If you find yourself struggling to bring all your gear from your vehicle to the water, you probably need a fishing cart.
Designed around the needs of anglers, a good fishing cart can bear the burden of a full cooler, a few chairs, and all your tackle and bait. Ideal for anglers who fish from the surf or a pier, these game-changing accessories are absolutely worth a second look.
If you’re not sure where to start, we’re here to help! Below, you’ll find reviews of some of our favorites, as well as a few tips on finding the right model for you.
Quick glance at the best fishing carts:
- Plattinum Products Beach Cart - Best Overall Fishing Cart
- Berkley Jumbo Fishing Cart - Best Collapsible Fishing Cart
- Gorilla Carts GCO-5FSH
- Fish-N-Mate 310
- Alumacart Kahuna Junior Beach & Fishing Wago - Highest Capacity Fishing Cart
Table of Contents (clickable)
Related: Best Fishing Cooler, Best Tackle Box
Best Fishing Carts Reviewed
Plattinum Products Beach Cart - Best Overall Fishing Cart
Capacity: 200 lbs.
Material: aluminum
Tires: balloon beach tires
Plattinum Products’ Beach Cart was clearly designed by fishermen for fishermen. Perfectly sized to hold a Yeti 65 Tundra, this all-aluminum cart includes an adjustable receiver arm, allowing you to slot it into the back of your truck with no hassle whatsoever.
That makes transportation with a trailer hitch a snap.
The bed’s 18" x 30 7/8" interior dimensions offer plenty of space, and you’ll find 8 long rod holders that are perfect for surf fishing tackle. Built around the beach, this cart is supported by huge balloon wheels that glide over even the loosest sand.
Of course, up front, you’ll find a solid aluminum handle and foot. I wouldn’t mind some padding for the grip here, but that’s hardly a deal-breaker.
Huge capacity, strong design, awesome tires, easy transportation: what’s not to like?
The price, obviously!
Pros:
- Light
- Ideal for all surfaces
- Great tires
- Plenty of storage area
- Durable frame and bed
- Excellent rod holders
- Easy transportation with a trailer hitch
Cons:
- Expensive
Berkley Jumbo Fishing Cart - Best Collapsible Fishing Cart
Capacity: 200 lbs.
Material: aluminum frame and fabric body
Tires: air-filled rubber
Berkley knows fishing, and it comes as no surprise that they offer a thought-through design in the jumbo fishing cart. Ideal for anglers who don’t have a truck to transport their fishing gear to and from the water, this collapsible design is easy to stow and store.
The heart of this cart is a strong aluminum frame that, despite folding, can support 200 pounds of gear.
Once deployed, you’ll find two large air-filled rubber tires on the rear, two support legs on the front, and a long, comfortable handle to pull and steer your cart. The fabric body is durable and strong, and it’s nice that smaller items won’t just fall through, allowing you to store things like a bag of worms or sinkers without worrying about losing it.
Sized to accommodate a 48-quart cooler and other small fishing essentials, Berkeley also includes 6 removable rod holders and hook and loop straps to help lock down items that might shift. They’ve even found space for a folding table, albeit a small one, and a drink holder.
But don’t expect to pack a lot more with that ice chest; a 48-quart model will pretty much fill this cart.
The tires are wide and tall, allowing them to work well on a variety of surfaces. Whether using this cart on sand, rocks, blacktops, or piers, you can expect no trouble from the tires if you keep them aired up. Their hubs are plastic, however, and you don’t want to pull this cart into hazards like big rocks, sharp curbs, or roots without some care.
If you don’t have the space to tote a standard cart and need to make use of your trunk, this is probably the best choice for you.
Pros:
- Collapsible!
- Lightweight
- Plenty of storage area
- Durable
Cons:
- Tire hub made of plastic
- Can be tricky to fold and unfold
Gorilla Carts GCO-5FSH
Capacity: 200 lbs.
Material: aluminum and plastic
Tires: solid plastic
Gorilla Carts’ GCO-5FSH is a well-designed addition to your fishing arsenal if you find you need to traverse tough ground to get where you need to go.
Built from aluminum and tough plastic, corrosion certainly won’t be an issue, and the bin body can take the knocks and bumps of fishing. It should be able to fit a 48-quart ice chest with some room to spare as the bin is 36” x 24”.
You’ll find 8 rod holders attached to the sides, a small bait tray, and a comfortable handle to pull and steer this cart. And the large solid plastic wheels are a no-nonsense solution to rough surfaces that might puncture softer materials designed for sand.
It’s also remarkably easy to disassemble and reassemble, making it more transportable than you might imagine. This does require tools, however, and I’d still give the nod to the Berkley in this department.
That’s all good, but there’s some bad, too.
The wheels turn on soft metal rods at the hub, and these quickly show significant wear under heavier loads. I’d have some questions about long-term durability, especially as they’re not sealed against sand intrusion.
And the rod holders have no bottoms, creating problems for long-handled surf casting rods.
Overall, though, this is a better option than it may sound, especially if you face a rocky beach or a rough trip to the water from your vehicle.
Pros:
- Pretty quick to assemble and disassemble
- Plenty of storage area
- Durable bin and frame
- Lots of rod holders
- Solid tires are no trouble
Cons:
- Tire hub made of metal that wears on the axle rod
- Rod holders are poorly placed for surf casting rods
Fish-N-Mate 310
Capacity: 150 lbs.
Material: aluminum
Tires: poly balloon
Fish-n-Mate’s 310 is a great cart for soft sand or mud that might stick to smaller, harder wheels. Built from durable aluminum, it’s light and easy to pull while still resisting corrosion from saltwater.
Two rear poly wheels let you pull this cart over the sand with ease, and the handle and stabilizing leg in the front are well designed and thought out. Big, puffy, low-pressure tires make short work of soft surfaces where sinking is an issue, but I’d hesitate to run this cart over sharp rocks or other puncture-prone objects when fully loaded.
SIx built-in rod holders line the outside of the frame, and one doubles as a base for a small table and bucket, a very nice touch. You’ll find plenty of space for a cooler and anything else that won’t slide through the skeletonized body that measures 17” x 42” x 8”.
The tire hub design works well in most cases, but the pin that holds the tire in place can deform under load and puncture it. This seems to be uncommon, but it’s something to look out for.
Pros:
- Very light
- Ideal for sand and mud
- Plenty of storage area
- Durable frame
- Lots of rod holders
Cons:
- Some trouble has been reported with the hub design
Alumacart Kahuna Junior Beach & Fishing Wagon - Highest Capacity Fishing Cart
Capacity: 350 lbs.
Material: aluminum
Tires: 11.8" balloon beach tires
Alumacart Kahuna’s Junior is the monster truck of fishing carts, offering a more robust design and a higher ride height than any of its competitors.
This beast of a beach wagon is built to take anything you can dish out, and with a solid aluminum bottom and rails, it’s good at keeping as much as 350 pounds of your stuff put. That capacity is a testament to the build and material quality Alumacart is known for, and if you tote a lot of heavy stuff to the water, there’s probably no better option out there.
Each of the sides is removable, allowing you to customize the rail system to your needs. But if you chose to keep all four intact, this cart’s interior dimensions measure 34.5" x 16.5", providing plenty of space for gear.
You’ll also find 4 integrated rod holders that are perfect for surf casting rods, a well-designed handle for pulling and steering, and four huge balloon tires that just eat up sand and small rocks.
Alumacart’s solid aluminum material and high-quality wheels don’t come cheap, but for anglers who need a lot of capacity and a cart that simply will not fail, this is a fantastic choice.
Pros:
- Light
- Ideal for all surfaces
- Great tires
- Plenty of storage area
- Super durable frame and bed
- Excellent rod holders
Cons:
- Expensive
Things to Consider When Buying a Fishing Cart
Is a cart right for you?
Fishing carts are a great way to transport gear from your car or truck to the water, and whether you fish from the beach, the shore of your local lake, or a long pier, you'll soon find they’re worth their weight in gold.
Chairs, buckets, coolers, tackle, bait--the gear really adds up quickly. And if you find yourself making multiple trips to and from your vehicle just to get set up, a cart will be game-changing.
But if all you’re looking for is a tackle organizer with wheels, products like Elkton Outdoors’s Rolling Fishing Tackle Box or Berkley’s Sportsman’s Pro are probably better options.
Rolling tackle organizers and coolers are great alternatives if you don’t need the storage space of a cart.
Transportation and storage
If you fish from a truck or other vehicle that offers plenty of storage, you may be able to lift your cart and tie it down without any trouble. But if you work from the trunk of a car, collapsible designs really shine.
Similarly, consider where you plan to store your cart when it’s at home.
Carts that can be folded or taken down easily can fit in much tighter spaces than their alternatives.
Capacity
Fishing carts are typically rated to carry no less than about 100 pounds of gear, but some exceed this number by a significant margin.
Be realistic about what you bring to the water, but don’t forget the weight of a cooler with ice and (hopefully!) fish, as well. That can quickly increase the load you’re asking your cart to carry.
Tire design
Three tire styles are common on fishing carts.
Air-filled rubber - These tires are tough but heavy. Ideal for rolling across blacktop and other smooth surfaces, they’re also very resistant to punctures and damage.
Air-filled rubber tires are tough and quiet.
The downside is that unless they’re quite wide, they can sink into soft sand or mud, making them more of a burden than a help. They also require air, and keeping them at the appropriate pressure is essential to good performance.
If you pull your cart across large concrete or blacktop areas, trek through the woods or a field to reach the water, or are concerned about puncture hazards like glass, nails, or sharp rocks, air-filled rubber tires are an excellent choice.
Solid plastic - Solid plastic wheels are very low maintenance, and obviously, they’re impervious to puncture damage. They can also be quite wide, allowing them to roll over loose surfaces well.
Solid plastic wheels can be tough and light.
But they can be pretty noisy on hard surfaces and usually aren’t ideal on sand or mud, either, as they tend to sink a bit more than the alternatives.
Typically an inexpensive option, they can help keep the cost of a cart low while still providing durability.
Poly/balloon - A popular option on beaches, these light, buoyant, low-pressure tires spread the cart’s load over a wide area, allowing them to roll over soft surfaces like sand and mud with ease.
Balloon wheels are ideal on sand and mud.
Higher-end models can be very tough, but as in all things, you get what you pay for. Overall, I don’t find this design as rugged as air-filled rubber. That said, balloon wheels are a much better option on sand and mud, and they’re very light as well, reducing the overall weight of your cart.
If you pull your cart across sand or mud, these are probably the best choice.
Durability
Water, whether fresh or salt, is simply murder on most metals.
The carts on our list are all made from aluminum, which in addition to being very strong for its weight, doesn’t corrode or rust.
That’s important, especially for anglers near the salt, where aggressive corrosion is the norm.
But you also need to consider wheel and hub durability, as it takes more than a strong frame to make a good cart.
Final Thoughts
We can’t pick the right cart for you--only you can! But we hope that this article has helped you narrow your choices and start making the decision that best fits your budget and needs.
As always, we’d love to hear from you, so please leave a comment below.
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