Bushwalk Australia

Hi folks,

A question for you all.

I'm looking at ideas for long distance walking with kids, and one thing that came up was a single wheeled hiking child carrier / cart.

As an example
http://Www.packwheel.com

Question is, would you consider hiking with this to be hiking or mountain biking? I.e. if you were on a walking track, would folks get agitated that you were pushing a "bike" along in areas that a bike might be closed to cycling?

Or would people be supportive of it being part of hiking with a young family? And not involving any speed. And it isn't a bike.
Cheers.

Hey mate,

I cant see the issue. I would imagine you can only take these where bikes are allowed and not on walking tracks.

It would be much quieter than bikes, so that's a plus!

I saw on ski.com that you were thinking of doing an AAWT section with the kids. Cool! I think the packwheel would be an absolute pain to be honest. from memory you and your wife are pretty spartan with you gear already, even so I would focus on pack volume and weight over something like this.

Cheers.

Thanks for your thoughts zapruda.

Kids weight is the biggest issue, by next summer they will be 40kg between them.

Our base weights without the kids and carriers is under 5kg each, but when you add kids, carriers, etc it becomes a bit daunting...

Our trip this Easter was ultralight backpacking with 35kg loads. Doable, but doesn't stop us trying to think outside the box for the future.

Thanks again.

If I was on a walking track and met you with your family and a cart my first thought would be "well done"!

Second would be "I'm glad it's not me doing it".

We've hiked with our kids since they were babies and I think it's one of the very best things a family can do (they're now 8 and 12).

That having been said, I would have pretty negative feelings about this cart on many of the hiking tracks I can think of. I have a real bugbear with parts of the Bibbulmun Track, for example, that are eroded in narrow ditches the width of bike wheels because mountain bikers have been using them. Water tends to run down these narrow tracks and further the erosion, and when they dry they're pretty awful to negotiate as a hiker.

Perhaps on different terrains and soils it might be better?

Saw this one at Lake Vera, but it was DIY job based off a large diameter unicycle wheel from memory. Obviously it's leaning way back in this photo, never saw it in action. I was getting really perplexed following a single wheel track the whole day !

Might be useful for working out a child carrier though ? Hopefully someone here knows the owner and more information.

Zzoe wrote:We've hiked with our kids since they were babies and I think it's one of the very best things a family can do (they're now 8 and 12).

That having been said, I would have pretty negative feelings about this cart on many of the hiking tracks I can think of. I have a real bugbear with parts of the Bibbulmun Track, for example, that are eroded in narrow ditches the width of bike wheels because mountain bikers have been using them. Water tends to run down these narrow tracks and further the erosion, and when they dry they're pretty awful to negotiate as a hiker.

Perhaps on different terrains and soils it might be better?

I'm pretty sure any type of wheeled cart is banned from the Bib.

Ecowain it's intereting question and has distinctions. I agree with Zapruda. I suspect the management plan would dictate use of wheels on a walking track. The closest example I could find is here in Victoria a fantastic initiative wheeled 'trailrider' wheelchairs are permitted in designated parks to enable access for those unable to access a trail on foot.
https://parkweb.vic.gov.au/visit/improv ... heelchairs
I understand the distinction in this example. Only in designated parks due to the park management plan allowing for staff support and potentially additional track maintenance or more durable surfaces to allow for a wheeled vehicle. As long as the impact is able to be managed.
On any walking track? No way. A cart is a wheeled vehicle, just like a unicycle, MTB or racer. Permit any wheels and that's whay you'll get - any wheels. It's a slippery slope.

Thanks all for replies.

Yes, Bib is off limits to wheels.

Other land managers have got back to me with some answers. Some tracks are ok with permits. Other areas are management vehicle tracks only.