Does this work?

[Runnin with the Pack]

Hello everyone! I have been reading posts from this site for a few months and I will be attempting a thru hike in 2012 or 2013 - depending on how my funds are looking. I am buying gear now though and have recently been looking into different backpacks. I came across this:

http://www.monowalker.com/

Has anyone tried out this backpack you pull down the trail with you?

Thanks. :)

[bamboo bob]

I don't think wheels are allowed on the AT because they ruin the treadway.

[hikerboy57]

dont think so:this is a typical stretch of mainehttp://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/files/2/8/4/8/1/dsc00701_994272.jpg (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showimage.php?i=48403&original=1&catid=member&imageuser=28481)

[scope]

I think what you can key off here is the name - Mono"walker". Much of hiking IS just walking, but not all of it, especially not on the AT.

[Slo-go'en]

A wheeled pack would only work on road walks and rail-to-trail type paths. You would not get far with one on the AT.

I did a 60 mile or so rail-to-trial hike this fall with a good long road walk thrown in for good measure. If I ever loose my mind and do a hike like that again, I'll definately look into getting a wheeled pack.

[bigcranky]

No. Too many large rocks, not a smooth treadway.

[hikerboy57]

you can use it anywhere you can use a golf cart.

[Runnin with the Pack]

This why I was wondering if anyone has used the Monowalker on the AT. There was a video of it in use: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjWUeOkGJDU that suggests it can easily go over rocks and roots and even up wood stairs. I like the idea, but do not know if it's practical. A flat tire may be an issue?? Thanks.

[hikerboy57]

can it climb hand over hand?rock hop across streams?

[Runnin with the Pack]

You can pick it up and carry it for those parts. Does anybody ever read anything anymore??

[ATN]

I remember thinking to myself before getting on the AT.. People have been hiking that trail for years with much heavier loads and older people do thrus, I can do these more challenging hikes and climbs, how bad can it be?

Then you actually get out there with a load or even no load on your back, sweating like you are taking a shower, staring in delirium with contempt at a white rectangle on a near vertical rock face twelve feet high, wondering what kind of practical joke is being played on you and where the 'real trail' went..

It's a lot more challenging than you expect it to be in places, then others pacify your rage just enough to keep you from throwing in the towel, so in the end you walk off not feeling like you went out for a relaxing stroll but more like you conquered something.

[Kerosene]

Just watched the video. Frankly, you don't need to carry nearly as much gear for a thru-hike as they show. My concern would be the additional complexity of the setup (more things to break when you're far from civilization). In addition, much of the AT is a lot rockier and rugged than they show. Personally, I'd probably get frustrated with the continual bouncing of the pack as the wheel rolls over uneven terrain. Finally, I wonder what this would do to your posture (not that carrying an ill-fitting pack is all that great either), in that there would be a continual backward tugging from your hips as you go uphill, with a forward push as you go downhill. Wouldn't suprise me to see someone trying to make it work, and it could probably do fine for long stretches of smoother trail down south.

[Runnin with the Pack]

Thank you Kerosene. I'll keep this in mind when choosing backpack.

[Tinker]

Der gewicht ist 6.5 kg. (2.2 lb/kg.) Isn't a typical pack heavy enough?

I'm currently section hiking Pa. The vibration from bouncing off rock after rock would be as tiring as carrying the thing. A lighter one would be worth considering by some folks who like having "the kitchen sink" in camp but don't want it on their back all day.

Personally, I feel that wherever that thing could be used a mountain bike would be a better option. Since mountain bikes aren't allowed on the AT (I know, that doesn't stop them:rolleyes:) it's a moot point in this application.

If you want to carry more weight in your pack for the occasional convenience it might provide, I'd think about carrying a folding aluminum scooter - why? - because towns are nearly always downhill when you get to a road in a gap.

But, then again, it's weight in your pack that you won't use everyday.

Now, if the thing was basically a light aluminum frame pack to which you attached a wheel once in a while when you needed it, it might be a somewhat reasonable idea, but how many times do you come to a level stretch of trail that seems like it will stay that way only to have to climb a near vertical wall just when you least expected it?

Finally, you might as well ship anything like that contraption home when you get to the White Mountains. From then on northbound, with few exceptions, you would be unable to make as much time with it as you would without it.

[jakedatc]

I'd love to see them go down the north side of Moosilauke with that thing ;) even more so on a wet day

http://www.whitelief.com/images/moosilauke-trail.jpg

[Big Stones]

Beside the facts that is mostlikely not allowed on the AT, it's not practical for long hikes. I/we use a similar devise to haul our camera equipment (85-100lb) and it's just not made for "distance"....
Besides that Jakedatc already mentioned you would like to have your hands free and rather have hiking poles instead of those handles.

[Lion King]

Never in a million gazillion years would this be a good pack for the AT

[leaftye]

You can probably make anything work, including this. Until you run into a ranger.

[hikerboy57]

might want to add one of these for the steeps:http://www.scientificamerican.com/media/inline/blog/Image/Jet-Pack-Eric-Scott1.jpg

[Sarcasm the elf]

From how the post is written, I can't help but suspect that the OP might be affiliated with the company...

[hikerboy57]

From how the post is written, I can't help but suspect that the OP might be affiliated with the company...
Oh come on, hes been posting here since.....oh.