I am somewhat of an outdoorsman. I love camping, and hiking, fishing and just about everything else having to do with outdoor fun. I am also a fan of comfort and technology I love my laptop, cell phones, and all the convience provided by electricity . That brings me to where i am now. I have been working recently to build a platform in which to provide access to the best of both worlds, outdoor living, and technology.
This platform had to meet several requirements. I must be lightweight and portable. I have chosen a 1" aluminum tube frame carried by two 20" bicycle style wheels keeping the weight of the frame down to about 14lbs with the wheels.
Next it needed to be able to carry a medium size cooler for cold drinks and real food (not that dehydrated stuff) about 24 can capacity. This cooler had to be mounted in such a way that it would not spill its contents durring transport. This was accoplished by using a oversized dolly style frame with fenders to support the wheels and suspending the cooler behind the axle to provide mechanical advantage when lifting the load from the front handle.
Now here is the part that landed me in this forum. It also need be able to provide enough power to run several on board functions such as lights, maby a thermo cooling unit for the ice chest, and charge batteries for other applications such as a sleeping fan, radio, cell phone, laptop etc... I am hoping to be able to provide this energy using the spinning of the wheels turing the hiking time to turn a generator. I also would like to be able to add an attachment to the wheel to provide access to hydro power. Small solar panels will also yeild a bit of power
Also a must was to have the capacity to carry all of my camping gear comfortably, keeping most of it off of my back.
I have constructed a rough prototype to test the principals of the design and the results where great. It provided me with a way to transport a full campsite through the rough terrain of Arkansas Ouchita mountains. I carried a full cooler about 20lbs along with all of my other gear about 45lbs enough for my girlfriend and I. Fully loaded at about 80lbs it was a pleasure to maneuver up and down the trails. Keep in mind usualy i am carrying that 45+lbs on my back. I also do not have a generator yet installed on the frame. This prototype is poorly crafted as i lack the tools and skills needed to comlete this project and i am working to find someone skilled with aluminum tubing fabrication to create a finished product.