These pouches clip securely to a padded belt, like on our Arc backpacks. There is plenty of space for a headlamp, folded maps, snacks, hat and gloves, gadgets, you name it. The Oniva Collapsible Adventure Wagon’s major downside was its folding mechanism, similar to that of an umbrella, rather than an accordion, like on the others. It was extremely hard to squeeze inward and still jutted outward if not squeezed into its cover—an impossible ordeal when wrangling two kids in a parking lot. The sand-removal feature, which seemed promising, worked only partially, and many reviewers noted that the wagon’s handle was short. 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.
The top tripod then folds up and outward, and each arm extends telescopically, tensioning the seat and locking it in place with a button. It takes a small amount of effort to pull the 450-D polyester seat corners over the ends of the stand, but Grand Trunk included a pull tab on one of the corners to make it easier. GCI Outdoor makes several rocking chairs, and we plan to try more of them to see if they’re any better than the Freestyle Rocker, which we weren’t ozark trail chair enthusiastic about. The cupholders on the L.L.Bean Kids’ Base Camp Chair aren’t as roomy as those on our picks, and they’re not as adept at holding stubby water bottles or mugs of hot chocolate. After eight years of consistent use by senior editor Kalee Thompson’s two young boys, the REI Co-op Camp Chair is, she reports, faded and worn but still holding up. While most hiking socks are designed to be comfortable, some contenders stand out better than others.
But if you’re looking for a folding wagon to primarily use at the beach, we recommend paying more for the Mac Sports Heavy Duty Collapsible Folding All Terrain Utility Cart. This Mac Sports wagon folds up to about the same size as the beach-wagon version of the Mac Sports. But because of how tightly this one folds, it seems more compact and easy to carry than any of the other wagons we tested. When folded, the Mac Sports wagon’s dimensions are approximately 29½ by 20 by 8 inches. It comes with a small cover, which squeezes the accordion folds together tightly and makes the wagon easier to lift and carry with the included strap. The material is easy to wipe clean, and during our testing it didn’t grow any mildew when stored damp.
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. 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).
The seat is attached to the top tripod, which folds down all the way, enveloping the stool’s legs in a compact package. GearJunkie first encountered Grand Trunk’s Compass 360 UC Stool in 2022 — we’ve been eagerly waiting to get our hands on these nifty packable, lightweight camp stools ever since. A functional cupholder, a convenient carry strap, and durable fabric distinguish this kids’ chair from similar seats.