# Why not use a travois instead of a yak cart?



## captken (Feb 24, 2008)

Indians moved all over the continent using the travois. They never had wheels. 

Why not make the travois out of PVC pipe and flatten one end to make it practically "float" on beach sand? As long as you don't have to make long drags over pavement, a travois ought to last a long time.

I'm sure the travois would be easier to use than narrow wheels on the beach.

You could probably make a tiny sled out of PCV if you didn't want to bother with poles.


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## Herculined (Apr 27, 2008)

If I wanted to drag it, I would just grab the handle. PVC pipe would just be one more long item, that would have to be carried to the beach. The wheels are atleast, somewhat compact.


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## captken (Feb 24, 2008)

I think I can makeit like sort of a sled where you'd have precious little to stow in your yak. Dragging a yak around here would wear it out quick with all of our rocks and shell.


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## specslayer (Oct 9, 2007)

yea i was thinking the same thing. here (in p cola) we have those amazing white beaches so i just drag mine across the sand(but im young) i deff think the wheels are the way for older people.


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## SheYakFishr (Oct 1, 2007)

I use to ponder how I could get my FULLY loaded yak to the gulf with the minimal effort. I thought about using a set of ski's... rigged as a mini cart... and the more I thought about it... the more I wasn't sure anything would work... other than becoming related to Hercules or taking many breaks pulling it a few feet at a time. Even with those larger rolleze wheels.. it's a haul. I have found tho.. using one of thosewooden beach walkways to the gulf help a great deal.


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## Team Hobie (Oct 9, 2007)

How in the world would this work? You're going to pick up (no advantage of leverage if it is the end of the travois that is on the ground) btwn 100 and 200 pounds and drag it across the sand on two points of contacts. 

Not likely to work in my humble opinion. 

Not to mention, where do I store the horse in my kayak. ;0)


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## Herculined (Apr 27, 2008)

CaptKen, I reread my previous post today and realized that I came off like an @$$ hole. That was not my intention. I only have to make it 50 yards from where I park, to where I put the yak in. I just make two trips.


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## flrockytop (Oct 3, 2007)

> *captken (3/8/2009)*Indians moved all over the continent using the travois. They never had wheels.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## Herculined (Apr 27, 2008)

flrockytop, you're my new hero.

That comment reminds me of one I made:

I was walking into the building where I work. When I opened the door, a commander was right there, about to walk out. He said "perfect timing, you must be psychic". I told him my wife had been teaching me and if he came back next week, I would be able to tell him, what he was thinking, before he even knew.


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## captken (Feb 24, 2008)

My Mom was an absolute master of "The quick comeback." I always think of "What I should have said or what I wish I had said" way too late for it to have the effect it could have had.

Back to the Travois. I have a Malibu Mini X with about 20#s of add ons.(Maybe 50# total)It is still too much to carry 100 yards and dragging is not an option here because of the rocks and shell--pockets of soft sand too. Narrow wheels sink into soft sand but are great over the hard spots. I refuse to spend $100 on the big tires so, until I find a Barbie Jeep, I'll keep on working harder than I should. I will try the travois, just for the heck of it.


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## Framerguy (Oct 2, 2007)

Isn't it amazing how some people are so quick to offer all sorts of advice on how a new or not-yet-tried idea would NOT work and they haven't even put one minute into seeing if it really _would_ do the job??? I can see some possible hindrances to not designing a drag or travois to the proper length or adequate structural strength but I am bound by my curiousity to see if someone smarter than I can come up withan idea that _would_ work.

In fact, I once had to improvise a travois out in the mountains to drag a wounded friend over a mile to the fire road to transport him to the hospital. There was about a foot of older snow on the ground and it was hard and sort of icy and the birch sapling travois that was spanned by 2 ponchos and some spare rope we carried when trekking back into the deep woods worked well enough to get my friend out and get some medical care for him. I am quite sure that I would have probably killed the man or done more harm to him if I had to attempt to carry him out or try to drag him on the snow!! After all, you just aren't gonna use the thing on a daily basis. I don't know of anyone who would be sitting around the house and all of a sudden say to themselves, "Hey, I think I will go out and drag my kayak around the neighborhood on my nifty travois." It is much like 4WD or a spare tire on a vehicle, it's not used for everything but, if needed for that one specific job where manhandling isn't an option, it is there for your use.

You go captken and come up with a good kayak travois design and I will help you market the idea and we will both be rich and famous, eh??


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## Team Hobie (Oct 9, 2007)

Okay, two things:

First, my initial comment was "How would this work?" Admittedly I went on to describe my engineering concerns but hey, knock yourself out. I carry more than 100 pounds and it is 16 feet long and 3 feet wide. Wheels work like butter. I don't feel the need to go back to the pre-wheels days of evolution. If I had to haul someone out of the woods and he was shorter than 16 feet tall, a travois would be my first thought thanks to you guys remindng me of this cool invention.

Now before you all jump on me for being a useless smart a$$ (which I probably am) CaptKen, I have two barbie jeep wheels that are yours for the taking. In addition, Mark Crane has some golf cart wheels that he is offering for free. PM me and I will see what we can do to solve your problem with new technology.

Ted


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