After spotting the Ozark Trail Oversized Mesh Cooler Chair on TikTok, I immediately knew I had to get my hands on it. The TikTok version of the chair is adorably summer-themed, featuring nostalgia-inducing ozark trail camping chair red, white, and blue popsicle designs all over the seat. There’s a cupholder on the right arm and a built-in cooler on the left that can hold a six-pack of drinks (or more, if you dare).
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. 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. Of all the folding wagons we tested, this Mac Sports wagon was the most adept at making sharp turns to navigate a small obstacle course on grass or concrete. It does not require any assembly, which is also true of our beach-wagon pick from the same company. Two small mesh pockets at the front can hold drinks or flip-flops, and we found that these pockets were better placed and more useful than similar pockets on other folding wagons.
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. Whether you’ve been camping for years or are just starting out, it’s important to be prepared with the necessary gear to face whatever Mother Nature throws your way. If you’re staying in a cabin, tent, or RV, you’ll want to stock up on outdoor essentials, especially if you’re isolated from stores. Wagons can be helpful for all kinds of jaunts, including trips to the beach and the farmers market. Folding wagons can be useful tools for families, beachgoers, or really anybody who needs to tote a lot of gear from one place to another.
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. 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. We also like that this wagon has small, rivet-sized holes in its four internal corners that help let sand out (this is an unexpected-but-much-appreciated feature we didn’t find in other models). Like the Seina, our former pick for sand, the Mac Sports has a carrying capacity of up to 150 pounds. However, we think the Mac Sport’s much larger internal space—6.7 cubic feet, compared with the Seina’s 3.6 feet—is worth the higher price.
We’ve seen people using these wagons around the neighborhood and at the beach, as well as for gardening, outdoor 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. We were able to fix the problem, but a year of use has also led to scratches on the wheels and the plastic looking pretty shorn. 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. 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).
(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. Personally, I’m a science writer with more than a decade of experience interviewing experts in countless fields, including parenting, environmental science, and child development. I’m also the mom of two small guys whose stuff ozark trail hammock chair I have been hauling around in wagons since I began working on this guide three years ago (they’ve occasionally hopped in for a ride, too). I live in coastal California, where wagons are often the default way to move kids, beach gear, and even school equipment around the neighborhood. This versatile, light, easy-to-use wagon totes everything across different types of terrain and folds up to a compact, easy-to-carry size.
We have a few issues with this wagon—the telescoping handle can feel flimsy, and it costs around $50 more than the standard Mac Sports wagon. But after previously recommending a cheaper, less-sturdy beach wagon—which broke after a year—we think the Mac Sports All Terrain’s overall durability and maneuverability on sand make it worth the increased cost. The Mac Sports wagon’s skinny rubber wheels, compared with larger-wheeled models we tested, sunk into the sand a bit during testing. This wasn’t too problematic when the wagon was carrying an average load (beach chairs, towels, drinks, and snacks). But with a kid or two added to the mix, this wagon’s wheels started to drag deeper.