We Wheeled Our Kid and Pets Around in Wonderfold’s Wagons
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I live in one of the fastest-growing suburbs of Pittsburgh, and this summer I noticed more than a few parents pushing large wagonlike strollers around town — all from the same brand, WonderFold, which is based in California. I spotted them in our neighborhood and at our town square market three Fridays in a row, and they were always carrying at least two kids. The roomy size and overhead covering makes them hard to miss, and I started to wonder if these were the new status symbol of suburbia. Then I looked into the brand and discovered that not only is it known for its multi-passenger wagons, it is known for itspetstrollers, the largest of which can hold a dog (or multiple smaller dogs) up to 180 pounds.
Meanwhile, my colleague and Strategist stroller expert Liza Corsillo had also noticed Wonderfold stroller wagons popping up on social media. We knew we needed to investigate both kinds of Wonderfolds to see how they worked for rolling around our respective dogs and kid. To find out if the strollers are actually worth the hype, Corsillo set out to test a wagon for her 3.5-year-old son (and his friends), and I tried the pet version with my two dogs. We pushed the wagons around Brooklyn and Cranberry Township, testing their handling and suspension on bumpy intersections, uneven sidewalks, and around tight city corners.
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Wonderfold stroller wagon is very useful and pleasing to push — as long as you have the space for it
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As my son gets older and bigger, I have been gearing up for the eventual transition from pushing him around in a stroller to pushing him around in a stroller wagon. I live in Brooklyn and don’t have a car, so a wagon is a practical solution for lugging both my kid and his stuff to and from Prospect Park and our neighborhood playgrounds. While he is capable of walking, scooting, or biking these distances, he is often too tired and cranky to make it home after playing all afternoon. Plus a two-seater wagon makes playdates much more fun, and he loves sitting across from his friends as a grown-up pushes. I have tested a good amount of stroller wagons, including several from Radio Flyer, theVeer Cruiser wagon, and theMunchkin Ultra-Lite wagon. But I’ve always been curious about Wonderfold wagons with their rugged tires, overhead canopies, and open-able side panel. Then this spring, I started to notice a flurry of parents posting videos on social media about theWonderfold infant hack: a way to clip one of thewagon seatsto the handlebars and recline it to an angled position for a harnessed parent-facing baby seat. While watching these videos, I was struck by how luxurious the wagons looked. I wasn’t seeing a ton of Wonderfold wagons in Brooklyn, though, and I assumed that’s because New York City families live in smaller spaces and don’t often have a garage to store such a large wagon. That said, I wanted to see for myself if the convenience of a Wonderfold wagon is worth the bulk and the space it takes up.
For context, I live in a large apartment building with stroller parking in the basement, where I planned to store the Wonderfold when I wasn’t using it. There is also a good amount of open space down there, which is where I ended up assembling the wagon. I chose to test the L Series wagon, which is the newest version, and I got it in the two-seater size, so each seat has one harness and kids sit across from each other. The assembly was not easy, but it wasn’t impossible to do alone, and from start to finish it took me about an hour and a half to put the whole thing together and learn how to fold it. The frame of the L Series is made of aluminum, which gave me the impression that it would be light, but the wagon with all of the parts attached is 48.61 pounds, heavier than any stroller I have tested before. This made putting it together quite the workout, but once I was ready to start pushing it, I barely noticed the weight. It has an exceptionally smooth push and handles tight turns effortlessly thanks to its big cushy wheels, the front of which swivel 360 degrees or can be locked in place.
My son loves riding in the wagon and often asks to go out in it. I love that I can take him out on long walks in the summer and not worry about the sun the way I do when he’s in a stroller or another wagon with smaller canopies on each end. It’s truly like a little covered wagon and is so comfortable and smooth that the first time I tested it out with him in it, he took a two-hour nap sprawled out across the floor of the wagon; both seats can be removed or the bottoms can be folded up to create more open space. Then when he woke up, we parked by a local café and opened the side panel so he could sit under the canopy with his feet out while drinking a smoothie. I can also sit in the shade on it when the side panel is open, something that would come in handy at soccer games or park picnics. I also love all the extra storage; it has pockets on both sides and on the front, plus it has a rear storage basket that can hold a six-pack of seltzer, a thin picnic blanket, sunscreen, my wallet and keys, and a handful of outdoor toys. And with both seats removed, it works well as a general hauler cart. I used it that way to bring two full suitcases, two boxes of books, and a duffel bag to our storage unit about a mile down the road from my building. It was the most pleasant schlep of my life, and I used the included cup holder to stay hydrated as I pushed.
My only real complaint is that it is very bulky, even when it’s folded, and that because of its bulk, I feel somewhat self-conscious pushing it down the sidewalk in certain parts of Brooklyn, as it’s as big if not bigger than some of the day-care wagons I have seen carrying multiple kids. I don’t think I would feel that way pushing it down the street in the suburbs, though, where I have seen families using Wonderfold wagons more often. And if I had more than one kid, I would be even more apt to forgo my pride and make it a part of my daily routine. The price is high — $100 more than the Veer Cruiser — but I definitely think it’s worth what you pay considering how nice it is to push, how comfortable it is, how solidly built, and how many years you can use it for multiple children.
—Liza Corsillo, senior writer
The Wonderfold Max is the largest pet stroller we’ve ever tested — but it still maneuvers impressively
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At a glance, the pet stroller has much higher sides than the kid stroller and lacks the canopy cover. Putting it together was relatively easy since it doesn’t require any tools. With enough elbow grease, I was able to set it up by myself — it took some effort to pull the frame open and push the baseboard flat, but overall it was manageable. Once I’d popped on the wheels and the rear brake bar was in place, it was ready to go. At 46 inches wide with the wheels on, the Max Pet Stroller is certainly, well, max. When empty, it weighs around 35 pounds total. It’s one of the largest pet strollers I’ve ever seen. It can accommodate larger pets (or a few smaller dogs) of up to 180 pounds, which means it could work for my family’s Great Dane, Benny, or my two dogs — Ringo, a 50-pound basset hound, and Georgie, a 40-pound basset hound mix — plus another small dog.
At first, Ringo and Georgie were slightly spooked by the considerable size of their puppy prairie wagon. The all-black color does make it look a bit ominous. The Max Pet Stroller has a zippered front entrance that doubles as a ramp, and while my dogs were hesitant to use it at first, I eventually led them up into the cabin with their favorite treats. Despite their longer bodies, the dogs fit well together and could sit or lie down comfortably. Inside, built-in pet-harness latches line the interior sides, and thefaux-leather handlebar is adjustable. When it was time to take Ringo and Georgie for a spin, I could easily push them around the bike paths in our neighborhood, even on especially hilly terrain. When I’d park the stroller near a bench, they both could see out through the mesh sides, and even if their short basset hound legs made it difficult to look out from the top of the stroller, it gave me peace of mind that they weren’t necessarily tempted to jump out.
The Max Pet Stroller has a mesh top that can be zipped closed, with an optional window, plus a woven mesh offers lower visibility if your pet is overwhelmed by their surroundings or wants to take a snooze. There’s a front ramp entrance and a removable top bar for dogs entering the stroller that are taller. Similar to my colleague Liza Corsillo, I was a big fan of the deep storage pockets located at the front and back, which work great for storing dog treats, collapsible water bowls, my phone and wallet, and plenty more. I do wish it had an open-air canopy option, where my pets were protected from the sun but could still see outside — that’s maybe the only major drawback compared to other pet strollers on the market.
For how large this stroller is, I was impressed by its maneuverability: It can handle uneven terrain like cracks, grass, and gravel. Despite its hefty size, I was able to place it into the trunk of our crossover SUV, and when we recently drove from Minnesota to Pennsylvania, the WonderFold folded up nicely to stow in our U-Haul (there’s even a latch to keep it folded). As Liza mentioned, while they are expensive, the price of WonderFold strollers certainly seems worth it; and at $349, the Max Pet Stroller actually isn’t as expensive as theTavo Maeve carrier and Roscoe Trek strollerI’ve tested, which start at $675. If your goal is to cart around multiple pets (or, say, one very heavy Great Dane that you’re unable to carry), the Max Pet Stroller is a solid option.
—Brenley Goertzen, writer
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