When it comes to camping gear there is no shortage of options. Endless supplies of gadgets and nonsense on which to waste money. Wagons and carts potentially fall into this category as well. This article will cover the most important aspects of them before you shell out the money for one.
It Hinges on Toughness
I have a small pet peeve about products made with poor quality materials and overall poor designs. I don’t enjoy spending money on items for them to fall apart quickly or malfunction during the first use. There are some wagons that can be very well built or just junk. When roaming around in rocky or rugged terrain, you will want a tough cart. For most campers, wagons with a canvas body and metal frame will normally take the brunt of the abuse and continue to function, with little care. An issue with this type of wagon is the plastic hinges between the bars in the collapsible frame. When inspecting the prospective wagon, be sure the hinges are made with a strong material and aren’t too flimsy. When expanding and collapsing the frame these plastic hinges will wear thru and break. This is an issue when you are half a mile from your vehicle and will have to pack out several trips to carry all that should have been carried out in the wagon.
Spinning Your Wheels
Another common issue that causes failure in the wagons is the wheels and tires. It is common to see the wheels made from a type of polymer and rubber. This is normally a good thing. Some of the rods that serve as an axel for the wheels that swivel can be a weak point. These metal rods can cause the plastic hub of the wheel to break when too much weight has been added to the wagon. Be selective when buying the cart, look for wheels that are made with thicker material. This will save you from an unfortunate burden when camping. Also, be sure to steer clear of pneumatic tires. Flat tires are another cause of several trips packing out of the campsite when it should be only a few or even one. A sharp stick can puncture some tires and end the joy of camping. Another issue with the wheels is the narrow widths. Always opt for the carts and wagons with wider wheels. Some of the narrower wheels will sink in the soft ground causing you to have a tough time pulling the cart.
Top Heavy
Most carts have a low enough center of gravity to keep the risk of tipping low. Some carts are easily loaded to be top-heavy. Things to watch for are tall tires or wheels, “double-decker” type carts. While the extra space to carry your supplies is nice, this can be troublesome when pulling the wagon over uneven or unstable terrain. Be mindful when selecting your cart of the areas you will be using the wagon. See the double-decker style of wagon below.
Narrow wheels can increase the chances that your gear will end up on the ground. Narrow wheels can also sink much easier in soft or wet ground. If you go through the hardship of pulling a wagon with narrow wheels full of gear, more than a few feet in soft terrain you will certainly appreciate the stability of wider tires and wheels. To avoid the issues noted above, I have enjoyed this collapsible wagon I found online. BEAU JARDIN Folding Wagon. While this is only one option, there are a large amount of great quality folding or collapsible wagons on the market that can serve you well while camping. The one linked above meets my needs and avoids common failure areas that can cause endless misery while camping.
The Price is Wrong
Like I said earlier, I like well-made products. Rigid wagons are easily the strongest type of camping wagons to pull. They glide over rough terrain with ease relative to the collapsible style. There is virtually no flex to the frame and normally the rigid type of wagon will hold more weight. The one pictured below has a loading capacity of 350lbs. My specific favorite rigid wagon is the type that can be attached to the hitch of your vehicle. This instantly adds space to what your car can hold. Hitch-N-Go Cargo Cart | Camping World
One issue with this specific wagon is the price. As of the posting of this article, the price is on sale at $735. I would have to modify the tires to be solid core tires. Which would entail me actually just replacing them with solid tires, so add another 40 bucks to the already expensive price. I can’t justify the need when considering the price. A good thing about the price is that it could double as a wagon around the yard of your home. It also can be used at other outings. Your kid’s soccer games, beach trips, cookouts, just to name a few. For a strictly camping wagon, I would choose another wagon, like most I try to be sensible with money.
Chart Topper
Given the price, I wouldn’t opt for a wagon over $600 as mentioned above, I do not see the value at that price. I try to advise people to find the options they like and determine the best choice to meet their needs. While the rigid framed wagons are great to have when camping, there are also other options that are similar to the rigid frame style wagons. The Gorilla Carts GOR800-COM is what suits my needs to most. Yes, it’s more expensive than a good collapsible wagon, but the performance is much, much better. The weight capacity of this cart is 800lbs. much higher than the capacity of the Hitch-N-Go wagon above. To address the pneumatic tires, WINWEND 10″ Flat Free Tires After popping these tires on, you have a fully functional cart to carry all your camping gear. No worries about dragging a cart with a flat tire. The frame is strong enough to easily roll through rough terrain without too much flex. The sides tilt down for easy loading. All around a great value and easily the chart-topper.
When considering wagons for camping imagine all the things that could potentially go wrong while using the wagon. Tipping, flat tire, broken hinges, broken handles, broken frames, sunken wheels, and the list could go on and on. I have seen too many campers facing the issues with wagons and have learned first-hand, how to avoid those mistakes. The Gorilla Cart is my favorite cart I have used and will have performed as the all-around best cart for the price.
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