If you thought packing your car with all your camping stuff for a weekend away was a lot more effort than you remembered, unloading it all at the other end and taking it to your site will come as an even more unpleasant surprise. An outdoor utility wagon can save the day and help ease your transition from car to under canvas by making it so much easier to haul your gear and supplies to where you’re staying. You simply load it up and pull, you load lightened.
When deciding on a wagon, it’s worth thinking about where you will want to use it. If you plan to go off the beaten track across more difficult terrain to find your perfect camping spot, it’s worth getting a wagon with tougher wheels. For camping, we would always go for foldable designs as, if you’re anything like us, your car is likely to be packed with gear already and any wagon needs to collapse and squeeze in. It’s also then easier to store it at camp for the return journey. A good wagon isn’t just for camping, of course, and will come into its own at the beach, in the garden and at outdoor events where you want to take chairs, coolers, picnics and drinks. Here are the ones we’d recommend.
Mac Sports Collapsible Folding Outdoor Utility Wagon
Dependable gear-hauling workhorse
US-based Mac Sports have been making their wagons since 1993. Folding up to a skinny 8” thick, you can set this up in seconds and soon be pulling up to 150lbs thanks to the heavy-duty steel frame. Two mesh drinks holders will help keep you hydrated as you haul and the whole folded wagon fits into a convenient carry case.
Timber Ridge Folding Wagon
Over-sized wheels are ideal for sand
The chunky 360 degree rotating wheels on Timber Ridge’s wagon makes it great for beach days when pulling heavy up-to 110lb loads over the sand (150lbs on hard surfaces). There are also drinks holders and a zipped side storage pocket to help you organize all your gear. The 31” long handle can be adjusted by pressing the red button so taller haulers can save their backs.
BEAU JARDIN Folding Wagon Cart with Brakes
Pull and push heavy loads, has brakes too
This large capacity city wagon can hold 116.4l of stuff so it’s good that it also has double brakes on the front wheels to make slopes less of a concern. There’s an adjustable push bar at the back to help the person pulling the ergonomic pull handle at the front. It’s fully foldable and will stand up when folded which makes it easier to accommodate in a tent.
AmazonBasics Utility Wagon
Basic wagon at a good price
A collapsible wagon that’s at home in the garden but will usefully accompany you on camping trips and days out too. It has a 264lb weight capacity and an extendable pull handle. Simple to fold down, the wagon fits into the included storage bag to keep it ready for the next time you need its load-carrying help.
Bottom line
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Outdoor utility wagons are the sort of item that once you’ve tried one, you wonder how you coped without it. Certainly, they reduce the effort and struggle of carrying all your back-straining gear to your pitch when camping and should avoid multiple trips back to the car for that forgotten sleeping bag. A good camping wagon is indispensable particularly if you’re the person who usually does much of the hauling! For just such occasions, we recommend the Mac Sports Collapsible Folding Outdoor Utility Wagon. It’s a very sturdy and solid choice for camping trips. Packing up compactly so you can actually fit it in the car in the first place, it’s easy to set up and put down and carries a big load.
If you want a wagon particularly for days on the beach, our choice would be Timber Ridge Folding Wagon. It has over-sized wheels that cope well with the sand and lots of pockets to organize everything for you and your family once you get there.
