AboutMike Expertise I can answer questions about backpacking a snowshoeing in the American West: Mountains, Canyons and Deserts.
Experience I've spent much of my life backpacking, hiking and snowshoeing in the Cascades, Rockies, high Sierras and the red rock canyons of the Southwest.
Publications Just letters to the editor in Backpacker and Outside and my Backpacking homepages
Question My wife can no longer carry a backpack, but can hike. Are there backpacks on wheel(s) that could be pulled along back country trails (by me) in the Sierras or other mountainous areas? What would you recommend?
Answer At one time, perhaps 10-15 years ago a couple of companies produced backpacks with large wheels and a waist harness. I never saw one on the trail and haven't heard of one for at least a decade. My guess is that they're dangerous and difficult, at least in steep or rugged terrain. I can't imagine coming down most passes in the Sierra with 40 pounds on my waist and 45 on my back.
Outside magazine online has The Gear Guy. He might know of such a pack however.
I believe I'd look into renting a pack llama or a pack goat. Last fall, in the Wind Rivers, we ran into 5 guys who had rented two llamas. They were delivered to the trailhead, with their own packs and food. The men used them for 6 nights at $40 a day. The owner met them at the trailhead and picked up the animals. They can carry 40 pounds each.
Pack goats might be an even better idea. They are smaller and equally strong, and they are very well-behaved, clean, and need very little supplemental food.
My wife can't carry a pack on her shoulders so she has a large Mountainsmith waist pack. She can carry snacks, water, safety gear, a light fleece, gloves, hat and a rain shell. There are brands other than Mountainsmith that make big waist packs. She and I think it's a good idea for her to have her survival gear on a just-in-case basis. That still leaves me with a fairly heavy pack so we don't go out for a week at a time (I'm 62) but we can go for 2-3 nights. We plan on trying pack goats soon.
