The 7 Best Toboggan Sleds

Editor's Notes

January 24, 2020:

Having just finished the saucer sled wiki, I feel like a lot of the same things can be said about toboggans, so I’ll try to do my best to say them differently here.

Before we move on, allow me to once again stress our dedication to your security, which mainly consists of me repeatedly reminding you to practice caution while sledding. No one ever thinks “this could happen to me” until it does happen to them, so don’t be that no one. Winter sports are best enjoyed in safety, so whether you’re skiing, scooting, or sledding, consider wearing a ski, snowboard—or even a bike—helmet. This of course is in addition to donning warm winter wear and some good goggles.

The number one difference to note between toboggans and other sled types is that, while others are strictly intended for riding, toboggans are meant for hauling gear as well. Based on my research, a good amount of outdoorsy folks might not even think of riding when it comes to toboggans—they just want something to haul their hunting and/or camping gear around in. This being the case, it might be helpful to eventually disambiguate and have two different toboggan lists, one for the best rider and another for the best hauler.

The above being said, I believe the best generalist on the list might actually be Pelican's Nomad 40. The only reason it isn’t ranked higher is because of its noted weight restriction. But to be honest, as heavy-duty as it appears to be, it’s hard to imagine it won’t hold as much weight as the Slippery Racer Downhill Xtreme or the ESP 66" Four-Rider, so in some sense, I feel as if this model is ultimately being dinged for its lister’s honesty and concern for safety, which seems a bit unfair. That does not at all mean we suggest you place more than 90 pounds on it, as manufacturers’ guidelines should always be honored. Meanwhile, the brand Airhead has a lot of foam sleds, but they’re essentially all the same thing, and whether they truly count as a toboggan is up for debate.

Moving along, any models that don’t have handles or a rope of some sort didn’t make our list, since, at that point, what you’re dealing with is more like a long, shallow litter box. This is not to even mention the dangers that zero steering solutions place riders in the path of. So, as a general reminder, if you’re going to ride something downhill at high-speeds, we would suggest you have some measure of control over it.

Finally, just like with saucers, I couldn’t find ten toboggans that were worthy enough to make the cut. Even though a general search might make it seem as if there’s a lot of options out there, when it comes down to what’s actually viable, the story changes. A lot of the same rickety, prone-to-breaking models come up under a variety of purveyors because they’re just generic models that are bought in bulk and sold under different names, even though they’re the same thing. Let’s just say if you come across a three pack of toboggan sleds that are blue, fuscia, and lime-green in color, run! Wherever I see these things they usually have five-tar reviews, which is likely just vendors stacking fake feedback in their favor, even though there are many reports of them breaking almost immediately.