Please help me buy a wagon for Christmas

[4Kiddos]

I am thinking about getting a wagon for my kids for Christmas. I really would like a sturdy one and I don't mind spending more if one would be durable since I have six kids and I imagine the wagon will have years of use. Anyway, can anyone share what you have and what you like about it? I want one that is useful for carting kids and stuff around when we go places but also one that will be fun for the kids to play with. I really like the look of the LL Bean XL one but it is so expensive. Does anyone have that one and is it worth the extra money? I would appreciate your help so much!

[EKS]

My older son had a wagon very similar to the LL Bean XL and in many respects it was wonderful.  However, if you end up getting it, be sure to keep it out of the rain.  My son left his wagon out far too often and it was eventually ruined.

[Lanny]

DD had one made by Step2.  She had a number of things made by Step2.  We still have a couple of their things for visiting kids to play on.  Step2 is in Ohio.  DD had a "Big Splash Center" which we still have, but I think they discontinued that item.  Step2 makes rugged stuff.  My wife sold the Step2 Wagon to one of her Nieces, for her DS to use. He loved to play with that when he came to visit.  Sometimes I wish we still had it, to haul things around...

[Rachel]

We have the Radio Flyer all terrain wagon, owned it 10 years now and it still looks new. It goes to swim meets, parades, and used to go on walks. I have the canopy for the top for shade and when my kids were little had a pillow to add some cushioning.

 

It was kind of a pain to get in and out of the back of my Jeep with one person, but doable if you fold the handle under the wagon.

Edited November 3, 2017 by Rach

[Rachel]

I just looked up the LL Bean wagon, that is nice! I like that the sides are removable. It is pricy though. Can you use the % off codes that LL Bean has from time to time?

[Guest]

We got my son a wagon when he was 3; it was similar to the LLBean XL.  It still looks relatively new, after 19 years of medium use.  It needs to be kept in the garage, though. 

 

We used it to haul him around, to haul him and his friends, to be in the July 4 parade, to make a float for the July 4 parade, to haul wood from the driveway to the stacking place, to haul buckets and chairs and wood and windscreens from our beach house to the beach, to haul gardening stuff around.  I still use it.  

 

The inflatable tires are really nice on rougher terrain and the removable sides let you haul bigger-than-the-wagon stuff.  Or make a parade float.  Or leave the back in for a back rest, but take the sides off when you want to make sure something or someone stays in the wagon.  

 

My parents got us a wagon when I was little (about 58 years ago).  It was just a plain metal wagon, and my dad rigged up an insert that could be put in or taken out to create the "sides."  They were still using that little rust bucket for gardening when they sold their house ten years ago.  It was a wonderful wagon for us, and much less expensive.  We used to get in that thing at the top of our driveway and go barreling down the hill and then down the street, steering by the handle.  It was a blast.  (That would probably result in child abuse charges today....bleah.)

 

[Guest]

Now, here is WHY my son got a wagon.

 

One day when he was about three, he was a champion pill one day, and when dh got home, I was telling him ALL about it.  

My finally-cheerful son came around the corner and asked, "Whatchou guys talkin' about?"  

DH:  "We're talking about how we're going to fix your wagon."  

DS:  (top of his lungs) "I WANT A WAGON!!!!!!!"