Tin Pail for Water

This is a representative carrying device in Korea, and was used for objects necessary for farming that can be carried in person, including manure, water, grain, wood and grass. The forms, sizes, and shapes of the back pad slightly vary from region to region. The A-frame carrier has a long history as it was used across the entire national and can be easily made by anyone. The body of an A-frame carrier is commonly made of pine wood and custom-made to fit the user’s build. Crosspieces connecting the body are made of hard wood such as chestnut or birch. The body is made by arranging two Y-shaped natural timbers in the shape of a trapezoid and inserting three to four crosspieces between them, before fixing them by clamping wood to fit in the dovetail joints. Then, the A-frame carrier is made to be carried on the back by hanging straw-woven ropes between each crosspiece and the respective wooden foot. The straw-woven back pad is attached to the carrier to protect the user’s back. When standing the carrier on the ground, the user would put a wooden stick under one of the crosspieces to prop up the carrier. It is common for the body and the branches to be made from one piece of wood, but some regions carved oak wood to be inserted into the body as a branch. In plain areas, A-frame carriers were longer, while in mountainous areas, carriers were shorter because of the need to climb mountainsides. Today, many use mass-produced iron A-frame carriers.