Bicycle Cargo Trailer / Other Solutions for Transporting Gear Across Playa?

[s_ting]

Hi all!

I was wondering if I could get some tips / suggestions on how to transport gear across the playa without a car. Last year my boyfriend and I used hand trucks to drag our 200 lbs of gear to our camp site from the BxB depot, which was hugely helpful, albeit a bit of a pain. This year, however, we used our local shipping container for half of our gear, which will be around 7 & Esplanade. We're hoping to camp in open camping around 7 & F / G and will be taking the BxB again.

We're shipping two containers that will probably be around 40 - 50 lbs each. Right now we're planning on bungee cording one container to each of our two hand trucks and dragging them behind us as we bike to our campsite. Not sure how this will go though, to be honest...

I guess most ideal situation would be to use something like this bicycle flatbed, but we don't have the ability or funds to bring something like that with us.

Any suggestions welcome and highly appreciated!

EDIT: And maybe the solution is just to stick with our hand trucks, but thought it'd be worth asking in case there's some other revolutionary method out there

[Krokodyle]

We use a collapsible wagon attached to the back of a bike for our ice runs...(though I think the one we have is slightly beefier and/or has larger wheels)

[BBadger]

You could just make multiple trips with two people. It'll be a long walk, but two people carrying a single 50 pound load is not that bad if it has handles.

You might even be able to enlist the services of some strapping young lads or lasses to help grab the second container.

[s_ting]

We use a collapsible wagon attached to the back of a bike for our ice runs...(though I think the one we have is slightly beefier and/or has larger wheels)

This looks promising! The dimensions are a little bit too narrow but maybe we could tilt our container to the side a little bit. I'll look into collapsible wagons and maybe there will be one that will work. Thanks!

You could just make multiple trips with two people. It'll be a long walk, but two people carrying a single 50 pound load is not that bad if it has handles.

You might even be able to enlist the services of some strapping young lads or lasses to help grab the second container.

Yeah, worse comes to worse we would just walk our hand trucks if the whole dragging behind bike thing doesn't work out. Last year we didn't need to go too far--this year we're trying to move away from the BxB depot which is proving to be a bit more of a logistical challenge. I'll make sure to throw around some cold beer to entice those strapping fellas out there

[Popeye]

If you use duffle bags you can just throw them across the seat and handlebars and walk them to camp. Easy enough and you don't nee the extra hassle of handtrucks.

[Chowski]

From the BxB website:

"If you are part of a registered theme camp or meeting up with a group of friends, you are welcome to make your way to your camp’s location once inside BRC. We also provide shuttles from the BxB Depot that stop on E street at 3:00, 4:30, 6:00, 7:30, 9:00; and J street at 2:30, 3:45, 5:15, 7:15, 8:15, and 9:30. The shuttles will stop at those locations to drop off passengers and their gear, but will not detour from their route. "

Looks like you can get a ride to 7:15 and E, then walk from there. Problem solved.

[Chowski]

On the way home:

"For departures after the Man burns, allow yourself some extra time to get to the BxB Depot(6:15 and J street): there will be fewer landmarks to guide you at that point. Arrive at the depot one (1) hour before your scheduled departure to allow time to check in, load your luggage and find a seat. Buses leave on time, with or without you.

The satellite shuttles will begin running 2 hours prior to departure times from the BxB Depot and again stop on E street at 3:00, 4:30, 6:00, 7:30, 9:00, 9:30; and J street at 2:30, 3:45, 5:15, 7:15, 8:15, and 9:30."

[s_ting]

If you use duffle bags you can just throw them across the seat and handlebars and walk them to camp. Easy enough and you don't nee the extra hassle of handtrucks.

They are 27 gallon hard totes, unfortunately!

From the BxB website:

"If you are part of a registered theme camp or meeting up with a group of friends, you are welcome to make your way to your camp’s location once inside BRC. We also provide shuttles from the BxB Depot that stop on E street at 3:00, 4:30, 6:00, 7:30, 9:00; and J street at 2:30, 3:45, 5:15, 7:15, 8:15, and 9:30. The shuttles will stop at those locations to drop off passengers and their gear, but will not detour from their route. "

Looks like you can get a ride to 7:15 and E, then walk from there. Problem solved.

So I didn't get into the nitty gritty details in my post, but we're only shipping half our gear out with the shipping container. Paranoid little me doesn't want anything to potentially happen where we could be without shelter for the night, so we're still going to be carrying ~100-150 lbs of gear with us (Kodiak tent, shade structure, etc). The stuff in the shipping containers are our "luxury" items, like our air mattress and most of our clothes. Our plan is to set up camp first before going to get our bikes from Elliot at the 4:30 Plaza and then going to get our stuff from the shipping container, so unfortunately the satellite shuttle won't be much use to us, as we need to set up camp first or we'd be lugging an additional 100 lbs of stuff with us to the Esplanade!

[Admiral Fukkit]

Sometimes a mutant vehicle will pass by and you can ask for a lift with your stuff.
That's not a system to count on, but it doesn't hurt to ask. I've done that with my MV lots of times.

[Canoe]

... used hand trucks to drag our 200 lbs of gear

We're shipping two containers that will probably be around 40 - 50 lbs each. ... hand trucks and dragging them behind us as we bike to our campsite. Not sure how this will go though, to be honest...

Those hand truck wheels are too narrow and too short. And hand trucks behind bikes like to flip.

There are garden carts/wagons, but they're overkill as far as capacity goes. Models with capacities of 1,200 lbs, 800 lbs, 400 lbs.
I have the old model 800 lbs one.

• 1,200 lbs has 30x46" bed, handle/hitch, $130 USD ("Country Tuff" at Orscheln Farm & Home)
• 800 lbs has 20x40" bed, handle/hitch, $130 USD ("Bannon Industry" at Northern Tool)
• 400 lbs has 18x34" bed, handle, $70, sale $50 ("Ironton" at Northern Tool) old model style side mounts

https://tricamindustries.com/product-ca ... her/carts/

One thing sucks: the tubes mine came with had plastic stems - not robust. Consider getting tubes with metal stems. I don't know what the new models come with.

I haven't seen one in person with the new no-axle style. The 400 lbs one is the old style axle and side mounts.

old model 800 lbs

garden cart - old model- 800 lbs.jpg

new model 800 lbs

garden cart - new model - 800 lbs.jpg

old model style - 400 lbs

garden cart 400 lbs IRT110-500x500.jpg

[Popeye]

These

Code: Select all

https://www.amazon.com/Buckmans-Ski-Shops-Classic-Roll-Up/dp/B016DQL9TK/ref=pd_sbs_21_4?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B016DQL9TK&pd_rd_r=X38AN24T1ZPZ7H6DES67&pd_rd_w=KdxET&pd_rd_wg=CoCOi&refRID=X38AN24T1ZPZ7H6DES67

Work surprisingly well in the dust. Punch a few holes along the sides and lace some cord through to make tiedowns and add a rope handle.
For some reason the link doesn't show. Look on Amazon for rollup sled.

[s_ting]

Great, thanks all for the tips! We bungee corded our totes to the hand truck yesterday and I think we're going to walk it back to camp instead of trying to do funny things with our bikes / take up the offer for a ride if someone drives by. We'll look into better wagon and transportation methods for next year, as we're pushing it with our container load deadline this weekend.

Thanks again everyone! Greatly appreciate it.

[Token]

Get a big top hat for you man.

Get a small megaphone.

Get a small whip or maybe a riding crop.

Get a clipboard and a stopwatch.

Doll yourselves up to the tilt.

Have some ice cold Jagermister for shots or similar as the prize for participating in the "Strong Man Sled Pull" competition.

Get going and work your magic on the crowds.

[Molotov]

+1 on the roll up sled. I have suggested those to several people. It also might be handy to get a drunk buddy back to camp after a long night on the playa.

[some seeing eye]

The container should have some carts or wagons thrown in for its campers to check out and use. 1 cart per 10'. Useful for big camp ice runs as mentioned or parades with toddlers.

[s_ting]

Get a big top hat for you man.

Get a small megaphone.

Get a small whip or maybe a riding crop.

Get a clipboard and a stopwatch.

Doll yourselves up to the tilt.

Have some ice cold Jagermister for shots or similar as the prize for participating in the "Strong Man Sled Pull" competition.

Get going and work your magic on the crowds.

Hah, I love this! Thanks for making me laugh. Someone will be drunk enough to take on our challenge, right??

+1 on the roll up sled. I have suggested those to several people. It also might be handy to get a drunk buddy back to camp after a long night on the playa.

I wish I had known about this last year when we had to piggyback our passed out friend from something like 3 & D all the way back to 6:15 & I...

The container should have some carts or wagons thrown in for its campers to check out and use. 1 cart per 10'. Useful for big camp ice runs as mentioned or parades with toddlers.

Hopefully our container will have some wagons! That would be the most ideal situation.