Have you ever looked at the mass of gear in the back of your vehicle at a hike-in campground or parking spot a quarter of a mile from a beach and thought to yourself, holy shit this is going to take me ten trips to get set up? Yeah, me neither, because when my wife was pregnant with my now six year old kid I invested in a folding wagon to haul everything from gear to groceries. In this world obsessed with efficiency I would argue that the folding wagon is one of the greatest efficiency tools for folks who love gear (read: anyone with kids or a love for car camping, beach days, park hangs, etc). A solid collapsible wagon can save you precious trips—and your back—so you can spend your time enjoying the outdoors instead of lugging gear and cursing all that is holy.
But, of course, not all wagons are created equal and not every end user has the same needs. Also: a lot of wagons on the market suck. If it can’t handle the weight of your gear it doesn't do you much good. And if the wheels are caddywompus it will drive you nuts.
I tested seven popular folding wagons to get you the skinny on which one will serve you best for your individual needs.
How I Tested the Folding Wagons
My testing method was quite simple yet practical: I filled each of these wagons with a 15-liter Yeti cooler, a six person tent, a two person sleeping pad, and a some other miscellaneous gear items and took the wagon through an obstacle course I created at Emigrant Lake Campground near my house in Ashland, OR.
The reason I picked this campsite as my testing ground is due to its varied terrain including deep grass, very dead summer grass, medium depth sand (about 3 inches), and a stretch of beach covered with rocks ranging in size from softball to golf ball. The crux was a steep paved path with five switchbacks.
I also opened and closed these folding wagons 20-times in a row and took notes on the functionality of each. Due to two failed photo shoots (sorry for the deadass grass and rough lighting, as shown below), I also packed all of these into my truck a handful of times and drove around town with them in the bed for a week. The unpacking and repacking proved to be a fantastic impromptu portability and easy storage test, too.
In all, I put each through the paces. Read on below for how they faired.