Esla Kicksled Review

Hey Tribe,

Our Esla Kicksled has hit the trails quite a bit since the Karelian Bear Dogs and I set it up; if you follow @flyexplores on Instagram, you know last winter was a flurry of posts and stories about our kicksledding adventures.

So, now that we've used the Esla Kicksled for a full Alaskan winter, I am excited to share our experience with it thus far - the good, the not so good, and the bottom line.

The Good:

It is super simple to use - step on the runners and go.  If you're using it as intended (by kicking to move forward), it glides across snow faster than walking, so you can travel further in less time.  Hard packed snow is even easier to glide across and I feel like I'm flying.  If you're using it with dog power, it pulls easily and tracks well behind the dogs.

We can go for miles and miles.

It folds down sort-of flat, so transportation is easier if you want to put it inside your car or strap it on the roof.

It is lightweight.  I can easily pick the sled up at the truck and carry it to a trail, or pick the sled up on the trail to get over a log.  Though I typically run two dogs, you all know it's Rex who does most of the pulling as Fly runs along beside him pretending to do the work, so the lightness of the sled makes it easier for one dog to pull.

Fly thinks this is where she belongs.

It has a seat.  This one may sound silly, but that seat is a great place to carry a bag to store my gear or haul stuff - it's also a nice place to actually sit when we stop somewhere to rest or have a snack.  I'm excited to do an overnight kicksled trip and plan to use that seat to hold my compact/lightweight camping gear.

Ready for extended journeys!

It has several modes of propulsion.  This may seem like a "duh" statement, but stay with me: the dogs can pull the sled, but in the horrible event that a dog is injured, I can move the sled myself by kicking and won't be stuck out in the middle of nowhere.  Likewise, if I decide to use the sled without a dog, I can do that too.  I'm not limited to just one use for the sled; I like the duality of the kicksled.

I'm always going to use it with the dogs.

It comes in a variety of sizes and colors.  We get compliments and questions about the sled everywhere we go and every time I make a post.  It's super cute and super fun!

Finnish sled, Finnish dog - Red sled, Red harness

The Not so Good:

It doesn't come with a brake.  This is one of the biggest drawbacks for me.  I know, it is designed to be human powered, so the likelihood of a person kicking the sled so fast as to need a brake is unlikely, so I'm not being fair to the sled design by saying this is a negative.  However, as a dog pulled sled, as I primarily use it, I wish it had a brake.

It's just a chair on runners.

It folds down, but remains very long.  Sure the sled folds flat, but it is still super long with the runners, which makes it a challenge for transportation.  Happily, it juuuust barely fits in the back of my Ford truck and I can close the tailgate.  Folks with cars on the other hand, I think you'll have to get creative with transportation.

Those runners are designed to glide, but they're loooooong.

It isn't super, super light.  I mentioned it was lightweight, but at 20lbs, there are lighter sleds out there.  It's made of wood, after all.  I'd like a sled that I know one dog (Rex) can really easily pull and not strain himself under normal conditions.

One of these dogs only pulls when she wants to.

It's going to break.  I'm super afraid my reckless dogs are going to break the sled, since it's wooden.  The KBDs run like devils and have little regard for safety - we smash through brush, take turns that defy the laws of physics, and go over some seriously rough terrain; I fear one of these days they're going to pull the sled somewhere crazy and we will smash it.  Of course, this danger could be minimized with better training and better handling, but still, we're pretty rough on our equipment.

They are unruly beasts!

It did break - sort of.  The plastic runners are held in place by zip ties at the top.  This is awesome, because it makes it super easy to remove a runner to replace or to clean the blade so it doesn't rust.  However, plastic zip ties snap and break at the slightest jostle when in negative F temps.  The dogs and I lost a runner while out on a recent run.  I'll carry more zip ties in my basket until I figure out better attachments.  Little bungees maybe?

Oh snap.

The Bottom Line:

Would I buy this kicksled if I had to do it over again? Absolutely!  Would I recommend it to other newbies?  For sure!  It is a terrific way to get outside and play during winter and an easy introduction into the sport of dog sledding.