The wagon that replaces the stroller, priced across every store we can find
Somewhere around the second child, families discover the wagon. It carries kids, snacks, a cooler and a sand toy collection, it folds into a trunk, and the children like it more than a stroller. The category runs from a hundred dollars to six hundred, and the price of the same wagon varies between stores more than almost anything else we track.
This page is also our clearest example of why we do this: the Delta wagon below has been on sale at a sporting goods store and, on the same day, cheaper still at a big box across the street.
The everyday wagon
Radio Flyer's 3-in-1 folds flat, converts from two seats to a flatbed, and has a canopy. It is the wagon for zoo days and soccer sidelines. It is not a stroller replacement for infants and the wheels are for pavement. At its price it is the sensible buy for most families.
The stroller-wagon middle
Delta Hercules WagonDelta$199.99 $249.99
Delta's Hercules is the step up: bigger wheels, a proper push handle, seat belts, and a canopy that actually shades. It is heavy, which is the price of the stability. It is the one I'd buy for a family that walks to the park more than they drive to it.
Delta Children Hercules Stroller Wagon
2 stores · read Sep 12Look at those rows. This is the wagon we caught twenty dollars cheaper at one store than another on the same morning, with the same colour and model. If you are buying this one, the store matters.
The one for beach weeks
Delta Children Jeep WagonDelta Children$249.99 $299.99
The Jeep-branded version adds fatter tyres and a stiffer frame for sand and grass. If your summers are beach summers, it is worth the extra over the Hercules. If they aren't, it isn't.
The luxury answer
Wonderfold Wagon W2 Elite Double Stroller Wagon
4 stores · read Sep 12Wonderfold's W2 is the wagon that costs as much as a stroller and is built like one: adjustable seats, a canopy system, and a fold that a tired parent can do one-handed. It is the best wagon on this page and it is too much wagon for most people. If you will use it daily for four years, the maths works.
When to buy
Wagons are a spring item, and the deepest discounts land in March and April when stores set up for summer. In September you will find last year's colours cleared at good prices, which is what the sporting goods stores are doing right now. The rows above are read every morning.