Sometimes manual handling of heavy or awkward equipment gets overlooked in the field, often because the correct equipment isn’t available. Here’s some handy things I found to make life a little easier in the field.
Tipke Foldit Folding Cart
This cart folds completely flat so it fits easily in the car or shipping pallets. It’s available in the UK from www.utilitycarts.co.uk. It’s seriously helpful for shifting kit across small sites.
Alps OutdoorZ Commander Freighter Frame
Frame rucksacks are difficult to come by – especially good ones. I’ve been through a few from local army surplus, but I finally caved and imported this model via an eBay seller. Its designed for American hunters, but it has excellent straps (including extensions) and padding and is great for longer hauls of large boxes or coring equipment. Rucksack by Alps, clothes models own.
SporTube Ski Tubes
Ski tubes are perfect for coring rods and core heads. SporTube make hard plastic cases of adjustable length. They have well engineered wheels and a clip on handle, and are lockable. Their wider ski and snowboard models can fit an entire rod-driven coring system. They are great for getting kit through airports, and can be easily strapped to roof-racks for transport. They are available in the UK from www.edgeandwax.co.uk but there’s a good second-hand market on eBay and Gumtree.