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Also available for same Click and Collect price at MacPac https://www.macpac.com.au/wanderer-quad-folding-camp-cart/11…
TLDR: Buy this cart, it will save you so much time and effort and earn you major brownie points with the family.
Full Review:
I bought and collected from BCF within two hours just before going away for the weekend on the Gold Coast. It’s a solid cart and packs away very neatly and compactly into a rectangular block and it fit nicely inside my car trunk under all the other gear.
Wheels
The wheels are thicker and bigger than I expected and feel hefty and solid. They are removable and the front wheel sockets have metal ball bearings to allow for smooth swivelling. I thought the wheels were made of rubber like on bike tires but they’re harder material than rubber, yet they weren’t loud rolling on gravel or bitumen like I can hear from other kids’ plastic trike wheels.
I saw someone else going past me in the Kmart trolley with the canopy cover and I could hear their wheels over the BCF one on the flat concrete footpath so I’m happy with the quieter wheels.
The BCF cart looked wider and deeper by comparison and the BCF metal frame looked thicker and more solid than the Kmart one but you pay more for this.
Time saver
Opening and collapsing it takes just a few seconds. I can set it up or pack it away (including putting on and taking off the wheels) in under 30seconds. This cart allowed me to make just one trip from the car to the hotel room with a kid in tow rather than three trips. Pulling all our beach gear on solid ground and thick grass to the beach was so effortless and smooth I could do it with just one or two fingers.
Manoeuvrability
Controlling it was easy if you have room outdoors to lower the telescopic handle forward and down. The more vertically upright the handle is the harder to steer, so it was more finicky controlling it in tight hotel hallways and inside the elevators but once I got used to its dimensions and pivot point it was fine.
Yes it can go on soft sand
Many people have questioned the experience on soft sand. Well the sand doesn’t get much softer or deeper than that on the Gold Coast and my experience was that i had to get my 30kg kid out of the cart to walk (didn’t take much convincing) which allowed me to lift the handle up while pulling the remaining 30kg of gear in the cart, plus the 12.8kg of the cart itself.
Lifting while pulling helped get the front wheels up and avoid them getting bogged in the soft deep sand dunes. Once onto the firmer dry sand it was fine and along the wet sand it was a breeze.
Now going back Up the big soft sand dunes was an effort but I was also carrying more weight with all the wet gear and towels etc plus I was fatigued from all the swimming. I still made it up in one go and I would describe myself as a slim-build office worker so this would be easier for more athletically-abled bodies.
More time playing, less time carrying and whinging
Once back onto firmer ground, my son hopped back in and I effortlessly pulled the whole lot 800m back to the hotel with just a few fingers again. It was the first time my wife and I could go to the beach and back without having to carry our child plus multiple bags of gear. In fact we could carry more beach gear for us and more beach toys for him to play with this time.
Oh and we got him to hold up a little hand umbrella during the ride since it doesn’t come with the built in canopy.
After care
Once home I just lightly hosed down the frame and wheels to remove the salt water and sand then left out for half a day to dry. The bottom of the cart (under the removable mat) is made of strong mesh so no sand was caught there. I love that it’s so compact I can store it away neatly in the garage cupboard.
Final thoughts
I don’t regret the purchase one bit (my only regret is not doing so years earlier!) but I also haven’t used the other carts which have received plenty of praise by fellow OzBargainers for their lower price point and value so I can’t really give a true comparison.
All I can say is this is one of my top three purchases this year in terms of reducing my stress levels, reducing my physical injury risks, reducing my travel time and most importantly increasing my family’s time for bonding and making happy memories.
Can you tell I was happy with this purchase? :-)
No I’m not associated. Just hoping my recent experience can help those sitting on the fence about getting a trolley/wagon/cart in general make an informed decision.
Full marks for the excellent review!
Also, because it’s “a bulky item” you don’t get the free shipping over $99 (if anyone is wondering)