By Lou Milano
There are so many new tech innovations that I find pointless or wasteful, but this is not one of them.
For too many years now, I've been treated like a pack mule by my family and I've had it. When I was a young man, my Dad stopped carrying things and turned that responsibility over to me. Now, my boys are getting to the age when I should turn it over to them but no one listens to me. I've been carrying the heaviest things my family owns my entire life.
My Mom, Dad, sisters, children, aunts and uncles load me up and watch me haul, sweat, drop things, struggle, swear, and they wonder why I don't want to go anywhere. I especially loathe the beach. Let me rephrase, I love the beach but cannot enjoy it because I'm the one who has to carry ten chairs, four bags, two coolers, a tent, an umbrella and a bag of toys.
We needed an innovation that dealt with this problem, like 40 years ago, and now it's here. I have no emotional attachment to this particular company, I just chose one of the many companies that makes these electric powered wagons. The one below is called the E-Beach Wagon.
Image courtesy of e-Beach Wagon
These things are perfect for navigating your average beach, but especially for the rocky shores of the Long Island Sound in Connecticut. Check out some of these specs:
⚡ Powder-coated aluminum frame and railings
⚡ 12" low-pressure polyurethane balloon tires
⚡ Two 12-volt sealed lead-acid batteries
⚡ Key on & off switch with ignition cover and a set of 2 keys
⚡ Wagon charging port with wall charger
⚡ 2 USB charging ports
⚡ Forward / reverse / neutral switch
⚡ Neutral switch for manual pulling
⚡ Weather-resistant enclosed electrical and mechanical compartment
⚡ Removable tall side railings (slats are weather-resistant paulownia wood)
⚡ 8 built-in pole holders to mount flags, umbrellas, or fishing rods
⚡ Removable plastic wagon bed
⚡ Detachable handlebar for easy storage and transportation
Now, here comes the problem for me, this thing retails for $2,399. I looked around and there are other similar products from companies like Sandhopper. Their products also sell in about that price range (thousands of dollars).
I'm not bagging on these companies, it probably costs a pretty-penny to make these and they have to worry about their profit margins. But, I need to be realistic for my situation, this is not a justifiable purchase for me.
Amazon also has some electric wagons in the $600-$900 range that I can't afford either. Then, I was able to find some that aren't electric powered but give me more leverage like the Go Plus below which is listed on Amazon for $199.
Image courtesy of Go Plus/Amazon
The moral of the story is this, unless you're me, there is a way out from carrying things until it kills you.
P.S. I've decided I'm just going to make my own but if I have to go to all that trouble, I'm going to really amp things up. Mine will have 4 seats, roll cage, bulletproof glass paneling, semi-automatic water gun, tray of Viagra and the turning radius of a forklift. As for the aesthetic, I think this looks right.
Image courtesy of Getty Images