Before deciding to buy a beach cart or wagon for the family, get to know the features to ensure you’re getting the right type.
Are there any differences between wagon and cart?
Let’s discuss the differences and go through the buying guide for your next purchase.
The Wheels
Whether it is wagon or cart, both can serve as utility wagon at the beach. But each has its own features and usage.
For a wagon, you can easily see that it comes with four wheels of the same size and type. Since a wagon has four wheels, the body is horizontally designed with wider storage space. Because of the four wheels to distribute weight among them, it is capable to hold more weight than a cart.
Some of the wagons have air tires like a car tire has. And it can usually haul more than 100 pounds of weight without any problem. Some beach cart with balloon wheels can haul more than 200 pounds.
As for the beach cart, it is very common to see wheels of different size. Usually, it comes with a pair of small wheels in front and a pair of big wheels behind. There are Beach Cart with Big Wheels in the market. Just go out and browse a while to see for yourself.
Unlike the kid’s wagon, the beach cart comes with push handle instead of the pull type. Also, it has a smaller storage footprint in exchange for higher vertical stacking space. Beach cart is useful for hauling sailing boards due to its standing length.
When compared to a wagon with four heavy-duty wheels, do not expect a beach cart to haul stuff more than 100 pounds. Even if you forced to accommodate equipment more than it can handle, you’ll have a hard time to move the cart in soft sand.
Does It Take Too Long to Assemble?
Beach wagon should not take too much time to assemble. As you’re carrying a lot of stuff to the beach, the beach wagon or cart should be ready in less than a minute once you take it out of the trunk of your car. Unfolding a beach cart is a snap, it should make things easy for you instead of a chore.
Portability
It is one of the most important features for beach cart and wagon. The lighter it is the better. The cart should not add unnecessary weight to your stuff. Its aim is to transport heavy beach gear to the beach. Make sure it can be removed from the trunk of the car without much effort or carry it with you to another location easily.
Easy Cleaning and Maintenance
You expect beach cart to fill with sand and dirt at the beach. After a day of activities, you shouldn’t take too much effort to clean it. A simple flushing with water and scrubbing will suffice. You should be resting more than you need the time to clean and maintain it.
The most common material for beach cart is the durable polyester or fabric that makes up the body. It’s easy to clean and lightweight, too. And it’ll take lesser time to dry than canvas.
Plastic is also another material that is easy to clean and maintain but it requires a bigger storage space to store. Plastics are not as flexible and foldable as fabric, so it could be a major drawback.
Storage Capacity
It’s usually a personal preference although larger capacity means more storage area to haul all your stuff in one go. But a general rule is to buy a cart that when you haul your beach gear to the beach, it should include everything in one trip. Do the estimation before you buy one.
Budget
Prices range from $50 to more than $100. Set the budget and choose accordingly. There are different models for every budget. It’s nothing wrong to set a lower budget if you’re strapped for cash but it’s always true you get what you paid for.
A budget-friendly beach cart will have to compromise on quality and some features. Let’s take an example – the MAC Sports All-Terrain Beach Wagon will cost twice as much as the normal beach cart. The differences are the built- quality and capacity.
Conclusion
The above guide will provide some basis of beach cart for soft sand. Please stick to whatever you see fit and make your selection. The online market is flooded with many different brands and models.
Take your time and browse the giant e-commerce sites like Amazon and WalMart to make a comparison. If you’re still not sure of the features, go to Youtube and check out some reviews. The more you do your research, the more you’ll be familiar with different brands, models and features.
Finding the best beach wagon for soft sand is easy once you set the budget and find the right models.
Resources:
https://www.instructables.com/id/Beach-Cart-Balloon-Sand-Tire-Conversion/
