What's the best folding shopping cart?
April 12, 2015 10:05 AM
After dragging my cat litter and paper towels six blocks this morning thanks to a snapped wheel, I want to know what the Cadillac of rolling shopping carts is.
I've been through several different carts at this point and I'm ready to spend money to get a really good one, but the reviews of all the ones at Amazon are leaving me kind of at a loss. My ideal cart:
- Has to be able to carry some weight. I live in a city and don't have a car, and while I could mostly carry my own groceries, I need the cart for heavy things like cat litter and 12 packs of soda.
- If wire, the gaps need to be small enough that I can put things like yogurt cups and blocks of cheese in it while shopping without watching them slide right out the sides.
- If solid-sided or requires a liner, needs to be easily washable so I can use it in the winter.
- big capacity. I have to be able to carry more than one or two bags, and I'd like to be able to fit a 12-pack or two in it while still leaving room for other things.
- Wheels that roll easily and can handle some bumps without being immediately destroyed by uneven city sidewalks.
I don't care much about how it looks or how small it folds up, and assume money is no object. There has to be a granny cart out there that doesn't suck. Thanks!
I've been through several different carts at this point and I'm ready to spend money to get a really good one, but the reviews of all the ones at Amazon are leaving me kind of at a loss. My ideal cart:
- Has to be able to carry some weight. I live in a city and don't have a car, and while I could mostly carry my own groceries, I need the cart for heavy things like cat litter and 12 packs of soda.
- If wire, the gaps need to be small enough that I can put things like yogurt cups and blocks of cheese in it while shopping without watching them slide right out the sides.
- If solid-sided or requires a liner, needs to be easily washable so I can use it in the winter.
- big capacity. I have to be able to carry more than one or two bags, and I'd like to be able to fit a 12-pack or two in it while still leaving room for other things.
- Wheels that roll easily and can handle some bumps without being immediately destroyed by uneven city sidewalks.
I don't care much about how it looks or how small it folds up, and assume money is no object. There has to be a granny cart out there that doesn't suck. Thanks!
I bought this cart from amazon and its worked beautifully till now. I am in NYC and use it regularly for my weekly grocery shopping trips. So far it has handled all pavement cracks and street bumps easily.
the wheels swivel which makes it easy to turn. Also, i find the canvas bag better than wireframe trolleys.
posted by TheLittlePrince at 1:28 PM on April 12, 2015
the wheels swivel which makes it easy to turn. Also, i find the canvas bag better than wireframe trolleys.
posted by TheLittlePrince at 1:28 PM on April 12, 2015
Seconding the cart TheLittlePrince linked--came here to recommend it. For a few years I did all my grocery shopping with a nice, big stroller, and I got really spoiled. Modern strollers are really well-engineered and handle much better than most shopping carts.
We've had this new cart for about a year and it's held up through the Boston winter (yikes) and trips 1-2 times a week with up to about 100 pounds in it (one time I just piled in bricks for my son's Christmas present; the rest of the time we just eat a lot). It's not perfect--you have to give it a little help going up a bump of more than a few inches, and the handles are a bit low for anyone over about 5'8"--but it's much better than my boyfriends standard "grocery cart" and also the "heavy duty grocery cart" we broke before getting it.
I'm not really sure a cart needs to be washed--I don't get how that relates to winter. But maybe I'm just gross.
posted by cogitron at 2:35 PM on April 12, 2015
We've had this new cart for about a year and it's held up through the Boston winter (yikes) and trips 1-2 times a week with up to about 100 pounds in it (one time I just piled in bricks for my son's Christmas present; the rest of the time we just eat a lot). It's not perfect--you have to give it a little help going up a bump of more than a few inches, and the handles are a bit low for anyone over about 5'8"--but it's much better than my boyfriends standard "grocery cart" and also the "heavy duty grocery cart" we broke before getting it.
I'm not really sure a cart needs to be washed--I don't get how that relates to winter. But maybe I'm just gross.
posted by cogitron at 2:35 PM on April 12, 2015
Corollary of the above: a stroller is probably the best option in terms of holding lots of weight gracefully and handling bumps and steering well, if you're not self-conscious about pushing one full of cat litter and booze! We had a fancy one like this which claimed to support a kid up to 50 pounds, but I would regularly put 75 pounds of groceries and a 35-pound kid in, no trouble: http://www.toysrus.com/buy/full-size-strollers/dream-on-me/-mia-moda-atmosferra-stroller-nero-490-nro-3904587
posted by cogitron at 2:41 PM on April 12, 2015
posted by cogitron at 2:41 PM on April 12, 2015
Rolser is the Rolls Royce of shopping trolleys. Mine folds so you can hang it on the back of the cart while you shop. The bag is removable. I have removed the bag from the frame and lashed a dog kennel (complete with 20 lb dog) to the frame and walked a mile, no problem. The model I have fits one of those mini carts of groceries. Awesome and worth the expensive price.
posted by crazycanuck at 6:39 PM on April 12, 2015
posted by crazycanuck at 6:39 PM on April 12, 2015
Oh and the advantage of the Rolser design is that it can be rolled up stairs - I can get it up the 9 steps to my porch no problem.
posted by crazycanuck at 6:43 PM on April 12, 2015
posted by crazycanuck at 6:43 PM on April 12, 2015
In shopping for strollers, the ones that take city streets and uneven sidewalks the best have air filled tires. I imagine that is the same for shopping carts, so look for big air tires instead of little hard ones. Might be more maintenance but he'll of a lot quieter and easier to roll over bumps and holes.
posted by rmless at 8:35 PM on April 12, 2015
posted by rmless at 8:35 PM on April 12, 2015
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by aspo at 10:32 AM on April 12, 2015