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CAAT’s 2008 Northern Schedule
The Chinook Project Returns to Kimmirut
Product Review Update: Double Driver Sled
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Editor: Sue Hamilton
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The
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This site is dedicated to the Inuit Dog as well as related Inuit culture and traditions. It is also home to The Fan Hitch, Journal of the Inuit Sled Dog.
The Fan Hitch welcomes your letters, stories, comments and suggestions. The editorial staff reserves the right to edit submissions used for publication.
Contents of The Fan Hitch are protected by international copyright laws. No photo, drawing or text may be reproduced in any form without written consent. Webmasters please note: written consent is necessary before linking this site to yours! Please forward requests to Sue Hamilton, 55 Town Line Rd., Harwinton, Connecticut 06791, USA or mail@thefanhitch.org.
This site is dedicated to the Inuit Dog as well as related Inuit culture and traditions. It is also home to The Fan Hitch, Journal of the Inuit Sled Dog.
Photo: Hamilton
MaineMade Double Driver
Dogsled
by Mark Hamilton
by Mark Hamilton
Our original
review
of the MaineMade Double Driver Dogsled was
written early in the
season, before we had an adequate chance to put a
lot of miles and runs
on the sled. I promised you then that I would
re-visit the review with
an end-of-the-season update. That's where we are
now.
Our MaineMade Double Driver has proven to be better than we reported in the original review. We have had no problems with this sled. It continues to track beautifully behind the dogs and carve smooth turns in the snow. The stopping and holding power of two bar brakes is massive. It's typical with us for Sue to take the command driver's (front) position and for me to be in the driver/trainer's (second) position. This works out well for us as I'm taller than Sue and that means we both get a good view down the trail. As trainer I spend the majority of my time watching the dogs and scanning the woods on both sides of the trail. Because I'm standing rather than sitting, scanning the woods an adequate distance out from the trail is a lot easier for me to do.
We've found that controlling the dogs on downhill runs is much easier than with either of our other sleds. Whether on snowy or icy trails, Sue typically uses the Double Driver's very effective drag pad, and I just add a touch of additional braking with the bar brake as needed. This same technique, on hard-packed, slippery or icy downhill turns produces the surest and most in-control turns you will ever experience. Control on any of the downhill trails we ran was never an issue this season.
Finally, nothing broke, warped, cracked or fell off the Double Driver. The sled has proved every bit as solidly built as we stated in our original review, probably even more so.
Our MaineMade Double Driver has proven to be better than we reported in the original review. We have had no problems with this sled. It continues to track beautifully behind the dogs and carve smooth turns in the snow. The stopping and holding power of two bar brakes is massive. It's typical with us for Sue to take the command driver's (front) position and for me to be in the driver/trainer's (second) position. This works out well for us as I'm taller than Sue and that means we both get a good view down the trail. As trainer I spend the majority of my time watching the dogs and scanning the woods on both sides of the trail. Because I'm standing rather than sitting, scanning the woods an adequate distance out from the trail is a lot easier for me to do.
We've found that controlling the dogs on downhill runs is much easier than with either of our other sleds. Whether on snowy or icy trails, Sue typically uses the Double Driver's very effective drag pad, and I just add a touch of additional braking with the bar brake as needed. This same technique, on hard-packed, slippery or icy downhill turns produces the surest and most in-control turns you will ever experience. Control on any of the downhill trails we ran was never an issue this season.
Finally, nothing broke, warped, cracked or fell off the Double Driver. The sled has proved every bit as solidly built as we stated in our original review, probably even more so.