ice walker fishing

Hey All,

It has begun, the questions and discussions on walking on ice and your gear.

Last year, after some research I did a few things that made a HUGE difference.

First I added about 20ft of rope, this makes pulling easier on the arms as you are not always pulling with one or other. The long rope makes the sled rope a single piece of "drag" I cannot believe the difference this alone made. Also trying a few knots ar difference places makes it easier to grip.

Next I attached the rope to the straps from an old back pack. I saw harnesses on the net that were too pricey, so i made my own. This frees up your hands and arms so that walking is more "natural".

I also carry spare mitts and hat. I use one pair for walking and the other for fishing. This way if I get sweaty, I have a spare dry set. By the time it is time to return I can wear my walking hats again.

This year i am attaching a pair of downhill skis I purchased off a fellow member and plan to attache them on some cut 4x4 legs, about a foot or so long. The plan here is to deal with the snow drifts along the walk. I noticed it would cause quite a bit of drag every time I crossed one.

Just a little history here, anyone else have any points or tips for us Nomad icers?

Just yesterday I "modified" this thing raising it up higher, which I think would help (when there is deep snow on ice)

Re your modification, did you raise the seat or the pedals up higher?

AlconaKevin......You want to have your Smitty Sled at least 6 to 8 inches high
for easier pulling in snow.....that gives you lots of clearance so you have no drag
with your Sled or the Tub of a Flip Over Shelter.

James....Your Smitty Sled looks better with more height....You'll really notice the
difference when there is snow on the ice like there is now.

Bob

The harness is a great idea, also frees up your arms/hands to either help keep balance, use walking poles, spud bar, etc. The "official" harnesses from the likes of Clam are indeed pricey, but like AlconaKevin an old back pack can work, or I picked up a deer drag harness like this one: http://www.basspro.com/Hunter&39;s-Special.../product/49364/

Works great for dragging a sled/hut.

Good choice on the smitty sled. I made one last year and glad I did. Now I need a bigger toboggan.

Willhound, The deer harness is what I use as well. I tied a carabineer to it. Makes the hook-up/unhook much easier. I think this year I am also stealing SDC's ski pole idea for walking

I have been using my work harness for years now. that and a long rope are life savers in snow.. I've had someone make fun of me when I was putting it on telling me that won't save your life out there and I replied no but it makes pulling the hut a lot easier tho. he said what a great idea. next weekend I saw him doing the same thing..

Ahh but the long rope could save your life. I am sure if I didn't have the long rope I would have had a heart attack trying to keep up with SDC on a couple treks.

LOL
I didn't get it at first, had to take a second look at the pic with the bike in the background

Every year I make new mods to my sled, some work other not so much.
This year I added removable wheels for the long road travel and the option to push.

Wrong pic it should have been this one
That was last years model (I guess the push handle was added then)

Deer drag harnesses work great and so does a tree safety harness which is cheap