There is a tire liner placed between the tire and tube to help prevent sharp objects from puncturing the tube. Additionally, every Pack Wheel® comes with an "emergency kit," which includes a lightweight tire pump, patch kit, and tire lever. There is no guarantee that the tire liner will prevent a flat. Be prepared by taking your emergency kit and any other items you feel would best help you in the event of a flat on the trail.
Tubeless
26/29er Signature versions come with the highest quality Schwalbe Tubeless ready tires. Running your Pack Wheel® tubeless will lower the Pack Wheels weight around nine ounces from removing the tube and tire liner. Running tubeless also provides absolute superior protection against flats.
Your local bike shop can help you transform your cart to run tubeless. We have also found Gorilla Tape Tubeless Conversion, Stans No Tubes 35mm PrestaUniversal Valve Stems, Panaracer Presta to Schrader Valve Nuts and Stan's tire sealant to be successful methods.
If you do run your cart tubeless, we recommend taking your tube with your emergency kit when you are out on the trail as an extra precaution. Be sure to keep your cart maintained with the proper amount of tire sealant, which can be added every 2-6 months.
You can use your Pack Wheel® in most public areas and private grounds. Make sure the public land doesn't have any restrictions on using a wheel. You cannot use the Pack Wheel® in any federal lands designated as Wilderness Area. Permits to use your cart may be required in some areas.
Customers tell us that they have had great success in contacting local park officials and explaining their physical limitations. Park officials have been accommodating in permitting them to use the Pack Wheel® in restricted areas.
Little to none.
If you load the Pack Wheel® properly, all the weight will be centered over the wheel. You will use the handle to balance and steer the cart along the trail and around obstacles. As you go down steep inclines, you may need to press down on the handles as the load wants to shift forward.
The durable v-frame construction and wheel can carry a lot of weight. The weight the cart can withstand depends on the trail condition, the positioning of the weight, the security of the load, and your strength.
Some companies may market their weaker carts as carrying astronomical weights. A Pack Wheel® could easily carry 250 pounds or more, downhill, on flat ground or a smooth trail. However, for a lightweight cart system operated by a single person in an all-terrain environment, 150 pounds is a lot to handle.
If you are strong enough to handle the weight, the Pack Wheel can carry 150 - 200 lbs (roughly the boned out weight of a young bull elk or large cow elk). When you exceed 150+ pounds, make sure to use the brake to ease the cart over obstacles. The ability to carry this much weight is pretty amazing for a lightweight aluminum collapsible hiking/game cart. Remember that the bulk of the load needs to be positioned on the sides of the Pack Wheel® to give a lower center of gravity. Our panniers will hold 100 lbs of meat per pannier for 200 lbs in total.
Do not overload the Pack Wheel®. We do not recommend carrying more than 200 lbs in total or more than 50 lbs above the wheel. Only load an amount of weight that you are strong enough to manage. DO NOT TRY TO FORCE THE PACK WHEEL® THROUGH HEAVY BRUSH OR OVER LARGE OBSTACLES. TURN AROUND AND WHILE FACING THE PACK WHEEL® PULL THE PACK WHEEL THROUGH OR OVER THE OBSTACLE.
When carrying a backpack on top of the Pack Wheel®, we recommend that no more than 50 pounds should be in this high position above the frame. If your pack exceeds 50 lbs, we recommend taking the heavier items out of your backpack and placing them in panniers. Then load most of your gear in the panniers and strap the frame pack with a sleeping bag, pad, and tent on top of the Pack Wheel. If you decide to go off-trail or come to an impassable section of the trail, you can load the collapsed Pack Wheel® along with the panniers and the rest of your gear on the frame pack.
The Pack Wheel® is made almost entirely out of aluminum. Aluminum is 2 1/2 times stronger than steel when rated pound per pound. However, it can be bent if you try to bend it. We have gone to great lengths to design and manufacture the Pack Wheel® to be light enough to carry easily, yet strong enough to haul a large amount of weight. Please use common sense in how you use the Pack Wheel®. Take an extra trip if needed and a little extra time to make sure all your gear is tied securely to the cart.
We recommend that you always face the cart when hauling a load. Facing the cart allows you the ability to navigate the cart around and over obstacles. The cart works best when pushed behind like operating a wheelbarrow. Even on a steep trail, and hauling a heavy load, it is usually best to push the cart forward, grab the brake and step up to the cart, then push it forward again. On an extremely steep trail or going over a log or rock, turn the cart around and while facing the Pack Wheel® pull it towards yourself bringing the Pack Wheel® up and over the obstacle, using the brake as needed to hold your position.
With lighter loads, say 50 pounds or less, there is another way to cross over obstacles quickly. Push the Pack Wheel®, so it is resting against the obstacle then grab the brake. Place one of your feet under the back of the wheel. Now lift the wheel with your foot at the same time you lift on the handles or push over handles. This technique is fast and works great with lighter loads.
Another tip is to lower the handle near to the ground right as you push the Pack Wheel® over a rock or other smaller obstacle.
Do not try to force the Pack Wheel® over an obstacle it won't easily rollover. Beating the Pack Wheel® against an obstacle without using one of the lifting methods could cause the handle to bend voiding your warranty.
When packed correctly, holding onto Pack Wheel® handles is very similar to holding the handlebars while riding a bike. Other than using your arm muscles on steep inclines, your arms are just casually holding on to gently navigate and move your load. Using the disc brake systems is also easier on your knees than regular backpacking because it slows down the cart and your own weight as you descend slopes.
Yes, you can pull the Pack Wheel®. However, you will probably prefer pushing it in front of you for most situations.
Pulling the Pack Wheel® behind you makes it harder to balance as the cart encounters obstacles. It will also require wider turns. While there are several pull-behind systems available that use smaller wheels and carry the weight load differently, our regular models are not designed to do so.
However, walking behind the wheel gives the operator the ability to anticipate the obstacles and have the full strength of your arms to keep it balanced, creating a very smooth and enjoyable experience.
There may be times where pulling is a better option. Some of those include deep wet snow or long sections of steep, rough slopes.
DO NOT CARRY CHILDREN ON TOP OF A PACK WHEEL®. While tip-overs are not common, children could be seriously injured should the operator trip and lose control of the Pack Wheel®. Having a child on top also creates a higher center of gravity, requiring more effort to keep the cart upright. The center of gravity would also change if the child moved, causing the cart to lose balance and making tip-overs much more likely. Children could also sustain injury from getting their feet caught in wheel spokes. Because of the high risk of injury, DO NOT use the Pack Wheel® to transport your children.
Yes; we have had customers that have converted their non-motorized Pack Wheels® to have an electric motor. However, we do not recommend most motors because a large majority of the e-bike hubs we tested proved to be too fast for a walking pace or broke easily.
Our Signature Series 26/29 models come with premium Schwalbe tubeless-ready tires. So what makes these tires so special?
- Your Pack Wheel® will not have a tube. Removing the tire liner and tube reduces the weight of the cart by around nine ounces. Running tubeless is not for everyone as it does require a little setup and more frequent maintenance.
- These tires have an extra tough sidewall to make up for the absence of a tube.
All Pack Wheels come with a tire liner and tube, including the Signature Series that have the tough tubeless-ready tires. We guarantee the quality and durability of all our tires, tubeless or not.
Yes. The Pack Wheel® is designed so that cycling panniers can easily be mounted to the sides. Cycling panniers mount directly to a sidebar on each side of the cart. We recommend no more than 30 lbs per pannier be mounted directly to these bars via cycling panniers with closely located top-mounting brackets. Wider cycling brackets can carry up to 50 lbs. Pack Wheel® specific panniers are designed to hold the weight directly on the v-frame of the cart, thus allowing them to hold much greater weights (up to 75 lbs. per side).
The Pack Wheel® is similar to operating a wheelbarrow but in a more comfortable and controlled way. Virtually all of the weight on the Pack Wheel® is over the wheel, making it easy to operate through hills, slopes, and inclines.
While two-wheel vehicles are notorious for applying pressure on the sides, causing slipping when navigating slopes, they are ideal for flat, wide trails. Our single-wheel design allows for easy maneuvering while maintaining an upright position, functioning well in any terrain.
Depending on the version, carts weigh between 13 lbs and 34 lbs 8oz. (view our shop for more specific measurements). The finest materials are used to provide the ultimate, no compromise, ultra-light hiking cart system.
The meat hauling panniers weigh just over 2 lbs and can hold 100 lbs of boned out meat each per pannier (200 lbs per set).
The 26/29 inch wheel versions come with heavy-duty Schwalbe Snake Skin tubeless-ready tires, which can also reduce the weight by approximately nine ounces.
Short Answer: There is no "weak link" in the system.
Here's a longer explanation on the strength of the design: After extensive testing and perfecting, the Pack Wheel® has been successfully engineered to be incredibly lightweight and strong. Following the warranty guidelines will ensure a lifetime of adventures with your ultra-light aluminum system.
The area of the cart that has the highest amount of stress is the neck of the Pack Wheel®, when picking the Pack Wheel® up while laying on it's side make sure to support both the spine and handlebar.
This one makes us laugh a little, but we really have people asking this.
With years of testing and designing carts, we found the basic concept of having the weight balanced on the sides of the wheel to be an ancient one.
This concept was first realized with the Chinese Wheelbarrow. The Chinese have been carrying heavy loads over long distances with this system for who knows how many years. The Chinese came up with the concept, and we perfected it for modern-day use, especially in the mountain terrain.
We werent satisfied with anything on the market for our hunting adventures. We wanted something light enough to carry, and strong enough to haul game back off the mountain in a single trip quickly and efficiently.
The original cart was created for hunting, but it evolved to be the ideal carrying tool for just about everything. It makes hauling gear easy and pain-free! Want to learn more? Check out our about us page.
All Pack Wheels are made in Utah. We firmly believe in the importance and authenticity of local products crafted right here in the heart of Utah.
Most of the bicycle components used are from the Hayes Bicycle Group in Wisconsin. We also import high-grade supplies from Taiwan and Germany in the production of our wheels.
Read the history of the Pack Wheel® here!
We offer 26”, 27.5+”, and 29” wheels. If you are into mountain biking, you know that the larger the wheel, the better it is at rolling over obstacles on the trail.
All of our wheels work well with powdered snow. However, the deeper the snow, the taller the wheel you may want for clearance of the panniers. Taller wheels with knobby two-inch wide tires perform best for wet snow. Having a wide, fat tire in heavy snow creates resistance, which is no problem for our ePack Wheel™ to cut through, although pushing that wider tire on its own may require more effort than on dry ground and you may find yourself using the motor more often in snowy conditions.
The most popular wheel size is the 29" on the Standard non-motorized Pack Wheel®, The ePack Wheel™ only comes in one tire size.
Both of these are add-on accessories for lifting and pulling from the front of the Pack Wheel®.
The Timber Hitch is best suited for a quick, assisted lift over a log or other obstacle.
The Pull Yoke is best suited for longer sustained climbs, or for lifting the cart over an obstacle.