A Cut-In-Half E-Bike Makes A Dope Backcountry Hauler, As Well As Keeping a Family Hiking Together

Necessity is the mother of invention to the nth degree here.

Photo by: RuckTruck

By: Jonathon Klein

Jul 21, at 7:48am ET

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Necessity is the mother of invention, sure, but a parent's love and want for their child to be happy is far more motivating. That's the case with Huckleberry Hiking and its founder, LJ Wilde, who wanted more for his daughter, who lives with a rare disability and subsequently built a hiking platform that not only could carry her into the backcountry on family treks but also produced something that hunters will be keen to try.

Why? Because what started as the Cascade Tandem Hiking Cart for his daughter has evolved, or maybe splintered off is a better phrase, into the RuckTruck, which basically amounts to a cut-in-half e-bike that straps to your back like a backpack, and helps you carry out even the largest of loads and into the gnarliest of places.

I could've definitely used this last year...

RuckTruck

Photo by: RuckTruck

The story begins with LJ's daughter Luci, who was born with a genetic issue and now lives life as a paraplegic, according to the company's site, as well as a great in-depth talk about the company by our friends over at GearJunkie. According to the outlet's reporting, "As a Utah native, Wilde grew up in an outdoorsy family that loved venturing in the mountains together. When he got married and started having kids, he carried on that tradition — then came his third child. Luci was born with a rare genetic disorder that rendered her a paraplegic."

As such, when Luci was little, Wilde used the same sort of backpacks we all have to take her into the woods and backcountry on family outings. But as she grew bigger, those items became less and less handy, and didn't offer the same amount of capability or structure needed for Luci and LJ to comfortably explore. And, given how pricey off-road and backcountry wheelchairs and carts are, those were out of the question.

Speaking to GearJunkie, Wilde told the site, "All of a sudden, I was at this fork in the road where I felt like ‘I either have to stop doing this with my family, or we have to leave her at home with somebody’. I thought they both sucked, and I wasn’t willing to accept either one of them." Thus, Huckleberry Hiking and its Cascade Tandem Hiking Cart began.

The idea is a simple one at its core: A cart that attaches to a backpack-like yoke with a single, off-road-style bicycle wheel at the back, and a seat in the middle for Luci and other children that require a little more assistance in the woods. There's also some suspension, a brake system for downhill sections, and an optional electrification system for those who need some help or want to go further. And that last part is the offshoot that the company now markets to hunters and other backcountry explorers.

Under the RuckTruck banner, the concept remains the same, though aimed at folks like myself who get into the woods to go hunting. Basically, it's a cut-up e-bike like the Cascade, but instead of a seat for Luci, you've got a truck-like bed for hauling out meat, sheds, or your camping gear.

According to RuckTruck's site, "As the team worked with national parks, outdoor professionals, and backcountry crews, a new challenge became clear. People needed a better way to move gear. Backpacks were limited. Traditional carts couldn't handle rugged terrain. Sleds were inefficient. So the team returned to the engineering principles that made the Cascade Cart successful and reimagined the platform as a powerful backcountry hauling tool. The result is RuckTruck — a rugged, purpose-built gear hauler designed for work and adventure where wheels usually can't go."

What do you think?

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The e-assist version—there is a non-powered version, too—offers up to 5.5 hours of runtime and provides the user with the torque needed to get in, get out, and get going when you would've had to use just your legs and a backpack in prior situations. Last year, while packing out my mule deer, I would've loved something like this, as while the trail itself wasn't too bad, the packout required four trips back and forth for a total of about 8 miles and up some steep climbs back to my truck. The RuckTruck could've conceivably made that 1 trip.

As for price, the e-assist model isn't cheap, with an MSRP of $2,800. You can knock $1,000 off if you don't want the power, but come on, you definitely do. But it just goes to show you what the power of a parent wanting the best for their child can do. They can move heaven and Earth just so they're happy, healthy, and enjoying their lives, no matter what.