Guys
There are certainly a lot of good ways to get from point A to point B. The trouble is there are an equal number of bad ways. I happen to have a really good pulk, Tom D doesn't. I was very frustrated trying to drag crummy sleds in the past and though I have a nice pulk, I like the freedom of a light pack on my back, maybe because I travel mostly off trail over hill and dale and like find places where I can actually ski with my gear on my back. I am also very at home off trail in snow, and I am powerful enough to climb/ski/trudge through most ski conditions. Tom D is not a big guy, doesn't have a great deal of practice and doesn't have really good winter gear. I think exhaustion and too much gear are his real enemies. A good pulk is not cheap, but they can be rented, and since mine has 12,000 cubic inches, I can put anything in it. Only I went from a crummy sled to a nice pulk (which I still use with other people especially beginners who don't have special gear - Tom D pulled my pulk in Yosemite) and from there to a 45 pound pack which I kept working on until now my winter ski pack is around 25 pounds. Its not heavy enough for me to justify the extra energy of dragging it in a sled off trail, and once I was way the heck in when we got a deep fluffy snow and dragging it was like pulling a sea anchor behind me. Tom needs a manageable load that he can get in and out of the wilderness with without trashing himself. He abandoned the last trip because the sled/gear combination didn't work too well and exhausted him so much that he didn't even feel like pitching his tent.

Us experienced guys each have a method that we prefer that works great for us, but it doesn't help Tom for you and me to get to heavy into the advanced nuances when what we have is a guy whose gear is just not fine tuned for his own purposes. My intent was to suggest one method of improving his chances of success, based on my knowledge of the gear he has and his physical limitations. Coming from sea level once a year to drag an inefficient sled hasn't been fun for him..
Jim