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Wanderer Quad Fold Camp Cart Wagon $119.99 (Was $159.99) + $14.99 Delivery ($0 C&C) @ BCF and Macpac

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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.

Related Stores

BCF - Boating, Camping, Fishing
BCF - Boating, Camping, Fishing
Macpac
Macpac

closed Comments

  • +10

    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)

    • +2

      Thanks. Easy to review when it’s all still fresh in my mind. Seriously when I think of this trip my first feeling is, “wow it was so much easier than previous times” and makes me want to go more often. It was always such a chore previously I would not look forward to getting there and back.

      Now I’m looking forward to hauling all the sporting and picnic gear to the next family BBQ in the park.

      And yes that’s why I mentioned $14.99 delivery ( or free to C&C) but thanks for clarifying.

      • @Poor: Thanks for the EXCELLENT review. Are these coming in a box or plastic wrap at time of purchase? Would like to avoid getting the shop demo.

        • +1

          They are in a cardboard box sealed with masking tape. No plastic bags.

  • +1

    I have this and agree that it’s very good too :)

  • I must have gotten a faulty one of these because we bought this (for a little cheaper from memory) on a whim on holidays and took it to Currumbin wildlife sanctuary and it was the worst steered worse than a two wheeled shopping trolley and all round was just a pain to drag along all day. Took it back to BCF and got a refund.

    Our friends have the Wanderer red version of this though and it looks good. Doesn’t fold as well but the wheels look more suitable for sand

    • +1

      Had the exact same issue as you, turns out that one of the folding joints at the top has snapped. The whole frame appears to be made from aluminium but weirdly the folding joints are only crappy plastic, at least on our model. So it one of the top joints break it will no longer steer at all and you have to kick the wheels to face the right direction every time you turn a corner.

      • +1

        That sucks. At that price if it fails the way you described I’d argue that it is not fit for purpose and material is faulty.

        I’ve only used it for a 3 day beach trip so it’s held up well so far. Time will tell if it breaks sooner than expected.

        Not sure if the build has changed but ours is powder coated steel rather than aluminium which is why it’s almost 13kg. Having plastic joint bits holding together the folding mechanisms is a risk though. They will no doubt degrade from UV and salt water exposure.

        Also with the awkward steering, this happened to me when I accidentally put the wrong wheels at the front before reading the instructions.

        For best steering, the wheels with the straight frame need to go at the back and the ones with the curved frame should go at the front, and the handle should be fully extended and folded forwards and down.

        Pretty hard to get that wrong though so if anyone else has steering problems then surely they’ve got a faulty cart and I would personally argue for a refund. It’s supposed to make life easier, not more frustrating!

      • Yeah I suspect we both got faulty ones then because that sounds the same as ours. I was happy to get it swapped to see but they were out of stock so was happy with a refund

      • Mine had the same issue, broke after 3 weeks. Got it replaced but its still in the box.

    • +1

      I've only used mine twice, but can say it has been great so far and fingers crossed nothing breaks. I can say that both times at the beach this one is noticeable bigger and more robust looking than 99% of others I saw. The wheels are solid plastic but bigger than most and can roll on sand albeit do not load it up too much otherwise it won't roll very well.

  • Dumper conc. soil?

  • How easy would it be to add a strap or lap belt like setup to this? My kid will generally sit inside and hold on when sitting in a trolley but also has a tendency to want to jump out now..

    • +1

      Don’t have experience with portable child safety belts but I saw a comment on a previous post that a mum did this with the Kmart canopy cart as it has extra exposed metal bars at the top of the basket which can be used as anchor points for the portable baby chair harness.

      The BCF one has a cleaner look without exposed metal bars overhanging the top so there’s little area to anchor anything to unfortunately.

  • Wonder if we can stack with any other deals?

    • I'm with Unity for my health insurance and they offer 8% off BCF vouchers. So I got a $100 voucher for $92.92 (incl credit card charge) and applied it to the order. Final payment (incl delivery) was $127.90. If C&C was an option it would have been $112.90.

  • -4

    It's $49 at Kmart..

    • -1

      Link? Can't find macpac or wagon on Kmart.

    • did you even read the review/post above, specifically about the Kmart one?

    • Here we go again. Comparing a kia to a Volvo. Yes they both do the same thing but they are not the same so you can't just compare the price.

  • This is cheaper and can carry heavier load XD
    https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/654787

    • +2

      But how well does it handle on sand

      • Neither are good for soft sand.

    • +1

      Arguably a lot more fun for the kids to ride on too without the basket to secure them in :-D

  • i’ve got the kmart one of this for $49. Used it to move furniture when moving houses. Have exceeded the weight capacity of 50kg and hasn’t broken on me. couldn’t care less about noisy wheels, besides once you load it, the wheels aren’t as noisy.

    https://www.kmart.com.au/product/foldable-beach-trolley/9114…

    • +1

      Likely two different beasts. Kmart rated to 50kg, wanderer rated to 100kg. I have the wanderer and can attest to its usefulness. I used it to haul scuba gear from the car todistant beach or end of pier. The only caution is that it is big for my mazda 3, folded up. The wheels do come off which makes fitting it into a crowded boot easier. To be honest, I'm not sure if more lightweight wagons this size would fold any more compact. Definitely great to load with towels, umbrellas, eskys, water bottles. boogie boards and the wheels are wide enough and fine on sand.

  • It would be good if you could replace the wheels with big ones.

    • The wheels on this one are probably as big as you will find on these carts. Certainly bugger than most although I have seen some carts that have smaller diameter wheels but are wider. Horses for courses.

  • +2

    Must say I have tried the four wheel trolley and am prefering the two wheel trolley. See link below

    https://www.anacondastores.com/camping-hiking/equipment/stor…

    If you use the Swap gift card can get for less 10% and CB @ 4.9% if it tracks.

    Used it this morning down the beach

    • Good if there are steps as you can't really use the 4x wheel ones without major inconvenience, but if no steps the 4x wheels are easier I think. Each to their own I guess.

    • Thanks for this recommendation! /thumbsup :)

  • +3

    After doing some research, we just bought this one;

    https://www.supercheapauto.com.au/p/sca-sca-camp-cart/581711…

    • Seems like a ripper deal?

    • Oh man. Thanks for this recommendation! /thumbsup

      Now just gotta choose between the 2 wheel and this one hahaha :) :)

    • +1

      but is it good on sand? How wide are the wheels?

      • +1

        you'll find that the ones with the thin wheels like that aren't great on sand.

      • Agreed. Definitely worse on sand. Dragging an anchor through sand vs wheeling a cart with extra drag

  • +1

    Try CLUB20OFF for a further $20 OFF worked for me. Credit to the honey extension.

    • Didn't work for me. Was it BCF or macpac? Do you know any other required rules for it to work, like using a gift card?

      Thanks

      • Appears to be an old BCF code which is expired now. Didn't work for me.

        • +1

          I found out it still works, but only for new members. So my wife did the purchase this time.
          Unfortunately, I didn't like the cart very much. One of the wheels is not turning as well as it should, I will either get it replaced or a refund.

          • @karkassa: yes i did the same, you have to make the account, verify the email etc then you can use it.

  • +1

    there’s one at costco for about 80 which is also a chair - looks pretty sturdy compared to this one

    • lol =D Thanks for this recommendation too hahaha /thumbsup

  • I'd pay $20 for one but I'd expect the electric chair if i paid 120 for it.

    • +1

      Electric chair?! You trying to execute someone?

  • Ripper review!

  • One from kmart does the job, only $50.
    Been using for 2 years and still going strong
    https://www.kmart.com.au/product/foldable-beach-trolley/9114…

  • +1

    Moved onto this one from one of the more budget models.
    I picked up the previous trolley from bunnings for $15. This trolley isn't 8 times better but it is better.
    I have had to give the front wheels a spray with silicon spray when they got a little less free spinning. Not the axle but the vertical component.
    Once the twins got over 1 we used this more then the double pram.
    Chuck a few jockey straps in the rear of the car to go with it and you would be surprised what you can load into it.

  • Not a fan of Wanderer gear. It's either not good at all or it's overpriced. IMO it's the latter in this case. You can buy one that's almost identical from Kmart for $50 which is just as good.

  • +1

    these are usually under 90 on sale. this is not a bargain.

  • Does anyone have the $79 kmart one?

    Everyone talks about the $49 one, but the more expensive has much bigger wheels (and a canopy)

    https://www.kmart.com.au/product/foldable-beach-trolley-with…

  • +1

    Was about to pull the trigger and buy one till I saw the recent reviews, appears to be a hit or miss / quality issues. Maybe a change in supplier for the same product ? That's impacting the latest version. Historical reviews seem positive.

  • +2

    Own one and love it! Had it for about 2 years.

    Use it for football training (being a coach), and family BBQ's down the park. With 3 young kids under 6 it's been great, being able to just make that one trip. Handy for carrying camping chairs, footballs, other sporting equipment and random picnic/BBQ stuff.

  • I am struggling to assemble the wheels. Can anyone give me a link to an instruction booklet? I notice little yellow push in buttons on the frame. Not sure if it has anything to do with attaching the wheels? There were no instructions in the box. Thanks

    • From memory there’s two that specifically go on the front, and the other two on the back. Make sure you’re trying to put in the wheels in the right place.

      Wasn’t there instructions on the middle insert part?

      • Yessss! Thank you! I chucked the insert aside without realising the instructions are on there.

    • The two wheels with the curved connector frame go towards the front of the wagon near the pull handle. Instructions are sewn onto middle insert base. Tip: laminate it before it gets wet or ripped or email yourself a photo of it.

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