If anyone has ever tried pushing a stroller across the sand, you know how difficult and frustrating it can be. By the time you’ve made it to your little slice of the beach, you’re tired and angry at the world and not feeling like you’re in vacation mode. To alleviate yourself of feeling that way again, or having to live through it for the first time, invest in a beach stroller. If you plan on taking a lot of trips to the beach with your little one, it’s a must-have and will make your life much easier.
We did a lot of research and looked at many products to choose the five best beach strollers. Some three-wheel jogger strollers or jogging strollers claim to be all-terrain, even working on the beach, but we narrowed our search to the heavy-duty options made with things like a beach in mind.
1. Evenflo Pivot Xplore All-Terrain Stroller Wagon
Pros
- Dual canopies with UPF 50+ help shield your child from the sun’s harmful rays
- Dual snack track and cup holders for the kids
- Plenty of storage, including an easy access basket that hangs off the back and easily fits inside the empty seat when there is only one child in the stroller wagon
- All-terrain wheels give you the freedom to go from pavement to beach and beyond
- Push or pull, it’s easy to adapt and decide on the fly
Cons
- Trouble with folding it down and not as compact as would like
- No cup holder or storage on handle for parents
What Recent Buyers Report
The biggest complaint was that the stroller wagon is hard to collapse, but buyers are still happy with their purchase. Some also find it heavy and bulky; again, not a big enough problem to have them change their minds on their purchase, just more of an observation. There were some other comments made by happy buyers, just to keep in mind. They mentioned that the visors don’t lock in place, and their kids tend to play with them, and the snack track gets covered up if there’s a car seat in the stroller.
Why It Stands Out to Us
Evenflo has been around for almost 100 years now. Anytime we find their products in a category that we’re researching, we always consider it. There’s a reason they’ve been around for so long. We love the dual canopies with SPF 50 protection, the three-point harness safety belts, and how sturdy the framing looks. Though we were a little worried about the tire size – we thought they might be a little too small to be truly all-terrain and to work on the beach – but we were wrong.
The Bottom Line
This stroller is an excellent choice for an all-terrain option and one we highly recommend. The cons are ones that many could probably workaround, and in fact, many reviewers don’t have issues with them at all. While we also take a look at Evenflo, it doesn’t always come out on top of our list, but this time, it comes in at number one as being the best beach stroller.
2. Veer Cruiser Next Generation Premium Stroller Wagon Hybrid
Pros
- Comes with a 2-year warranty
- Includes 2 cup holders for parent and a snack tray with two cup holders for kids
- Push, pull or pull alongside
- Accommodates an infant car seat (Adapter sold separately)
- All-terrain and all season, including sand, snow, and mud
Cons
- No canopy to protect kids from elements
- Large, heavy, bulky, and hard to maneuver
What Recent Buyers Report
People who have recently purchased this stroller wagon hybrid overwhelmingly love it; however, some find it impractical due to its size and bulk. Another gripe that some buyers had was the cost. Not only the cost of the stroller, but there were a lot of available add-ons, making the total cost even higher.
Why It Stands Out to Us
Not only do the oversized tires look sturdy, but so do the frame and fabric makeup of the stroller. It’s great that you can steer from three different directions, and while someone mentioned that doing so with one hand is difficult, that’s not an issue for us, as we don’t mind using two hands.
The Bottom Line
This stroller is great for more than just the beach, and we think you can get a lot of use out of it. The only thing we can fault is the missing canopy, as pointed out by some users. Protecting your kids from the elements, especially the heat and sun, is a high priority, especially at the beach. Maybe there’s an available add-on. Other than that, we think this stroller is a great choice if a bit pricey.
3. Creative Outdoor Push-Pull Collapsible Folding Wagon Stroller
Pros
- The removable canopy protects your children from the elements, especially providing them with shade during sunny days.
- The wagon is designed to be pushed or pulled, and the front wheels swivel 360-degrees to get around obstacles
- Adjustable handle with thumb-activated buttons
- The cart is extremely portable, and when not in use, you can fold it up and store it in the trunk of your car, your garage, or your basement
- The sturdy construction takes on all terrains, including sand
Cons
- No drink holders or snack trays for parents or kids
- The push handle is just a little too short
What Recent Buyers Report
Again, there are many happy buyers with this stroller wagon, and the cons are pretty minor. One point that came up was that the safety belts were just lap belts and not three- or five-point harnesses, which some parents would feel safer with. It was noted that this wagon stroller is acceptable at Disney; however, they request that you push it like a stroller instead of pulling it in a wagon-style.
Why It Stands Out to Us
We love the look of this wagon stroller. If we were going on aesthetics alone, this would be number one on our list. The full canopy across the top caught our eye as well, as this would eliminate the issue seen in the Evenflo one. We also really like that there are two distinctly separate handles for pushing and pulling, instead of flipping one handle from side to side or just turning your body around.
The Bottom Line
Creative Outdoors’ stroller wagon would probably be at number two if it had cup holders and if Veer didn’t offer their two-year warranty. Two rather small things are keeping this from being just out of the top position. We love this stroller wagon and would highly recommend it.
4. Hauck Eco Wagon
Pros
- Cushioned seating comfortably seats two children
- Includes removable canopy
- Easily fold with a steel tube frame
- Single hand locking brake
- Hand washable fabric
Cons
- No extra amenities, such as cup holders, snack trays, storage bags, safety belts, etc.
- Not very compact due to the size of wheels
What Recent Buyers Report
Many recent buyers love that this wagon can hold up to 120 pounds as many of them like to load up their beach stuff as well as their kids. The positives outweigh the negatives for the majority of those who purchased this product. One thing that many people commented on was that they were surprised at the size of this wagon, even when folded, they still found it to be rather large. Everyone was quite happy with their experience with it on beaches and other rough terrains such as dirt roads.
Why It Stands Out to Us
The Hauck Eco Wagon is more of a wagon than a stroller, although marketed as more of a stroller than a wagon. So, the mixed messages had us intrigued, and we wanted to take a closer look. Yes, it’s built more like a wagon and is missing stroller-like parts like safety belts, snack trays, and cup holders, but we can see its use as a stroller as well. Many buyers have added seat belts to keep their kids safe. This stroller has thick, rugged wheels, and we do not doubt that it can make it across any terrain.
The Bottom Line
This stroller wagon is a great option for the beach, especially if the missing extras don’t bother you. Attaching a seatbelt for safety is easy enough to do. There are lots of things to love with this stroller wagon, even if it’s not at the top of the list.
5. WagonBuddy Push and Pull Handle Folding Stroller Wagon
Pros
- The sturdy construction takes on all terrains, including dirt, pavement, grass, and sand
- No assembly required, the stroller wagon will arrive fully intact and ready to use
- It folds up in 3 easy steps and can fit in the back of the car, garage, or closet
- Crafted from stain-resistant materials for long-lasting durability with a weight capacity of 120lbs
- Free ice cooler bag included
Cons
- Hard to maneuver and steer, especially in crowded areas such as theme parks
- Metal frame not sturdy enough, could be thicker
What Recent Buyers Report
There were some mixed reviews with this stroller wagon, with everyone saying something different, so it was hard to pin down one opinion. The main takeaway was that there were more happy buyers than non-happy buyers. The kids seemed to love it, so it must be comfortable.
Why It Stands Out to Us
Who doesn’t love free stuff? We’re in it for the ice cooler bag! All joking aside, just like with the Creative Outdoor stroller wagon, we like that there are two distinctly separate handles for pushing and pulling, instead of flipping one handle from side to side or just turning your body around. This stroller folds down compactly when you don’t need it, much more so than many on our list.
The Bottom Line
It’s not our favorite stroller wagon, but it does a good job on the beach. That’s what we’re researching here, so that’s why it’s made our list. And there’s nothing particularly wrong with it; we just found four that we liked a little bit more. We feel that if you choose this stroller wagon, you’re still purchasing a safe, durable product that will last you a long time and be a part of many beach vacation memories. It just all comes down to personal preference.
In Closing
As we mentioned at the beginning of this article, you can use some three-wheel all-terrain jogging strollers to take along the sand on the beach with you, but we wanted to look for something more beach-specific. The stroller wagons that we looked at allow you to move across the sand with ease and carry your beach supplies. They have plenty of extra space and storage.
Most of these stroller wagons come in at a good price point and are completely worth it, especially if you plan on taking multiple trips to the water, although they are great for so much more than the beach. They are all-terrain, great for bringing your kids out to explore trails or just a walk in the neighborhood.
You can take your child pretty much anywhere with the right baby equipment, such as a theme park or to watch a family member play baseball, and if they need to nap, it’s easy enough for them to lay down and sleep. Maybe you’re going camping, and you want to load it up with your supplies and bring them down to your campsite. There are so many different possibilities for ways that you can use a beach stroller for many years to come.
We hope that we helped answer some of your questions and maybe even helped you decide which baby beach stroller would be best for your family.