What's best cheap sled?

October 20, 2009 10:35 AM

I want to go sledding with my two year-old this winter -- what's the best cheap 2 person winter sled, either makeshift (garbage lid) or sled-proper (sled)?
posted by LittlePumpkin to sports, hobbies, & recreation (10 comments total)

Sled proper all the way.
posted by stormpooper at 11:08 AM on October 20

What stormpooper linked is a plastic toboggan. A sled has runners. Sleds are steerable (sort of), and handle icy, crusty snow better than tobaggans. But, they're a little complex for a two year old to manage, so if you are going sledding with a tyke that young, the kid will have to sit on the back, while you, up front, do the steering. So, a longer sled will be better for doubling.

Don't put the kid on your lap, as that can be dangerous to him if when you fall. Sleds can go faster than tobaggons, and you don't want your body weight crushing him in a fall or a roll. Have him wear a bike helmet, too.
posted by paulsc at 11:19 AM on October 20 [1 favorite]

The sled stormpooper links is great, and we also like the saucers, which are a little harder to control but can turn lame hills into super-awesome hills like magic for just that reason. Also fun for just dragging a toddler around in.
posted by padraigin at 11:20 AM on October 20

I'm a big fan of the plastic saucers which are dirt cheap but dangerous. You can also get boogie-board style sleds. DO NOT GO DOWN HILL ON THEM HEAD FIRST...
posted by iamabot at 12:16 PM on October 20

I used to fly in the plastic toboggan that stormpooper linked to. Most fun ever.
posted by WeekendJen at 12:20 PM on October 20

Big truck tubes are fun too :).
posted by elmay at 1:57 PM on October 20

Growing up my favorites were always the inflatable snow tubes, they provided a little more cushioning from bumps but were fast. Amazon's got some but they appear to all have terrible reviews. Maybe they just don't make them like they used to because I think my mom's still got the tubes we bought in like 1990. We kept some of those plastic saucers in the car too, just in case the urge to go sledding ever randomly struck.

I remember having a nice Flexible Flyer like paulsc links too, but it never got much use mainly because they weren't allowed at the county park's sled hill. With all the metal and such they can get dangerous when you've got kids all over the place.
posted by radiomayonnaise at 2:08 PM on October 20

The last time I went sledding with my nephews and niece (ages 3-8), they had these lightweight foam sleds with a slick plastic bottom that were awesome. Something like this. It didn't seem like they were prone to cracking, unlike the hard plastic sleds I had as a kid. They seemed glide as well as the inflatable plastic tubes.
posted by mandymanwasregistered at 2:51 PM on October 20

thanks, all.
posted by LittlePumpkin at 6:57 PM on October 20

For a 2-year old, a plastic toboggan is the way to go. And you don't even need a big hill. S/he will be delighted with a modest slope of a very modest length (and remember as if it were a mountain). A plastic toboggan is also the easiest to pull back up the hill with them in it — another reason for the modest hill. Did I say modest hill? Can't say it enough.
posted by Dick Paris at 8:09 PM on October 20