NILAS Sled

Sleds
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AU$2,750.00

Optimised for North Pole or aqueous expeditions

Nilas is engineered for the toughest ice on the planet - the Arctic Ocean. Bolstered in the bow to endure sustained high impacts, Nilas can be trusted to deliver you to your destination. And because it's made 100% from specially-formulated polyethylene, it has the superior glide that only plastic can deliver.

And with its kayak heritage, you can float it, raft it, paddle it, ferry it.

It's big, it's bold, it's beautiful. It's the bomb!

  • Optimised for North Pole expeditions
  • Specially-formulated polyethylene
  • Charcoal-grey for maximum heat-promoted flexibility
  • Expedition volume, holds everything for a full-length mission
  • Removable bulkhead
  • Removable cover, red or fluoro yellow
  • Amphibious, raftable
  • Excellent flotation in soft snow

Colour combinations

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Also available, Sled Travel Bag

Please email us for available stock before ordering.

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​Polyethylene construction

Nilas is made from a specially-formulated polyethylene giving extreme-cold tolerance, high impact resistance and superior glide. Polyethylene also boasts what the Inuit knew a century ago, sleds need flexibility, not rigidity - it's why they jointed their dog sledges with hide thonging instead of screws or dowels. Watch Nilas as it warps and deforms through an ice constriction, only to pop out the other end in its original shape. No cracks, no crimps, no scrapes. Just smooth, slippery plastic.

Icetrek Nilas Sled Bow

​Expedition size

Nilas is a full expedition-size sled with volume enough for a major unsupported expedition. It's wider than traditional sleds which gives it not only more packing space but extra stability in rubble and when kiting at speed. Sled capsizes are frustrating, time-consuming and hard on your sled cover and contents. Don't tolerate them, eliminate them. Nilas' deck-cover extends to over 42cm in usable height, providing space for more than 100 days food and fuel.

Icetrek Nilas Sled Loaded

​Ice strengthened

Nilas is strengthened in critical areas to combat the high impacts typical of Arctic Ocean sled-hauling. The bow and hull are bolstered during the rotomolding process giving you peace of mind when the going gets tough, and tougher. Nilas might seem a little heavier than some other sleds but the marginal weight gain is easily offset by the strength and superior glide of polyethylene, and your decreased anxiety.

Icetrek Nilas Sled Hull

​Low-profile runners, optimal glide

High-profile runners are to sleds what worn bearings are to a bike. They slow you down, particularly in anything other than bare ice. Low-profile runners minimise the surface area, and the friction, and maximise flotation in deeper snow, keeping your sled high and dry. Together with the bull-nose bow, low profile runners allow the sled to find it's own way through heavy rubble, reducing the stress on your sled, body and mind.

Icetrek Nilas Sled Runners

​Removable and malleable bulkhead

Our sleds feature a removable bulkhead. Located just rear of the nose, the bulkhead prevents contents in the bow from slipping back, maximising the space in your sled. Skis or other long items can slide under and it's malleable shape means it will conform to the most space-saving shape.

Icetrek Nilas Sled Divider Contents

Large, replaceable cover

Nilas is designed to withstand the abuse of multiple expeditions. But the cover never fares so well - they can become torn, abraded and mouldy. Traditional sled covers are riveted on, ours slip on to a coaming, much like a kayak, and cinch down for a watertight seal. Adding sponsor branding to your sled cover couldn't be easier, simply remove the cover to sew on badges and banners. High quality fittings keep the cover in place but make it releasable in seconds. It's a high-colume cover made of high-grade poly, tape-sealed and the 6-way #10 zipper with long extensions gives you instant and easy access.

Icetrek Nilas Sled Red Cover

​Amphibious and raftable

With its heritage in plastic kayaks, noticeable in its profile, Nilas floats on water. You can even paddle it unloaded. Amphibiousness is a non-negotiable feature for any sled used on the Arctic Ocean, after all it's...an ocean! Raft them together by cross-linking the four compression straps and you have a stable ferry for getting you and your team to the other side.

Icetrek Nilas Sled Raft

​Molded features and replaceable fittings

Icetrek sleds are equipped with premium fittings. High-quality cover with YKK zipper, Spectra-cord tow loops, double-braid rope handles, compressions straps with cold-resistant nylon buckles. The cover bulkhead, handles and tow loops are removable and replaceable in the field - no tools required - making running repairs and adaptations a breeze. The molded features in our sleds increase tensile strength and the inset tow loop keeps a smooth profile that won't snag on ice blocks. Icetrek sleds are the result of decades of polar expeditioning - we know what works and what doesn't.

Icetrek Nilas Sled Fittings

Sled Travel Bag

Our optional sled travel bags are made from heavy-duty canvas to protect your sled from the rigours of airline travel.

Icetrek Sled Bag Front

When viewing our specifications we encourage you to keep in mind factors that are of greater importance than weight. The glide coefficient of our plastic is a great deal higher than other sled materials, meaning it glides much more efficiently, which vastly offsets the slight increase in weight indicated in our sled specs. Also, our low profile runners are designed to minimise surface area on snow while the flat-bottomed hull promotes flotation. Furthermore the round-edged profile of our runners facilitate ease of turning through convoluted terrain. Surface temperature is one of the most inhibiting glide factors. Super-chilled snow crystals become very sharp and will retard the glide of any material.

Weight: 13kg / 28.66lb, including cover and all fittings

Shipping weight: 20kg / 33lb

Boxed shipping dimensions: 220 x 72 x 38cm / 87 x 29 x 15"

Sled Material: Polyethylene

Volume, without cover: 283 litres / 74.7 US gallon

Volume, with cover: 676 litres / 178.5 US gallon

Length: 210cm / 82.5"

Beam: 68cm / 27"

Average depth, without cover: 35cm / 14"

Buoyancy - maximum weight: 283kg / 624lb

Cover material: 300 Poly or 70D Ripstop Nylon

Tow loops: 6mm / 0.23" Spectra

Handles: 8mm / 0.31" Double Braid Yacht Rope

Zipper: YKK #10

Compression Straps: 25mm premium webbing

Buckles: National Moldings 25mm side-release

Made in: Australia

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Bulkhead

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Tow Loops

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Sled Handles

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​Connecting to the tow loop

The tow loop is your link between the sled and your traces (hauling lines). It's made of 5mm Spectra so it won't break and it's long enough to use in a number of configurations. Simple knots hold it in place so it's easy to remove and replace and it also secures the bulkhead in place.

Icetrek Nilas Sled Fittings

Directly

Flexible traces, usually made from rope, are ideal in most hauling situations. They facilitate freer movement and allow the load to be equalized more efficiently at your harness. A direct connection to the tow loop can be achieved using a larks head in the tow loop and a stopper knot on the trace. This technique would be used during expeditions where you never need to diconnect the traces from the sled such as a Greenland traverse or South Pole expedition.

Sled Rope Trace

Indirectly

In situations where you want to disconnect the traces from the sled, such as a North Pole expedition where the rope can be used for ferrying across open water, connect to the tow loop with a karabiner. Using a double bend in the tow loop, and the trace, reduces friction and maximises longevity of your ropes.

Sled Carabiner Trace

Solid traces

In some situations such as kiting, long downhills or rescue, solid traces, made from aluminium rod or conduit, are preferable. The sled follows your line more closely and reacts more precisely to your impetus. To reduce the amount of play at the tow loop, add a third bend or shorten the tow loop at the knots on the inside of the sled.

Nilas Solid Trace

Looped compression straps

The four compression straps on your sled can be joined together to form a continuous loop. This makes cinching down your cover quicker and easier and deals with those ends that often drag in the snow. This technique is more suited to icecap travel. Use the supplied tri-glide buckles to join the ends and adjust the loop length as preferred.

Nilas Straps Connect

Open-ended compression straps

If you will be rafting two sleds together, for crossing leads on the Arctic Ocean or for river travel, then it's best to keep the strap ends loose. It's much easier and faster cross-linking the sleds with the loose straps and they won't get hooked onto things that might impede your progress. Use the supplied tri-glide buckles as a stopper and be sure to double back so it doesn't slip off.

Nilas Straps Disconnect

Zip sliders

We have added multiple sliders to our zipper to give you access to all compartments of your sled without unclipping the straps. Keep handy things at the front (snacks, thermos, warm jacket, goggles), changes of head and handwear in the next compartment, and so on. Each slider has a mitten-friendly extension and they're colour-coded, one colour slides forward, the other colour back.

Icetrek Sled Zips

Rafting

Icetrek sleds can be rafted by simply interlinking the four compressions straps. Unclip straps on one sled, thread them through the straps of the other and reclip. If you need to haul your raft it's preferable to connect to a central point between the rafts rather than to a single point on one sled. A centrally-connected point keeps the raft better aligned and reduces stress on the compression straps. Clip your line to one of two points for towing the raft forward- the two loops or the inner front handles - and the inner rear handles for towing the raft backwards.

Icetrek Sled Raft
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