Although we always recommend using anchors such as weighted sand bag or stakes with guy lines attached to the top corners. 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 do need a fits-in-a-knapsack chair, we recommend the Helinox Chair One. We found this model to be slightly more comfortable and easier to pack than other, similar chairs. One thing we love about Ozark Trail canopy tents are the accessories that can be added to the shelters. These include sidewalls, weight bags, and a host of other great add-ons that can really increase the use and versatility of the canopy tent.
Like competing chairs, the Chair One has a nylon and mesh seat and aluminum legs, which are linked with shock cord (the chair legs are made out of the same material as high-end tent poles). The combination of their light weight and a fold-down frame makes folding wagons especially handy for everyday use, including getting in and out of a car or on and off public transportation. We’ve seen people using these wagons around the neighborhood and at the beach, as well as for gardening, ozark trail canopy 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. The strap that supports the back (and doubles as a carry strap) allows adjustments to control your angle of recline, from upright to a stargazing-appropriate angle. Unlike other portable chairs, the Everywhere Chair is designed to sit on uneven slopes; this can be handy when space is limited at a fireworks show or an outdoor theater performance.
To start, we assessed the initial assembly of each wagon, noting any particular frustrations, as well as any extra tools that were required. (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.
We also let two boys, ages 1 and 5, play with them and sit on them in the backyard for six months. After all that, we concluded that the REI Co-op Camp Chair – Kids’ is the best choice for anyone who wants to buy a practical, portable outdoor chair for a small child. With the largest capacity of any wagon we’ve tested, a quick and compact fold, and the best traction on sand we’ve found, the Mac Sports Heavy Duty Collapsible Folding All Terrain Utility Cart is our pick for toting gear to the beach.
And it comes with the same durable build of the standard Mac Sports wagon, but with twice the internal volume. 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. We think the REI chair functions better and will last much longer than the similar chair from Walmart. But the price difference is significant—and after six months of near-constant outdoor use, the Walmart chair was still in decent shape. She has personally tested a dozen tents and an equal number of hair dryers. Digging our toes in the sand under one of the best full-overhead coverage beach tents on the market.
We started looking for a better option than our original beach-friendly pick, the Seina Folding Utility Beach Wagon, after a nut fell off the wagon at a critical time—when we were on the sand, about a quarter-mile from the parking lot. 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. Like most chairs of this type, the Coleman Oversized Quad comes with an over-the-shoulder carry bag.
Our panel of testers at the Wheeler Gorge Campground deemed the Everywhere Chair to be the most comfortable of the three low-to-the-ground chairs we tested. After six months of regularly using the Coleman Cooler Quad Chair, we think it’s the best choice for most people who are seeking an upright chair for car camping, tailgating, and outdoor gatherings. We noticed during the first of our three camping trips—a weekend in California’s Joshua Tree National Park, with a total of seven families—that, given the choice, campers prefer to take the biggest seat.