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In theory, unless you’re a precariously beached mammal or newborn sea turtle, a visit to the beach should be a simple affair. It’s a straightforward concept: take off clothes and lay in the sand. In reality, a day spent along the coast requires supplies. A chair with sturdy back support, sustenance, and plenty of UV blockers — be it sunscreen, clothing, or an umbrella. Not to mention plenty of activities when the rhythmic ocean waves aren’t entertaining enough.
The best beach wagons help on those extra-loaded-down days in the way only a wagon can: By rolling all that necessary nonsense across the beach, saving on trips to the car, and the feeling of extra hot sand burning underfoot. Though not everyone needs a beach wagon, people who live close enough to the beach to visit regularly, and particularly beach-loving parents, might find the one-time expenditure worth it. For roughly $150 to around $500, beach wagons can make painful beach gear hauling a relic.
What the Experts Say
SPY spoke with three beach gear experts and a regular beach wagon user to understand what works best when it comes to sandy transportation, including Eddie Baker, the president of Carolina Beach Boardriders Club, competitive surfer and a beach-going father of six; Jacy Elmore, the founder of The Beach Wagon, which rents and will soon sell beach wagons in the Florida panhandle; Jessica Bonacci, a manager for Ocean Atlantic Rentals on the North Carolina coast; and Gem Ward, a New Jersey-based beach-going mother of two young kids.
The major takeaway is that beach wagons aren’t complicated but choosing a design suited for your beach conditions is key. Shop based on wheels, as their malfunctioning or not rolling correctly can undermine the rest of the wagon. They’re typically made of hard plastic or a softer inflatable rubber. Elmore says hard plastic wheels are an absolute no-go for the soft, sandy beaches of the Florida panhandle. “It’s more difficult to pull those plastic wheel wagons here on the thicker, dryer sand we have here. It doesn’t matter the width of the wheel,” she says. “I’ve seen two men, the kind who spend a lot of hours in the gym, struggle to pull a plastic-wheeled wagon here.”
It’s basic physics: Inflatable rubber wheels, which are often called sand wheels in this context, distribute the weight more effectively, Elmore says, helping them glide over the sand instead of sinking into it. Bonacci and Baker both agree on the need for inflatable tires. “You have to have the big inflatable tires,” Baker says. “The bigger they are, the easier they are on the beach,” adding that it only takes one overturn to spill everything out.
Hard plastic wheels are totally fine for less dune-like sands. “The concept behind beach wagons is to make your life easier and, in locations with sand that isn’t as fine or is more firmly packed, wide, plastic wheels should work fine,” Elmore says.
The wagon should be big and strong enough to schlep everything (think a weight capacity of at least 150 pounds) and break down easily, Baker says. He and Elmore also note the potential impact of rust, especially on beaches near saltwater which expedites the rusting process. That makes stainless steel and aluminum, which corrodes but does not rust, top options for the wagon’s frame.
Price is also critical to consider, as this product category can get very expensive very quickly. The solid baseline sits at $150 for durable carriers with minimal features. Bells and whistles raise the median up to $500, but for those who live by the beach and consider their wagon akin to a car or golf cart, a high-end option may be worth it. But even Baker, who says beach wagons are a “must-have” for his family, suggests aiming for the lower end. “You don’t want to spend a ton because the salt will eat it anyway,” he says.
BEST OVERALL
Quest Beach Wagon with Sand Wheels
The Quest Beach Wagon with Sand Wheels doesn’t look like much, but it hits all the basics for a palatable price — a strong steel build with a 600 denier, water-resistant polyester. This material is crazy tough and built to withstand the elements, necessary for a wagon that not only will spend its entire life outside but encounter plenty of humid ocean spritz. The wagon also has inflatable rubber sand wheels, one of just a few consumer beach wagons that do, and it has a fair price of just under $200. The tires make the Quest Beach Wagon one of the best for moving gear across any beach, whether it has wet, packed sand or dry, dune-like sands.
BEST FOR KIDS
Burleigh Wagon
The Burleigh Wagon is a close runner-up for a few key reasons. Unlike any other beach wagon option, it was designed from the ground up to be not only one of the best beach wagons available, but also suitable for families with kids thanks to built-in seats and straps. Anyone who’s had to lug tired, cranky kids back to the car along the sand is extra intrigued.
Though Ward’s family eventually outgrew the Burleigh Wagon, she says it was perfect for a while for her kids, who thought it was “the coolest” and “approved of it right away.”
“We took it out one day — packed the cooler and went to the beach. To pull on the sand, I had the kids hop out and it was easily pulled,” she says. “We had the cooler filled, the umbrella, speaker, and snack tray all in one.”
Even without kids, every man reading this would be lying if he said he didn’t picture an ice-cold 12-pack in the built-in cooler and jams blasting through the Bluetooth speaker. It also has a spot for an attachable umbrella, sold separately.
The Burleigh’s extra features come at a cost, of just under $500 and that doesn’t include the umbrella or other helpful accessories. The wagon also does not collapse and Ward notes that it can be bulky and heavy to load into a trunk without help. But for people with a little more money to spend, more time for the beach, or a few beach-loving kids, the Burleigh Wagon can cover every kind of need.
MOST VERSATILE
Mac Sports Heavy Duty Steel Frame Collapsible Beach Wagon
If we were wandering lost in the Mojave with only beach essentials to guide us home, this is the wagon we’d want toting them around. The Mac Spots Heavy Duty Utility Wagon features a tough steel frame and comically large hard plastic wheel. It also springs for 600D polyester, and collapses between uses for easy storage and transportation. It also has swiveling wheels, like a carry-on suitcase, to follow where it’s pulled and includes a few stitched-on pockets for smaller extras like water bottles.
Most importantly, it’s a great value for its $134 price, hitting all the essentials without breaking the bank. However, it’s not designed to safely transport children and it will struggle to roll if loaded down on a dry, sandy beach.
BEST FOR LOUNGING
The Lounge Wagon
The Malo’o Lounge Wagon makes relaxing easy by folding into a bench seat that’s perfectly sized for two adults or three kids. Big all-terrain rubber wheels — 10 inches tall by 3.6 inches wide — make most beaches a cinch, and steel construction ensures it won’t break without serious effort. It also ships with a cargo net that can be pulled out as a sack of gear and has the option of an attachable umbrella, making it a little more versatile than other options.
The major compromise with the Lounge Wagon deals with collapsibility. It cannot collapse as well as other options — only the sides fold inward — in part because it needed to be sturdy enough to be a bench. That might be swallowable were it not for the nearly $400 sticker price (which is also a contributing factor to the price). But for people who want a well-built wagon meant for chilling, the Lounge Wagon is the best beach wagon to bring a seat to the beach.
Frequently Asked Questions About Beach Wagons
What’s the Best Beach Wagon?
The best beach wagon is the one that best matches the buyer’s needs, experts say. For people who live near dry, sandy beaches, inflatable rubber sand wheels are a must-have, making the Quest Beach Wagon a suitable choice. For people with children, the Burleigh Wagon features child-safe straps to secure them inside the wagon. For people looking for a great wagon that can also handle the beach, the Mac Sports Heavy Duty Utility Wagon is just a well-made wagon overall. For people looking for more than transport but who don’t want the Burleigh Wagon, the Malo’o Lounge Wagon has a couple extra bells and can fold into a bench seat suitable for two adults.
What Are Beach Wagons Useful For?
Transporting beach gear, of course! And that’s really it: Beachgoers can move everything they need in one trip and they don’t have to deal with a bunch of individual items, whatever they might be, Elmore says.
What’s a Good Price to Spend On a Beach Wagon?
Beachgoers could be OK with some wagons in the $100 to $200 range, but Elmore says $200 to $600, depending on the situation, is a good range for quality beach wagons. Most wagons aren’t designed just for the beach, but those that are tend to fall in the latter range.