It scored high marks for having an attractive price point, as well as having fabric that could be easily removed for washing (which the other wagons did not have). But it didn’t turn or pull as smoothly on sand as the Mac Sports beach wagon, and its smaller wheels seemed to sink. The Coleman camping chair is big and durable, and of all the upright chairs that our panel of campers tested, it was the most comfortable. The Veer is the priciest wagon we tested, and the accessories (car seat adapter, toddler seat, sunshade) are all add-ons.
As with any stroller, these wagons shouldn’t be used in extremely bumpy environments until a baby has full head and neck control. 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 box-shaped cupholder is a little roomier than the round cupholders on the Coleman and the L.L.Bean Base Camp chairs—better for stubby water bottles or mugs of hot chocolate around the campfire.
If you’re looking for an ultra-solid piece of gear that can double as a stroller and a folding wagon as your family grows, the workhorse-like Veer Cruiser could meet your needs. It has a lightweight aluminum frame (all of our other picks have steel frames) and perforated seats for ventilation. At 32½ pounds, it’s about 5 pounds lighter than the Pivot Xplore, and we found it surprisingly easy to lift. Like the Pivot Xplore, the Veer wagon can be pushed or pulled, though we found the steering to be a bit more wiggly in the push mode than on the Pivot Xplore. With 6.7 cubic feet of internal volume, this wagon fit more stuff than any of the other beach wagons we tested—while also clocking in at a middle-of-the-road 24.5 pounds.
Even though the Veer and the Pivot Xplore both fold down to about the same size, the Pivot Xplore feels way more portable when folded, compared with the tank-like Veer. The cupholders on the L.L.Bean Kids’ Base Camp Chair aren’t as roomy as those on our picks, and they are not as adept at holding stubby water bottles or mugs of ozark trail camping chair hot chocolate. We think the REI chair functions better and will last much longer than the similar chair from Walmart. But the price difference is significant—and after six months of near-constant outdoor use, the Walmart chair was still in decent shape. If you are looking for an ultracheap choice, the Walmart chair is one.
I hauled both of my sons along with beach gear like boogie boards, coolers, chairs, and endless amounts of sand toys. The Mac Sports Heavy Duty wagon has 9-inch wheels that are 4 inches wide. Yet it was less likely to tip over than other beach wagons we tested, and it didn’t sink into the sand, even when filled to capacity.
Over the past decade, more and more families have started to use wagons as a way to pull kids around—and stroller companies have noticed. Companies like Keenz, Veer, and Evenflo now make collapsible wagons that meet many of the same Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA) safety standards as strollers. And many of them also have other stroller-like features, including five-point harnesses, sunshades, snack bars, and brakes. A low-to-the-ground chair can be ideal for outdoor movies, concerts, theater performances, and other events where you want to avoid blocking other people’s view. Our testers liked the comfort and back support of the GCI Outdoor Everywhere Chair, as well as the ability to adjust it to sit on uneven ground. They also appreciated its cupholder (rare in chairs of this sort) and its quick close-up-and-carry design.
We found that the cheaply constructed Walmart chair had a cupholder that was too small for a soda can, or any of the hard-plastic or metal water bottles that the kids we know brought ozark trail lounge chair on a camping trip. It will fit a Capri Sun pouch or a narrow, rectangular juice box, but that’s about it. The Everywhere Chair keeps your bottom about 4 inches off the ground.