Loading and pulling a travois properly can make carrying supplies much more efficient than trying to pack them on your back. The travois, invented by ancient native people thousands of years ago, is an effective way to move cargo, and even people, in wilderness areas. You can also rig a travois so a dog can pull it, as Native Americans did.
Instructions
1. Load the travois by putting the heaviest and largest items just above the lowest cross piece of the platform. This makes the upper end easier to lift and hold and makes pulling easier.
2. Pull the travois yourself by standing at the top of the travois just ahead of the two crossed ends. Face away from the travois, bend down and pick up one of the crossed ends in each hand and lift. Position your hips between the two crossed ends.
3. Drag the travois along behind you. Think of pulling a wheelbarrow. It works on the same fulcrum principle and, just like a wheelbarrow, you can pull a much heavier load than you would normally be able to lift and carry.
4. Make a harness from the leather straps so that a dog can pull the travois. Cut the straps into long enough sections to go around the dog and attach to the travois. One strap will go around the front of the dog's chest and the other will go under the dog's chest behind the front legs. The length of the straps depends on the size of the dog.
5. Punch two holes in each end of the straps with the awl and thread one end of a leather lace through each of the holes. These laces are for tying the harness to one side of the travois frame, fitting each section around the dog and tying the other end of each strap to the other side of the frame.
Tags: crossed ends