Winter is starting to rear its ugly head in the Northern Hemisphere, and that means it's time to get out and enjoy the snow with your trusty sled. As many of us already know, however, a fun day of sledding can lead to a bruised and battered body the day after. The solution - surround your posterior with the Bean Bag Sled.
The sled is tube-shaped, and the top and sides are filled with thousands of 2mm polystrene spheres - the same thing used to cushion bean bag chairs. These surround an interior inflatable bladder. Keeping the spheres packed in is a PVC-coated polyester double-stitched lining. Unlike those in your favorite bean bag chair, these spheres aren't going anywhere.
The slick PVC surface provides a surface ideal for packed snow, and it keeps friction to a minimum. It's strong to boot. The sled can handle riders up to 220 pounds (99 kg), while weighing in at only 13 pounds (5 kg).
You can turn the sled by leaning left or right while pulling on the support strap. The strap attaches to two D-rings that are located in each of the two front corners.
Hammacher Schlemmer offers the product on its website at a price of US$299.95. While it's not the cheapest sled in the world, it might just be worth the sacrifice for pain-free sledding.