Review: Elegear 200L Folding Wagon

A capable and affordable trolley tested at the BushMoot

Anyone who has attended a BushMoot will know that moving kit around the site can become a job in itself. Firewood, tools, tarps, shelters, cooking equipment, and batteries all need to be moved from vehicles and storage areas to wherever they are being used.

For this year’s BushMoot, we have been testing the Elegear 200L Heavy Duty Folding Wagon. It is a collapsible trolley designed for camping, festivals, gardening, shopping and general transport duties.

Over these first few days of the event, it has carried firewood, bushcraft tools, tarps, power banks, parachutes and a fair amount of miscellaneous camp equipment. We have also pushed it beyond the sort of use most owners are likely to give it, including loading it with substantial chunks of firewood and pulling it over rough terrain.

Overall, it has proved to be a very useful little trolley.

Specifications

According to the manufacturer, the Elegear wagon offers:

• Capacity adjustable from 100 litres to 200 litres
• Maximum claimed load capacity of 200kg
• 15cm PVC wheels
• 360 degree swivelling front wheels
• Brakes on the front wheels
• Thickened carbon steel frame
• Removable 600D Oxford fabric
• Folding solid base
• Adjustable pulling handle
• Two cup holders
• Side storage pocket
• Approximate dimensions of 69cm wide, 45cm deep and 62cm high

The removable fabric is described as water resistant, wear resistant and machine washable. The sides can also be extended upwards using a mesh section, increasing the carrying volume from around 100 litres to 200 litres.

Setting it up

The trolley folds into a nice compact package and opens without much difficulty. Once unfolded, the hard base panels sit in the bottom and create a flatter, more supportive carrying surface. The wheels can be removed if an even smaller storage footprint is required, although I think it’s unlikely to need to do that regularly.

One feature I am less keen on is the sliding attachment system, where it connects to the main uprights that extend as part of the frame. When the trolley is loaded, everything stays where it should. When you are opening it, folding it or adjusting the body, however, the sliding sections on the extending uprights can pull out of position.

It is not a major failure, but it can leave you faffing around trying to line everything back up. A positive locking mechanism, or something that prevented the sections from sliding out completely, would improve the design.

Carrying capacity

The Elegear has a good amount of usable space even without raising the mesh sides, although it is a slightly smaller trolley than some, which does mean things like camping chairs hang over the end, but that’s not a big deal.

For much of our testing, we left it in its normal configuration. Most of what we were moving was fairly heavy, solid kit rather than lightweight, bulky equipment.

The raised mesh sides double the quoted volume to 200 litres, but I think they are best suited to things such as sleeping bags, clothing, soft kit, balls, blankets or other lighter items that need containing. I would not rely on the mesh extension to support heavy logs or dense equipment above the main fabric body.

Used sensibly, though, the extra height makes the wagon considerably more versatile.

The manufacturer claims a load capacity of up to 200kg. That is an impressive figure, although maximum load ratings should always be treated with some caution. The way weight is distributed matters just as much as the total weight.

A flat, evenly spread load is very different from dropping a heavy log onto one small section of the base.

The folding floor

The hard folding bottom is one of the trolley’s more useful features. It stops smaller objects disappearing into a sagging fabric floor and provides a stable platform for wood, tools, batteries and general kit.

We did manage to break one of the slats while carrying a large log for the fire. The log concentrated a considerable amount of weight onto one small area rather than spreading it across the floor, so perfectly understandable.

That is worth mentioning, but it also needs some context. We were using the wagon well beyond what I would consider normal recreational use. Considering some of the logs and other loads we put into it, I was surprised the floor held up as well as it did.

The lesson is not necessarily that the base is weak. It is that you shouldn’t  put heavy point loads directly onto one slat.

Wheels and handling

Several people at the BushMoot commented that the wheels looked rather small.

They are smaller than those fitted to say, the Gregory Alpaca Gear Wagon that we have reviewed previously. Despite that, the Elegear has rolled well around the site.

Conditions during our testing were very dry, so much of the ground was firm and hard. The wagon handled tracks, woodland ground, exposed roots and smaller obstacles without giving us any notable trouble. It also pulled smoothly when carrying a heavy load.

The front wheels swivel through 360 degrees, which gives it good manoeuvrability when moving around camp or changing direction in a confined area and there is little resistance, so the trolley remains easy to pull over reasonable distances.

I would still expect the smaller wheels to have limitations in deep mud, soft sand or particularly rough ground. Larger and wider wheels normally travel over soft surfaces better and are less likely to drop into holes.

For campsites, festivals, gardens, tracks and general woodland use, however, the wheels have performed better than their size might suggest.

Handle and brakes

The adjustable handle is comfortable enough to use and gives reasonable control over the wagon.

The brakes also work well. They are particularly useful when loading the trolley, when leaving it on a slight slope, or when stopping it from wandering around camp while equipment is being removed.

It sounds like a minor feature, but a dependable brake makes a loaded trolley much easier and safer to manage.

The handle settles into an upright position rather than falling onto the floor. This is a surprisingly helpful feature; it’s not much effort to bend down and pick it up, but it is noticeable when you don’t need to!

Elegear versus the Gregory Alpaca Gear Wagon

The obvious comparison for us is the Gregory Alpaca Gear Wagon, which is the most recent trolley we’ve reviewed.

The Gregory feels more robust, has larger wheels and is backed by Gregory’s lifetime guarantee. It is the trolley I would be more confident choosing for frequent hard use, rougher ground and heavier loads over a long period.

It is also considerably more expensive.

It is an unfair comparison, The Elegear is not really trying to be the same product. It offers a good carrying capacity and practical usefulness for substantially less money.

For someone attending a few camps, festivals or family events each year, the Elegear may represent the more sensible purchase. The Gregory is the stronger premium option, but not everyone needs or can justify that level of investment.

The Elegear gives you much of the everyday usefulness of a folding wagon without the premium price.

What we liked

• Good carrying capacity
• Expandable mesh sides for bulky lightweight kit
• Useful folding solid floor
• Rolls smoothly over firm campsite and woodland ground
• Handles roots and smaller obstacles well
• Effective wheel brakes
• Manoeuvrable front wheels
• Folds small for transport and storage
• Removable, washable fabric
• Useful side pockets and cup holders
• Considerably more affordable than premium alternatives

What could be improved, there’s not a lot.

• The sliding body attachments can come out while the wagon is being adjusted
• It would be nice to be able to replace the blroken floor slat.
• The wheels are smaller than those on some other wagons
• Soft mud and very loose ground are likely to show the limitations of those smaller wheels

Verdict

The Elegear 200L Heavy Duty Folding Wagon has performed well at the BushMoot.

It carries a useful amount of equipment, rolls nicely over firm and uneven ground, manoeuvres well and has brakes that genuinely do their job. The expandable sides give it plenty of additional volume when carrying lighter, bulkier gear.

There are a few areas that could be improved. The sliding attachments can be irritating when setting it up, and the folding floor needs to be treated sensibly when carrying heavy or awkwardly shaped objects.

We broke one of the floor slats, but that’s on us abusing the trolley. It says something positive about the wagon that it survived the rest of the testing and continued to be useful despite the abuse we gave it.

Taken on its own terms, the Elegear is a capable, practical and affordable folding trolley. For campsites, festivals, family days out, gardening and moving general outdoor equipment, it offers good value and has earned its place as a useful bit of BushMoot kit.

Overall assessment: Recommended, provided heavy loads are distributed sensibly across the floor!

Where to buy

The Elegear 200L Heavy Duty Folding Wagon is available through Amazon UK

The trolley reviewed was supplied for evaluation. As always, this has not affected our findings or the conclusions of the review.