That said, the weight is what makes the cart so sturdy, able to carry an impressive amount across long distances without straining you or the cart itself. A fair warning: The Mac Sports cart is heavy the metal frame weighs about 22 pounds and can be a little unwieldy (even when folded up) for some people. If you want a cart that moves well across parking lots and decently across sand, you may like the Mac Sports Extra Deep XL Wagon with rubber treads. That said, the plastic wheels aren’t great in very loose sand and have poor traction across cement-think of a kid’s plastic big wheel bike skidding around on a sidewalk. The 3-inch plastic wheels are wide enough to displace and roll across most beaches and dirt trails.
The best beach carts should move well across most types of sand, be sturdy enough to carry a full cooler and other beach supplies, and ideally fold up so they can fit in the trunk of your car or bed of a pickup. And, unlike many models, the 8-foot-wide Sport-Brella (which is a foot wider than most others) doesn’t have a valence, so you’re spared the annoying sound of fabric flapping in the wind. The main canopy is vented, and the windows on the sides zip open to help during especially fierce gusts. From anchor to ribs, the other umbrellas we tested were covered in cheap plastic bits that looked like they could snap or crack easily, but the Sport-Brella has only two plastic parts, and they’re dense and sturdy.
With its three ground contacts and a lower center of gravity than our lofty umbrellas, the Sport-Brella stood firmly anchored during our testing in coastal winds, when traditional umbrellas shifted and buckled. Although the difference in design isn’t too dramatic-part of the canopy rests on the sand instead of staying hoisted above you-the difference in performance is significant. If you want to spend less than $100, the Sport-Brella offers an improvement over traditional models in every detail.