Backpack with wheels for hiking

Ideas and research for hiking with wheels on your backpack
Project by Frits Ahlefeldt

One of the first wagons, used for a documented walk around the world (kunst brothers from USA)

For a long time I have wondered if it is possible to figure out a way to avoid putting your luggage on your back when hiking in back country, on good trails, through forests and on the beach…

And for the last couple of years I have been researching and experimenting with ideas for hiking with wheels… I know, as I’ve been told many times, that any serious hiker wouldn’t even dream of dragging her/his backpack along on small wheels, like an old English lady…

But then I started to do research – and realized a lot of extreme long distance hikers actually do “roll” their backpacks along, instead of putting extra weight on their backs and knees.

I am talking about the type of hikers who walk for years, on challenges longer than most continents… when I watch images of them, I have found that many of these hikers have constructed all kind of more or less amazing wagons, to get their gear with them on their endeavors.

Here are three examples of people walking around the world with wagons for a start:

The Kunst brothers (USA) walk around the world 1970-1974

Jean Béliveau (Canada) World wide walk for peace and children (2000-2011)

Christoph Rehage (Germany) Walk through China (2007-2008)

This project is about how far the ideas for a backpack with wheels have made it up till now