The sand-removal feature, which seemed promising, worked only partially, and many reviewers noted that the wagon’s handle was short. To start, we assessed the initial assembly of each wagon, noting any particular frustrations, as well as any extra tools that were required. (Because none of the wagons were especially difficult to put together, we did not make this a major criterion.) We also looked at how easy each wagon was to fold and pick up, and to store in a small space.
The Helinox Chair One weighs about 2 pounds, compresses smaller than a 2-liter bottle of soda, and is the most comfortable and easy to stow of the three top backpacking chairs we tested. Like competing chairs, the Chair One has a nylon and mesh seat and aluminum legs, which are linked with shock cord (the chair legs are made out of the same material as high-end tent poles). The Renetto Original Canopy Chair, a cleverly designed specialty seat, is ideal for anyone who wants sun protection and doesn’t mind a heavier, bulkier chair.
Even after over a year of use, the wagon didn’t lose any ability to fold or unfold smoothly. For the first round of testing in 2019, I used each wagon on trips to my son’s elementary school, traveling about half a mile each way over sidewalks and city streets during the course of two months. I also took them to the beach, rolling them down the beach path and testing them on the sand. Additionally, I tested each wagon (filled with soccer equipment) on grass and bumpy, broken concrete surfaces, paying attention to how the suspension and wheels performed under different conditions. In spring 2021, I tested four additional beach-friendly wagons during several trips from my home in Santa Monica to the beach (10 blocks away) and back.
We ultimately settled on a testing pool of six models that were recommended by experts and well reviewed, and that included the features testers told us they wanted. And it comes with the same durable build of the standard Mac Sports wagon, but with twice the internal volume. If you intend to use your wagon primarily at the beach, we recommend the Mac Sports Heavy Duty Collapsible Folding All Terrain Utility Cart. And if you’re looking for a wagon designed to tote kids around in, see our guide to stroller wagons. The Ozark Trail Oversized Mesh Chair from Walmart, although similar to our pick in size, was far less comfortable, with rough-feeling material that was obviously of lower quality. We later found, after six months of frequent use, that the stitching along one arm had come unravelled and that the small straps holding up the back of the armrests had both ripped in half.
At just 21 ounces, the Alite Monarch was the lightest of the three chairs we tested in this category, as well as the most compact, but its two-legged design required your own legs to serve as the third leg of the stool. REI’s Flexlite Chair has been replaced by an entire flock of Flexlite chairs; the one that is the closest to replacing the original Flexlite in the lineup is the Co-op Flexlite Camp Chair. The design, size, and weight is nearly identical, but the nylon fabric has been replaced with polyester. The Renetto chair usually comes in between 8 and 10 colors and is rated to hold up to 350 pounds.
This Ozark Trail Folding Camp Multipurpose Outdoor Wagon is perfect for hauling all your essentials around the campsite. Built with a durable steel frame and double layer polyester fabric, it can handle up to 225 pounds. You can easily guide your load with an ergonomic handle that telescopes to where you need it. And when the job’s done, the whole wagon folds down to a compact size and into a travel sleeve that can also be used as a supportive insert for the wagon bed when in use. Whether you’re taking the family on an extended camping trip in the mountains or just taking a day trip to a local hiking trail, Ozark Trail has everything you need to enjoy the great outdoors.
I hauled both of my sons along with beach gear like boogie boards, coolers, chairs, and endless amounts of sand toys. The combination of their light weight and a fold-down frame makes folding wagons especially handy for everyday use, including getting in and out of a car or on and off public transportation. We’ve seen people using these wagons around the neighborhood and at the beach, as well as for gardening, outdoor ozark trail canopy concerts and movies, and sporting events. I even ran into a PTA parent who was using a wagon to schlep a used printer to school. Great for trips to the park, camping, outdoor sporting events, gardening, grocery shopping and much more! Like the Mac Sports Heavy Duty Collapsible Folding All Terrain Utility Cart (our pick for use on sand), the Mac Sports Outdoor wagon has an easy-to-use, telescoping handle.
One staffer who also owns the Mac Sports Heavy Duty Collapsible Folding All Terrain Utility Cart has also noticed scratches on the wheels. But the Seina offers just half the internal space, and its 4-inch wheels were more prone to tipping when packed with the same beach gear. Our not-too-discriminating underage testers liked all the kids’ chairs, though over time we found several reasons to declare the REI Camp Chair the best of the bunch. The REI chair’s polyester seat material feels both more forgiving and more durable than the thinner material on the Ozark Trail Kids’ Folding Camp Chair from Walmart.
The 4-pound, steel-construction REI chair has an attached carry strap, rather than a carry bag like the other chairs. After a couple of camping trips, we concluded that a strap is more convenient than a bag—quicker and easier for a kid to grab the chair and go, without parental help. The REI chair is rated to hold up to 150 pounds, the same as the L.L.Bean and Walmart chairs. We think the ozark trail chairs REI chair is most appropriate for toddlers and kids up to about 7 or 8 years old, though reviews reveal that some small adults have found this to be their favorite seat. It comes in gray or blue, and as of this update it gets 4.7 out of five stars from reviewers on the REI site. At 30 pounds, the L.L.Bean Collapsible Wagon was the largest and heaviest of the folding wagons we tested.
But even though it had nice wheels and construction, this wagon was a headache to fold and unfold. It took two people—and several minutes—to put the L.L.Bean wagon away after use. We had to wrestle the cover onto the bulky rectangle and tug it down to get it on. One of the wheels came loose when one of our testers was carrying about 100 pounds of gear, which is well under the stated weight capacity. I spent six hours researching folding wagons (sometimes called utility wagons), first identifying popular models and looking at the technology involved.