Celebrate 'National Get Outdoors Day' in one of these great wagons for tots

June 12, 12:23 PMEarly Childhood Parenting ExaminerAngele Sionna

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I took to the streets, putting the best wagons to the test

Tomorrow - June 13, 2009 - is National Get Outdoors Day! Celebrate in style with the family happily in tow in a shiny new red (or green or blue) wagon!

They're a classic kid item that even our grandparents enjoyed. I often wondered "why get a wagon" for my kids... until I got a wagon. Now I see the big draw.

These are a fun way to cart around bigger kids (think a year or so and up). Wagons beat double strollers (of which I have two) because tots think wagons are rides. And they're oh so much fun! Plus, they're going to take you through lots of growing up.

I put wagons to the test in lots of test drives! We went around the block, on walks, to the park, in the car, to the post office, up hills, "off roading" on dirt paths, even took them through turning radius, reversing up the driveway tests and the tall daddy test.

The top three are: Radio Flyer's Pathfinder Wagon, Step 2's Wagon for Two Plus, and TriGen Group's Fold It & Go Portable Wagon.

These are not your grandma's little red wagons. They've all been upgraded for safety and convenience.

Radio Flyer's Patherfinder Wagon

The modern little red wagon, aka Radio Flyer's Pathfinder Wagon, came out best of the bests after all of the tests. I guess after 90 years of making wagons, Radio Flyer knows a thing or two about how to do it right.

Their Pathfinder wagon has the longest handle, tallest seat backs, three-point seat belts and a nice smooth ride. The handle folds under the wagon body to make it easy to store or for throwing in the back of the SUV or car trunk. The seats also fold down flat, so you can use it as a hauler for toys or whatever too. Added bonus - four cup holders. That means mom and dad can put their water bottle in the wagon on a walk too.

The Pathfinder is Radio Flyer's basic plastic wagon. It runs about $80 at most stores.

You can add a clip on umbrella or you can upgrade to one with a canopy if you're looking for some shade. You can even still get classic metal wagons, even all terrain wagons if you'd rather. You can find out more about all the Radio Flyer wagons, including more safety features at RadioFlyer.com.

TriGen Group's Fold It & Go Portable Wagon

TriGen Group's Fold It & Go Portable Wagon is truly unique. It comes in a duffel and folds up for easy storage or travel. It's not a small duffel by any means, but it does fold the smallest of any of the wagons and smalled than a double stroller.

It comes in several colors, its very easy to set up and you don't have to put anything together. There's a video at TriGenGroup.com that shows you how to open and close it. This was definitely the best wagon for going on a walk and getting picked up by my husband when we met at the park. It just took a minute literally to take off the canopy, fold it up and throw it in the back.

I love that the four cup holders/pockets are on the outside so I could store my keys and a drink without my little helpers getting into my stuff. But they still could easily reach their drinks. It's also higher off the ground than the other wagons and seems like a princess carriage!

The big downside to the Fold & Go - no seat belts and is the most expensive of the bunch at $160-$180 depending where you buy it.

Find out more at TriGenGroup.com.

Step 2's Wagon For Two Plus

Very similar to the Radio Flyer is the Step 2 Wagon for Two Plus. The pluses, it has three-point seat belts and a door toddlers can open and close themselves (though I worried about little fingers getting pinched in the handle). But the door is exclusive to the Step 2 wagon and my toddler loved being able to open the door and close it to get in. Another exclusive feature, one of the seats lifts up to store keys, snacks and diaps. It's not a giant storage container but it's a nice feature and holds all you really need to have on a walk.

The handle is shorter than the Radio Flyer, but so is the body. The turning radius is also smaller, so it corners the best of the three. But that short handle makes it harder for taller parents. There are only two cup holders in this wagon.

The Step 2 Wagon for Two Plus runs about $70, making it the cheapest of the best wagons. You can add a little trailer for hauling extra stuff (and maybe a third child, but I didn't try that so I couldn't say for sure if it's approved for hauling a third kiddo). You can also upgrade to a canopy wagon as well.

Get more info on all of the Step2 wagons and accessories at Step2.com.