Is a Beach Cart The Same as a Paddleboard Cart

Beaches during the summer months become a carnival of carts. Among these, the two most popular kinds you see around you are the beach cart and the paddleboard cart.

However, they are not the same. There are subtle differences between the two and you need to be picky for an exhilarating beach adventure. Your choice must suit your beach needs best and for that, it has to fulfil certain criteria. Let’s dive in!

Why Carry Your Items in a Cart?

Hauling everything we need on the beach is not an easy task. Carrying the towels, mats, sunscreen, beach chairs, snacks, and—if you’re an avid water sports fan—your paddleboard all by hand can be tiring and downright frustrating, especially when the sand is hot, or you’re trekking across a long stretch.

A beach cart or a paddleboard cart is an easy solution to the problem. These handy contraptions are designed to make transporting your gear a breeze, but they serve slightly different purposes. If you’re trying to figure out which one is right for you, let’s break them down a bit further.

What Exactly is a Beach Cart Meant for?

It might seem like these carts are interchangeable but are not so. A beach cart is a general-purpose cart to carry everything you’ll need to spend a day at the beach. It’s great for holding chairs, umbrellas, coolers, towels, and many other beach essentials.

On the other hand, a paddleboard cart is for more specialized use; designed specifically for transporting paddle boards, kayaks, or any other large water sports equipment.

A paddleboard cart is a subset of beach carts designed specifically for carrying paddle boards or similar other water sports equipment. A beach cart primarily carries all the gear you need at the beach. This includes everything from your cooler to your towel and sunscreen; mats to lie down, beach chairs, toy shovels, and buckets if accompanied by kids…the list can be endless. If it’s large and sturdy enough, you can even throw in a surfboard or a paddleboard or two. It removes the hassle of balancing the board on one arm while dragging a cooler with the other.

Whether a beach cart or a paddleboard cart, unless equipped with wide, all-terrain wheels and made from sturdy materials and a strong frame to support them, it won’t manoeuvre well and won’t even last for long.

Three Things You Need to Confirm First About Your Cart

• Make sure the beach or paddleboard cart you choose has enough storage for everything you need. If you want to carry just the paddleboard and the paddles, you should choose a cart that’s been specifically designed for the paddleboard.
• Large, wide wheels resist sinking into soft sand due to the greater surface area they cover. This takes away the struggle of pulling a cart that tips over frequently or repeatedly gets stuck in the sand.
• Choose a cart that’s easy to move with weights on. For this, the handle must be comfortable to grip. 

Choosing the Right Cart Takes Some Serious Consideration

Both beach carts and paddle board carts are designed to make beach-going easier, but in different ways. If you don’t know which one to choose, you might end up with the wrong tool for the job. And that’s the last thing you want on a sunny day by the sea.

Primary Differences Between a Beach Cart and a Paddleboard Cart

From the perspective of purpose and the design, beach carts are designed with versatility in mind to carry a variety of beach gear, from your chairs to your cooler to your beach bag and umbrellas. They are large and spacious, with a broad base and enough room to fit multiple items.

On the flip side, paddleboard carts are more compact and designed specifically for large aquatic equipment like paddleboards, kayaks, and others. They are built to accommodate the weight and the shape of the equipment it will carry and feature a specially designed platform to secure the equipment. A paddleboard cart is lighter in weight and smaller in size for easy manoeuvring through the sand.

Check the wheel design for easy maneuverability. While beach carts will typically feature balloonlike rubber or foam-made wheels, large and wide enough to roll on soft, sandy terrains.

For paddleboard carts, wheels are specifically designed to handle the weight and width of a paddleboard and sometimes, like those you’ll find with Shore and Chore, feature larger, heavy-duty wheels. These are designed to traverse through rough terrains without toppling over. 

Check weight capacity and size before you buy. Beach carts will have a higher weight capacity to carry everything you might need for a full day at the beach. These are large, offer multiple compartments, and helps you to keep your gear organized.

Paddleboard carts are more streamlined and focus mainly on carrying the boards; sometimes with a few additional accessories, just like the Shore and Chore carts do. Their weight capacity is lower than beach carts.

Alongside, both shouldn’t come bulky and you must be able to store them without using a lot of space. Compact and portable are the keywords here. However, if they are something like the carts from Shore and Chore, they will be foldable and/or detachable to fit easily into limited spaces apart from bearing a reasonable price tag.

Choose the Best Cart for Your Purpose

Depending on what you need to carry for your beach activities, go for a beach cart or a paddleboard cart. Either way, they will make your beach day a whole lot easier—and more enjoyable!