Small car, lots of gear - are there heavy-duty foldable carts?

May 21, 2013 2:12 PM

I'll be attending an outdoor music festival this summer, in which we'll be parking our cars a good distance from where we will set up our tents for camping. I'll need some kind of wheeled cart for transporting our bags, tents, etc., but which could fold up (or easily disassemble) and fit into my car, and I'm not sure what would work well. Looking for your ideas, or things that have worked well for you in the past.

My car (subaru impreza sedan) has a decent sized-trunk, and I can put the back seats down to accomodate longer items. So for example, a two-wheeler would fit, but that doesn't seem like it would be good for the size and quantity of stuff that we'll have. (or would it?)

You can buy foldable carts, but they're more for indoor/office use, so that's not a good option.

My kids have a Little Tykes wagon I could use, but that would be too small. And embarassing - my children won't be with me. : ) I'm thinking that a decent-sized cart would have wheels that are about a yard/meter apart.

Are there other existing cart variations that I'm not thinking of? All the better if it's something can I can buy cheaply off of Craigslist!

One idea I have, is to build a simple wooden cart with 4 wheels that would have hinges and could be folded in half for transport, but would "lock" open when needed. Perhaps the wheels could be made to be removed easily, too. The advantage here is that I could customize the dimensions so that it is large-ish, but still fits into my car. But, is this even realistic, functionally speaking? Do you have any design/material suggestions if I go this route?

What have YOU used in the past, that has worked, in a similar situation? (And, for that matter, what HASN'T worked for you in the past?)

Please share your stories and ideas. Thanks!

posted by see_change to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (19 answers total)

Hand carts/two-wheelers/dollies usually disassemble into packable parts. If you have to traverse rough ground I don't know how well they'd work though unless you got one with big air-filled tires. I'd go with a wagon, then you can sit on it or use it for a table when you get to your spot.
posted by thylacine at 2:24 PM on May 21, 2013

I am happy with my RocknRoller R12. I would not recommend any other model as I think the wheels on the other models are too small to be useful except in a land of gentle ramps and flat surfaces. The large casters do make use as a hand truck a little obnoxious, but for general all around usefulness, I am happy with it.
posted by fief at 2:27 PM on May 21, 2013

We have a couple of these at work and they seem to be durable and fold into a nice compact package.
posted by Confess, Fletch at 2:31 PM on May 21, 2013

Bigger wheels are better over rough ground. Kid's bike wheels would work great.

A design like this would not be too hard to do. Here's some plans for a wood version. Welded/brazed tube would be even better & lighter, if you have the capability.
posted by bonehead at 2:33 PM on May 21, 2013

A folding wheelbarrow might also do the trick.
posted by bonehead at 2:34 PM on May 21, 2013

This sounds like what you are looking for.
posted by MrMoonPie at 2:44 PM on May 21, 2013

hand trolley + bungee cord.

Also, a couple of big backpacks should come in handy.
posted by sockpuppetdirect at 2:46 PM on May 21, 2013

Wheelbarrows are the festival goers vehicle of choice. It ought to fit in your sedan, if it is put in first with your other stuff packed around it. They are designed specifically for one person to transport heavy loads over rough ground. They are so good that it's worth fitting a roof rack to transport it. I have seen many other vehicles fall apart during the haul, a barrow never fails. Treat yourself to a new one and give it a psychedelic paint job to get you in the party mood. Combined with a canvas it provides a fine storage unit at camp.
posted by BenPens at 2:46 PM on May 21, 2013

We have one of these and it is useful for trucking supplies around the house. Folds up nicely when not in use: wheels and arms fold into the frame, so that it can be packed flat.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 2:53 PM on May 21, 2013

I suggest a utility sled, rather than a cart. No wheels or moving parts, no folding, weighs next to nothing and traverses uneven ground easily. I use one to move firewood around. Just put it in the car and pile stuff in/on top of it

Edited to add a bigger option: sport sled.
posted by jon1270 at 3:04 PM on May 21, 2013

Dock Cart! Sort of like a wheelbarrow, but with two wheels instead of one, and purposely meant to hold gear, not dirt.
posted by mercredi at 3:12 PM on May 21, 2013

So the cart linked above it the one I've always seen used at actual docks, but there is this folding one, too. (I've never seen that one in person.)
posted by mercredi at 3:18 PM on May 21, 2013

It doesn't disassemble but I used a Coleman cooler with wheels the last time I went to a music fest. I was able to attach a bunch of extra supplies to the top of it with bungee cords. Plus, you're going to need a cooler anyway.
posted by Diskeater at 3:18 PM on May 21, 2013

Get that tipke folding car mentioned above in mercredis post.

All the better if it's something can I can buy cheaply off of Craigslist!

I own that exact one, bought it used having already been beat to hell, and have beat it to hell. I did not pay $234 for it. It either came from craigslist or a garage sale, and was about $50

I've hauled a large PA system, all the cabling, DJ gear, etc across town in one. I've hauled furniture, tools, all kinds of large equipment. I once loaded it up with a bunch of beer and heavy stuff, a beanbag chair on top of that AND a fairly large drunk guy and had 0 issues. My mom has taken it on trips and used it to haul large stuff at events as well

I still have it years later, and it still works great.

I've owned many Carts like the one confess linked, and i think briefly one like MrMoonPie linked. They were all crap.

If you can't find one and it becomes crunchtime, the only other options i'd consider would be a wheelbarrow or regular dock cart on the roof...

or a home made dock cart type vehicle using 2x4s, plywood, some garden cart wheels from your local large hardware store, and some of these types of brackets for the edges to stick some short stakes in. Want a low-labor version? just get a bike trailer on craigslist for $20-40, rip the canopy off, and mount plywood to the wonderful metal undercarriage you've just uncovered with this stuff and screws.(several people i've seen and met did that mod, and now use it to haul everything from thrift store finds to lawnmowers behind their bikes. But they'd also be great for walking things on foot)

Personally, i'd look for one of those tipke "fold-it" carts, then skip straight to the bike trailer modding part. But that's just me.
posted by emptythought at 3:44 PM on May 21, 2013

Beach cart. I used mine to carry groceries and it came in handy when I moved, too - it'll hold up to 100 pounds and while it's not small, it does fold down nicely.

actually, if you give your location, I'd loan it to you if you're close to me.
posted by lemniskate at 3:53 PM on May 21, 2013

Response by poster: Wow, you people are wonderful. Great ideas here, and I need to put some thought into it, but now I feel I have options. Thank you!!
posted by see_change at 5:17 PM on May 21, 2013

i watched someone access a campsite just using a rolling trashcan packed full of stuff. they took fewer trips than us and the raccoons couldn't eat their food!
posted by nanhey at 7:42 PM on May 21, 2013

I'm thinking that a decent-sized cart would have wheels that are about a yard/meter apart

Something that wide is going to be difficult to haul through a crowd of people, if that's your situation.
posted by yohko at 3:01 PM on May 22, 2013

This one also looks awesome. The Northern Industrial Yard Cart. Or maybe the largest yet, the large garden supply cart.
posted by mercredi at 4:17 PM on May 22, 2013