I thought I'd post some thoughts. I've done a bit of pulk trekking when I started out with two and then three dogs. At four dogs you move to a sled or toboggan. My pulk was a modified kid's sled. Maybe the commercial ones are better but I and the team had a hard time going off trail in deep snow. The pulk did not fit well in a deep ski track and there was not enough room to carry an injured dog. My feeling is, I could be wrong, that these modern pulks are best pulled behind a float packed with snowshoes, not skis. On another site, I ran across someone who spent some time in Lapland and he was describing their traditional pulks. Early pulks were shaped like a Viking double-ender boat, with high sides and prominent prow. In later iterations, the pointed rear was foregone for a slanted square transom so a person could ride in the pulk comfortably. I think with modern materials such as cedar bender board and glass/ epoxy, one could effect a very light modern pulk in old style. My guess, with no experience whatsoever to back it up, is that this style would be superior to today's flat-bottomed pulk when pulled in deep snow behind a narrow float packed by skis.

Three years after I heard about the old-style pulk, I ran across some pictures of them. I'll link them since they are copyrighted. Just some food for thought on winter trekking by ski.

http://www.arcticphoto.co.uk/search/previews/sjm0002-35m.jpg

http://www.arcticphoto.co.uk/search/previews/fin0060-08m.jpg

My 14" wide cariole/toboggan that fits in a snowshoe track:

Great pic links Dave!

In my experience, you are correct, that the modern pulks pull better with snowshoes than skis. Many, also allow the load to be packed too high, leading to the horrid "roll over". Roll overs are bad enough when there are two people and flat out terrible when solo.

If you have a lot of gear to pull, you are better off with a longer pulk, so the load stays low.

I like your toboggan.

Ed T

Ed, I know you've done ALOT of this pulk stuff, thanks for your comments.

As you know, diehard skiers only reluctantly snowshoe. I was forced into that when I went to big sleds. The shoes also pack a better float for the dogs than skis do. In spring I can ski behind the sled.

Dave,

Those pictures of the old pulks you linked got me to thinking.

If you look at boat design you will find that a Jon Boat has good initial stability but next to no secondary stability. A West Greenland style kayak on the other hand has sketchy initial stability but excellent secondary stability. Thats why kayaks can travel the roughest waters while the Jon Boat is best left on the local pond.

If you look at most modern Pulks, what to they resemble? A Jon Boat. I know snow is different than water as far as displacement and density but it seems to me those old pulks were more canoe or kayak like than the modern ones.

I'd love to try one out.

Ed T

That makes sense and is more than an analogy. I hadn't quite thought of it in terms of secondary stability. I think one could stitch one of these up with cheap lauan plywood and just glass the outside.

Have you ever seen the pictures of Will Steger's team man-hauling to the N. Pole? They used Mad River canoes modified with a couple of wood runners on the bottom shoed w/ UHMW for the flats. I have a picture of them hauling up a pressure ridge somewhere. They used them not only for hauling but for crossing leads too. I'll try to find it and scan it.

I haven't seent those picture but it sure makes sense.

I wonder if a pulk built along the line of a CD Caribou
http://user1039303.wx15.registeredsite.com/

would work. My thoughts are that the hard chines would give better stability in the snow than a sweed form or fish form design.
Edit: go to kayaks, page 3. It wouldn't link directly.
Ed T