The sled weighs no more than thirty or forty pounds empty and can be built of traditional materials such as birch or ash, or of modern plastics and composites. The runners are built to accommodate special plastic bottoms that can be slipped off and quickly replaced when they wear out. The rear part of the basket is the handlebar, which is the driver's only hold on the sled. Some mushers wrap a cord around their wrist in case they inadvertently depart the sled for some reason. A Thermos of drinking water is critical.
Dehydration is a major threat in the cold, dry climate.
Most mushers will also include a camera and a Walkman with their favorite cassettes to help fight the interminable hours of boredom on the long, wide-open stretches of the trail. Don Bowers retired from the United States Air Force. He was a C-130 pilot and had flown all of his adult life. He was a substitute teacher in the Matanuska-Susitna School District here in Alaska. He produced an online diary as he prepared for the race each year from 1996 until 1999.