Patent ID: 8333392

Claim:
A sled suited for receiving a human so that an operator may transport the human by towing the sled in a dragging operation, the sled comprising: a sled body including top and bottom surfaces, a front end, two sides, a tail end, and a length and width that render the sled body capable of receiving a human lying down on the top surface of the sled body to transport the human, the sled body further including a longitudinal axis, a periphery and a peripheral edge margin extending inward from the periphery, the peripheral edge margin extending around the periphery of the sled body along the front end, two sides, and tail end, the sled body having holes formed in the peripheral edge margin of the sled body at least along portions of the two sides of the sled body; a strap including a strap segment defining a generally “U” shape, the strap segment defining the generally “U” shape being threaded through at least some of the holes in the peripheral edge margin, including at least some of the peripheral edge margin holes in said portions of the two sides of the sled body, portions of the generally “U” shaped strap segment being exposed on at least one of the top and bottom surfaces of the sled body, the strap having a generally flat cross section and being threaded through said holes in said portions of the sides of the sled body so that generally flat major surfaces of the strap lie against portions of the top and bottom surfaces of the sled body, whereby tensile forces applied to the strap are distributed by the strap generally along at least said portions of the two sides of the sled body, at least one portion of the generally “U” shaped strap segment extending generally widthwise of the sled body and lying against a portion of the bottom surface of the sled body, said at least one portion extending in flatwise engagement with said portion of the bottom surface between two of the peripheral edge margin holes of the sled body; and a tow member connected to said strap, the tow member being adapted for pulling by the operator to tow the sled body, whereby pulling of the tow member applies tensile forces to the strap, the tow member being a strap having a generally flat cross section, the tow member including a segment which extends along a portion of the bottom surface of the sled body and has a generally flat major surface which lies in flatwise engagement with said portion of the bottom surface of the sled body.