Founded in 2017, Trail Outdoor Leisure (I’ll be referring to it as Trail henceforth) is a relative newcomer on the British camping gear scene. It’s a brand that creates quality yet affordable camping gear, from family tents and windbreaks, to campsite kitchens and coolers.
Folding camping and beach trolleys have been growing in popularity in recent years. Highly useful for park days, family vacations, festivals, beach and camping trips, they’re basically a great way to move large amounts of stuff over medium to long-distances, letting the wheels do the work on sometimes challenging terrain. That agonizing trudge from the car park to the tent at a festival just got a whole lot easier. The sweaty walk from the van to the sun loungers on the beach just became a breeze. Best of all, kids love being pulled along too.
First impressions
List price: £69.99 (UK) from Trail.co.uk
Weight: 24lb 4oz / 11kg
Pack size: 30 x 12.5 x 8in / 77 x 32 x 20cm
Assembled size: 39 x 19.5 x 21.5in / 100 x 50 x 55cm
Weight capacity: 176lb 6oz / 80kg
Compatibility: Car camping, festivals, beach trips
One of the key features of these kinds of trolleys are the way they fold down, making them easy to slot into the car for trips away. When compacted, the Camping Trolley measures just 30 x 12.5 x 8in (77 x 32 x 20cm) and is long and impressively thin. It looks neat and tidy when packed away in its carry case, its four wheels poking out below the unit. Draw a couple of eyes on it and it could almost pass for a Star Wars droid in this form.
Having peeled away the Velcro straps and liberated the unit, I was impressed at how quickly and easily the trolley unfolds and takes shape. It feels reassuringly sturdy and moves relatively smoothly too. I immediately like some of the subtler touches, such as the metal D-rings that can be deployed when securing bulkier items and the design of the D-shaped handle with its ergonomic grooves.
Features
The design of the Camping Trolley is nothing new. These kinds of carts are becoming a mainstay in the camping, festival and beach break worlds. Young parents are cottoning on to how useful they can be and every summer more and more are appearing. They all feature a clever folding frame that supports a rectangular fabric bucket when folded out.
This bucket is made from a highly durable 600-denier polyester that feels reassuringly rugged to the touch. It’s detachable and is affixed to the frame via four chunky screws, one in each corner, as well as by four Velcro sleeves. The frame is forged from steel that’s powder-coated to protect against rust and wear.
There’s a separate hard-backed, foldable base, which slots into the carry bag when not in use and forms the foundation of the bucket. When it was time to pack out, all I had to do was remove the base and pull the tab in the centre of the bucket. This pulls the whole thing upwards, folding the frame inwards like a concertina. Very clever.
At one end of the cart is an ergonomic, D-shaped handle on the end of a telescopic, 31in (79cm) pole. This is used to pull and steer the trolley when extended and the pole can be shortened to 20in (50cm) when it’s time to pack the unit away.
The trolley is front-wheel drive, meaning the two wheels by the handle are free to swivel, while the back wheels are fixed in place. The wheels themselves are made from polypropylene and are 1.5in (3.5cm) wide. A diamond-shaped tread pattern provides the grip. Both the front wheels can be locked via supermarket trolley style pedals – should you ever need to pause on a particularly steep incline.
A nice touch is the inclusion of four metal D-rings, two on either side of the bucket. This enables the user to strap bulkier cargo into place using cord when pulling over uneven terrain or for longer distances. They could also be used for attaching small items, though the rings aren’t the most rugged. Think large shoelace D-rings rather than carabiners.
It weighs a not inconsiderable 24lb 4oz (11kg), so it’s a heavy addition to your camping canon. However, when you consider the effort that having it along for the ride will save, it’s worth loading the extra weight into the car. When assembled, it can carry 176lb 6oz (80kg) of gear, which isn’t as much as some options on the market but it’ll do most jobs just fine. Just don’t have one too many beers and then decide to jump in with another friend for a midnight joyride around the campsite, as you’ll undoubtedly be over the limit. However, it’s always fun pulling the kids around and it’ll easily fit and cope with the weight of three pre-schoolers.
Last but not least, the water-resistant carry bag is nicely designed too. When the trolley is folded down, it would be quite challenging to fit the bag over the frame, as it's quite a snug fit. Fortunately, Trail has made this process easy by including a zipper down one end of the bag, which enabled me to open it up when sliding it onto the frame. All I had to do then was tighten it back up once everything was in place. The bag is then secured to the frame using two Velcro straps that slot through D-rings at the bottom of the frame. Finally, the foldable base slots into a dedicated pocket on the carry bag. The tension in the whole system means that everything is held together nice and tight. Carry handles on the top and side give the option of carrying the unit upright or horizontally.
On the beach and in camp
I’ve been testing the Camping Trolley during a beach break to Pembrokeshire Coast National Park and a camping trip to Eryri (Snowdonia) National Park. It made life easier on many occasions and my 3-year-old daughter loved jumping in and getting wheeled around at any opportunity. It took up very little space in the car too.
The campsite was where it truly excelled, making the pitching process less effort and much quicker. Its bucket is big enough to take a packed down family tent and several other items at the same time. Even when fully loaded, it was easy to steer and pull across fairly rough terrain.
On the beach, the width and design of the Camping Trolley’s wheels let it down a little, making moving it across dry sand trickier than with some models. The wheels just aren’t wide enough, nor is the tread deep enough, to excel on this kind of terrain. If you’re looking for a beach trolley, you’re much better off going for the all-terrain wheels on Trail’s Folding Beach Trolley. Nevertheless, it was still a useful tool for getting all of the kit from the car park to the edge of the sand – this can often be quite a long walk, especially at more secluded beaches.
After a full summer of use, I’m pleased to say that I’ve had no issues with durability – everything still works as it should. I’ve been hauling some heavy loads, running around the campsite with my 3-year-old child in the back and pulling it across varied terrain. As mentioned, it was only on the beach that I found its design wanting.
So, if you’re after an affordable trolley for general use, or camping trips, this is a good option. For beach goers, invest in a dedicated beach trolley with specialized wheels instead.
