150x100.jpg",150,100,true],"newsx-330x220":["https:\/\/activeyout.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/4145647021_b0ab53b5d6_o-330x220.jpg",330,220,true],"newsx-420x280":["https:\/\/activeyout.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/4145647021_b0ab53b5d6_o-420x280.jpg",420,280,true],"newsx-510x340":["https:\/\/activeyout.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/4145647021_b0ab53b5d6_o-510x340.jpg",510,340,true],"newsx-640x480":["https:\/\/activeyout.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/4145647021_b0ab53b5d6_o.jpg",550,392,false],"newsx-670x370":["https:\/\/activeyout.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/4145647021_b0ab53b5d6_o-550x370.jpg",550,370,true],"newsx-860x570":["https:\/\/activeyout.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/4145647021_b0ab53b5d6_o.jpg",550,392,false],"newsx-1000x750":["https:\/\/activeyout.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/4145647021_b0ab53b5d6_o.jpg",550,392,false],"newsx-1200x600":["https:\/\/activeyout.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/4145647021_b0ab53b5d6_o.jpg",550,392,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"dabawame788@gmail.com","author_link":"https:\/\/activeyout.com\/?author=1"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"For flat or moderately sloping terrain, sleds are an excellent way to transport equipment. Here’s how to make a simple sled without spending too much money. When traveling to mountain huts or winter camping, sleds (also called ski sleds) are a great way to haul gear while skiing or snowshoeing on flat or moderately sloping","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/activeyout.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1484","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/activeyout.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/activeyout.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/activeyout.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/activeyout.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1484"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/activeyout.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1484\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1486,"href":"https:\/\/activeyout.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1484\/revisions\/1486"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/activeyout.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1485"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/activeyout.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1484"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/activeyout.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1484"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/activeyout.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1484"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Sled](\"https:\/\/pmags.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/sled-1.jpg\" "\\"Build")
<\/p>\n
\nPack your gear, storage bags, etc., into the travel bag as you would a regular backpack.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n![\"Sled](\"https:\/\/pmags.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/sled-51.jpg\" "\\"Build")
<\/p>\n![\"32475754781](\"https:\/\/c1.staticflickr.com\/1\/464\/32475754781_2e5bcbf1df_b.jpg\" "\\"Build")
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