The Sled or Travois

Since a great deal of travel across Zami Ramal is over sand dunes when the roads are not used, a common form of desert transport is the travois. This is a simple pair of poles attached to a harness, meeting over the shoulder of the draught animal, with the two ends trailing along the ground. This moves much more freely in the sand than wheels and is extremely easy and cheap to construct.

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Horse Two 10ft poles are attached across the withers of the draught horse. In some cases, a collar and girth band are used for heavier loads. The pole ends are protected with woollen pads at the lifted ends, and again, for heavier loads, iron shoes are added to the end upon the ground to increase the durability. Behind the horse, the two poles are connected by slats, webbing or netting which are extremely adaptable for cargo or personnel carrying. The horse can be ridden or led and can travel as fast as a canter across the sand without upsetting the travois.

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Camel This is a similar arrangement to the horse, with the difference of the poles being longer and sturdier as well as having the ability to draw larger weights for longer distances. The camel is slower than the horse as a draught animal, however, and is better suited to having the loads over its back in baskets. Nevertheless, adaptability is the byword of Zamians, and the camel is still a useful substitute for the horse.

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Person For lighter loads over a short distance, people can draw a travois on a harness that allows the poles to be slung beside the waist or hips. This method is only really used when no other option is available in the open desert.

Propulsion

The travois can be drawn by horses, camels or people.

Nickname

Sand Sled

Price

1GP for poles

Rarity

Common

Length

10ft each pole or more

Weight

10-20lb dependent upon density of poles

Speed

Speed of walking draught animal

Complement / Crew

One person to lead the animal.

Cargo & Passenger Capacity

Can carry up to 200lb of cargo, or two people.