The Volokusha boat was used in off-road conditions to tow heavy loads without wheels. It was made of wood, poles, plywood and other improvised materials. One of the most ancient methods of moving heavy loads is by using primitive travois, which predates the invention of the wheel.

During the Great Patriotic War, Volokusha boats performed well in combat conditions, including the Karelian Front. The Karelian Front was characterized by a harsh natural environment with its abundance of swamps, dirt roads that were flooded in spring and autumn, cold and snowy winters. Volokusha boats were mass-produced for these conditions, especially for the purpose of evacuating the wounded from the battlefield. With the help of such boats, even a small-framed nurse could drag a surprisingly big weight. In winter, the Volokusha was used to tow the load without getting stuck in the snow. These boats were used to transport various cargo: ammunition, medicines, weapons and food. They became especially valuable in the autumn and spring thaw.

The inner part of the boat was lined with a net of crisscrossing twine stretched like a hammock. This simple solution softened tremors when moving the wounded, lowering the risk of hypothermia or contact with water. Domesticated reindeer and dogs were often harnessed to drag these boats.

Reindeer battalions were established on the Karelian Front at the end of 1941, after a secret decree on the mobilization of deer, reindeer sleds and kayur sleds on the territory of the Komi ASSR and the Arkhangelsk region. More than 10 thousand reindeer were sent to the Karelian Front, which, with the help of reindeer sleds, dragged boats and saved thousands of Soviet soldiers. During the winter of 1942–1943 alone, the medical detachments of the 14th Army evacuated 2,497 soldiers from the battlefield in off-road conditions.