In my mind, a disproportionate number of my army days were spent dragging a pulk through heavy snow. On different sorts of missions that our instructors dreamed up "behind enemy lines," we waded through deep snow on skis, hauling pulks laden with grenade launchers, machine guns, explosives, and ammo... not to mention the twelve-man tents swollen with snow and ice. Then there were the stove and stovepipes that irregularly blessed us on cold nights under the aurora borealis of northern Sweden. After a couple of days and nights, even the packed tents were so choked with ice that they made the pulks nearly the size of minivans. All this was pulled by two men with huge packs and machine guns dangling on their chests, dressed in camouflage that had once been white, back when we had first started from the regiment.
In spite of these Freudian overtones (bigger is better!), there have been times since when some rational part of my brain has realized that there might be circumstances when it is in fact quite energy efficient to pull something behind you, rather than carrying it on your back. But so far, the only foray into pulks since those long past mid-winter nights has been pulling my kids when they were small, on shorter ski outings. Until this very winter that is, in the year of our Lord, 2009.
There has been an idea brewing in my mind for quite a few years that could be described: It would be so nice to have a light pulk strapped onto my pack so that I more or less would be able instantly to switch back and forth between pack and pulk.
This year, while preparing for a ski trip up north around the Arctic Circle, I finally went from mulling to doing. Using thin aluminum sheeting and surprisingly little effort, I actually fashioned something that could charitably be called a pulk. And since the main idea was strapping the whole thing to my pack, I christened it The Rulk, combining the words "rucksack" and "pulk."
This is the story of how The Incredible Rulk was made and how it fared during a four-day winter trip.
ARTICLE OUTLINE
- Overview
- Material
- The Production Phase
- The Test Phase
- The Setting
- The Trip
- Conclusions
# WORDS: 3740
# PHOTOS: 9
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Companion forum thread to:
MYOG: The Incredible Rulk – Rucksack and Pulk Combo
I want to see something like this brought to market.
I've done a few traverses in the PNW where the beginning and end are on dozens of kilometres of logging roads, while the rest of the trip is on glaciers or icefields. Half the time I want just a pack, but the other half a pulk would be better.
If the pack was built with the "rulk" in mind, there would be a couple of benefits – by having one side of the pack replaced by the aluminum of the rulk you would eliminate the possibility of snow running along that side, resulting in less drag and wetness.
Rather than using flexible tent poles to pull the rulk, what about a couple of rigid poles, that can then be used to support a pyramid shelter?
A "keel" could help with tracking, and a foldable outrigger could help with stability.
Jorgen, did you ever meet a young man named David Persson? Your stories of service in the Swedish military reminded me of him.
Jörgen!
Congrats!
I think the Norwegian outdoor brand Norrøna have been working on the same idea. So if they are or have you beat them!
I've missed a pulk but have never done anything to realize it. But I have some thoughts:
Use a plastic Paris pulk and cut away the plastic you don't need. I think the plasic will handle deformation better than aluminium ( ok 7075 series AL will probably do the trick, and cost a fortune….), glide well over snow.
What do you think?
Anders
Hum … thinking …
I found it refreshing to have a Version 1.0 MYOG article. Sometimes, just getting SOMEthing started is the hardest part.
Thanks!
Cheers
I wonder how loud aluminum is to drag on snow/ice versus the paris plastic. I found the plastic irritatingly loud. Bill Fornshell probably has the coolest pulk/pack combo. I did the same with my paris sled on the way out of a trip (carried on back) because I got sick of the noise.
Jörgen!
Nicely done! yet another project to add to the list.
Thanks for your kind words. Much appreciated :-)
Some replies:
Yeah, I think that what kinds of poles to use and how to make them serve multiple purposes is an interesting field with quite a few possible permutations.
Some sort of keel or rudder would probably be feasible. Takes some thought: Not to heavy and not too 'murphoid'.
And no, I do not remember any David Persson. But at the time all Swedish guys went through the Army after high school, so the odds are slim.
Cutting away the rear end of an existing pulk is pretty clever. If you could replace the existing poles or use them for a tent you might have something. I don't know how much it would weigh though. I'd like to stay really close to a 1000 grams with a Rulk.
About noise: You would think that aluminium had the potential to be really loud, but I wasn't bothered. Cinching the pack tightly against the metal took away most of the tinny-ness.
If you want a bit more info on the trip itself you'll find it at http://www.fjaderlatt.se/2009/04/along-northern-rails-with-incredible.html. It's in English also, although the site so far isn't, but will be to a higher degree.
With the ease of this project I forsee v2 and v3 from other readers being a distinct possibility (myself included). A simple set of fins along the rear for tracking and a couple pieces of wire attached from the curved front to the sides to maintain the shape would be easy additions.
Great piece Jorgen. For those trips where a pack is best some of the time and a pulk some of the time this is an excellent item. I might have to try and make one!
Great Stuff!
Thanks for the article!
If it is of any help, dog mushers have access to special plastic strips which can be bolted onto sled bottoms as low-friction runners.
I really like the simplicity of your design and particularly the harness!
I use a rigid-ABS plastic water pipe to connect the sled to my waist belt—a system I bought at a garage sale, then found a sled at another garage sale. I use mine for hauling groceries when there is too much new snow for winter biking. I don't entirely trust the plastic components out on the land below -25C, where plastics become brittle…
Thanks again!
Paul
Whitehorse
60N 135W
Jorgen,
That's very light but efficient. It would be nice to be able to have some shock-corded sectional aluminum poles to haul the Rulk with instead of just rope. Crossing the poles is the best way, I've found. IT gives more control on turns and permits shorter turns. With ropes only turns become a hand-on-the-ropes job.
My plastic JetSled is almost too big for putting on even the large Dana Terraplane pack I use in winter but I may try it next winter.
My ski patrol has an Avalanche II course with an overnighter. I may have to carry the pulk in some steep sections so I better try it out first.
Eric
Really well done, loved the read…..now if it only snowed here :)
Wow, lots of ideas coming up here. I can add some from the Swedish forum. One is using a fullsized plastic pulk and cutting the rear end of where the pack ends. Another is using childrens skis and some crossbars to build a ski sled.
I had ideas about skipping the aluminum and just dragging a Kevlar bag behind me on the snow. Maybe a combo of this and the kid skis?
Ortlieb x-plorer L works very well if you turn it inside out. It is pack an a pulk.
Hi Timo
Blimey! Talk about lateral thinking! MOST interesting!
Cheers
.
Very interesting. How does it wear on different types of snow?
Turning inside out means that you have to repack? So switching from pack to pulk takes a while?
Jörgen
I use this drybag style only one day. It was ortlieb drybag PD 350 and jam2 inside. PD 350 is weakest material what ortlieb have. I get small hole in it but i repair it with spinnakertape.
My friend use X-plorer L for couple times. PD 620 is strongest material what ortlieb have. No problem. No holes.
And yes, it has to be repack when you change pulk to pack. It is not easy when temperature is about -4F (-20C)
(sorry my bad english..)
Timo
We understand your comments. Your English is just fine.
Cheers
For this years winter outing I took something that is already on the market, The Paris Pulk, and sawed it off to fit my pack. It worked very well. For more details you can check the link below. Also, I'm interested in hearing if anyone has done anything similar, or made an improved version of the Rulk.
http://www.fjaderlatt.se/2010/04/across-sarek-in-winter-rebooted-rulk.html
In 2007, I bought the Paris Glad-A-Boggan Sled (4 foot version) and carried it attached to my backpack. I hiked in with it as a pulk, but didn't like the noise it made on the snow, so on the way out I carried it on my back (as I had wanted to be able to do if needed).
Why no picture of you carrying the pulk as a rulk? That picture would seem necessary in an article of this type.
Hi John,
You might have gotten the wrong article, there are several on the trip, all titled "Across Sarek in winter- something".
In the article on the following link there is a picture of me carrying the rulk.
http://www.fjaderlatt.se/2010/04/across-sarek-in-winter-rebooted-rulk.html
Jörgen
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