Rigid or Soft toboggan?

[Lonelake]

Do you prefer a rigid side toboggan/pulk, or do you like the roll up style? Reasons why?

LL

[Heavy Duty]

I've always used a soft toboggan specifically a black river sled, 11ft. that thing allows me to bring so many snacks! However, I only have experience utilizing a pulk system on a paris sled and a soft toboggan. I'd be interested to see what the advantages of a rigid toboggan has to offer. I suppose it doesn't hurt to have another sled in the garage.

[Ray1984]

I built mine out of HDPE, I love it except for one problem. Its more ridged then it should be. By all accounts and everyone I have talked it it should roll up. It doesn't. I do wish however it was flexible enough to roll up.

[Heavy Duty]

Ray1984 what thickness did you make your sled out of?

[Ray1984]

1/4 HDPE - we had to use a heat gun to get the hood bent. There soiled sleds and besides the fact they are hard to transport, other wise they turned out really well. We used teak for the crosses.

[DanCooke]

I have some 3/16" uhmw sleds with Semi rigid sides. A fixed turn up screwed to laminated ash and the sides have segmented sections of laminated ash. cross members are laminated ash. I have one the is1/8" uhmw that works just fine same style of construction. The segmented sides allow for expansion/ contraction through temperature changes.

[Snowbound]

Rigid toboggan. Mainly because they can be made lighter and tip over less. I pushed the limits on my last builds and used 3/32” (0.090”) HDPE and got the weight down to 8 pounds for and 8’ sled. That thickness of plastic also has less shrinkage force and doesn’t deform as much in the severe cold. I’ll do a full write up on this site sometime.

[Heavy Duty]

Snowbound That would be wonderful if you could share the build with us. I'm always trying new things. Perhaps this year might be the year I give rigid sleds a try!

[Old MukR]

Do you prefer a rigid side toboggan/pulk, or do you like the roll up style? Reasons why?

LL

I have used Pulks for years and before that your basic rigid toboggan. I just cannot justify in my head the cost of UHMW for a toboggan. If I were living in the sub-arctic and using it all the time it might sway me. You never can tell though, I have resisted other things and eventually made the decision 😬

[Scoutergriz]

I guess you'd call mine semi rigid, they're made of 5/16x4 birch with rope side rails which allows a large amount of flex while still rigid enough to glide over hollows or soft, powdery spots. over the decades I've tried many pulks, komatiks, and even UMHW sleds, and still go back to my traditional wood toboggan. For transport I just strap it under my roof rack

[4estTrekker]

I’ve used pulks but prefer my flexible toboggan made from a shorter blank from Chris at Black River Sleds. I like how it flexes over obstacles instead of teeter-totters over them. But I keep the pulks at the ready for friends to use.

[Wayland]

We have to fly North to get decent snow conditions so a flexible toboggan that can be rolled tight enough to fit inside a duffel bag for the flights is our preferred method.


I made one initially out of 5mm UHMWPE which did the job but was tough to get in the bag, especially when it was cold. It weighed in at 7kg too. ( About 15.5lb )

My new one which you can see in the top picture is 3mm HDPE which will need more careful handling but trims 2.5kg off the weight and rolls up much easier. ( About 10lb )

[Heavy Duty]

Wayland

How much more fragile is the 3mm HDPE? I mean you say that you need to be more careful, is that due to it may split or crack?

[Wayland]

My gut feeling is that it will handle the terrain we normally travel in. I'm not as fit as I used to be and that means I take the easier trails. The next trip will be the real test of course.

I may just be being a bit paranoid because after the other one it just looks more delicate but I will be a lot more cautious until I have seen it action.

[chimpac]

I use what is called a crazy carpet. Just thin flexible plastic that slips easy on snow. I put small grommets about 8” apart down both sides and permanently tied in loops of light cord connecting 2 grommets on the same side long enough to reach 1/3 toward the centre. Across the sleigh at each grommet I put a cord through a piece of old tv antenna and tie to the grommet at each end. When my gear is loaded I just use elastic bungee cords to hook the side cords over the load. The tow ropes are attached to a rigid 3/4” plastic pipe that is across the front. My load is tied on the sled in the time it takes to hook the bungees to the loops.
The aluminum tv antenna cross pieces will give me something to secure runners under the mat if I ever choose to try them.