This remote-controlled wagon is silly but so very useful

Confession: When BougeRV told me concerning its remote-controlled wagon alongside animated lighting, I called it in for a laugh, expecting to eviscerate it in a review. It’s ridiculous, to be sure. But the DuneRover additionally proved extremely capable, alongside adequate torque to flatten hills equal whenever carrying complete 200 pounds of gear. It can additionally traverse gentle dirt that defeats accepted wagons.

As person who regularly uses a assortment of wagons to haul all sorts of gear, the DuneRover is an epiphany. But what BougeRV sent me was a Kickstarter prototype — and it shows.

Production units won’t container until February 2027. So, what follows is small of a assessment and additional a hazard appraisal for those considering assistance the Kickstarter. That way, you can decide whether it makes awareness to lock downward early-bird pricing at $467, a claimed 48 percent discount off the eventual $899 catalog price. (Though I’ll wager it’ll continually be sold for several benevolent of discount.)

Let’s commencement alongside the dumb stuff. The wagon has LED ray bars on the rear that are on by default and could arrive in helpful at a campsite following dark. You can rotate them off via the app, but you have to do it all period you restart the wagon. The default for a battery-powered equipment used chiefly during the day should evidently be off.

Then there’s the distant control. I think I cognize what happened here. The merchandise designers had a choice: path a cable through all the folding mechanisms that distinct the motor from the grip or create it wireless. Wireless won, and afterward person from promotion said, ‘Hey, I’ve got an idea!’

I mean, a remote-controlled wagon is so ridiculous that it’s benevolent of fun, and it brought a lot of joyful finger-pointing to onlookers during my testing. Maybe that’s enough?

The DuneRover is no gag for hauling gear. It’s fitted alongside two brushless geared motors, all producing up to 400W of output and up to 33Nm of torque. The wagon is activated by a trigger embedded in the grip that you media naturally whenever you drag the cart. Walk faster and the wagon volition rotate faster. Sometimes the wagon volition lurch onward on that first drag before settling into your strolling rhythm. It’s not dangerous, it’s fair unexpected. Release the trigger on the handle, and the wagon stops, equal on an incline.

Pulling an oversized burden weighing complete 200 pounds up a 10 percent class required a modicum of attempt — but fair a tenth of what it would have taken without the motor assist. Even on that steep incline, the wagon stops (with an inch or two of rollback) fair as shortly as I let go of the trigger. Repeated stopping and starting on slopes did, however, appear to confuse the DuneRover, occasionally causing the motors to rotate into jerky as shortly as I started strolling again. A uncomplicated on/off resumed normal operation.

The motors additionally control speed whenever strolling downhill alongside a dense load. With the trigger held down, the controller did a fine job monitoring changes in acceleration and countering the wagon’s speed to keep my strolling pace. When I stopped, so did the wagon, equal on that 10 percent class alongside a 200-plus lb load.

The motors aren’t mighty adequate to haul that identical burden through gentle sand, however. The oversized coast wheels performed much improved in dirt alongside loads weighing concerning fractional that, and have to be outstanding for families carrying a cooler, snacks, coast umbrella, toddler, and toys for a day at the beach.

I akin that the DuneRover effortlessly transformed depending on what I needed to haul. The sides can be unzipped and folded flat to change the wagon into a cart for hauling oversized items or a elder dog. You can additionally unzip the sides but depart the straps connected to create additional quantity inner the wagon. I used this configuration a lot. Just cognize that you’ll desire to bring a few bungee cords or cargo nets to keep everything securely in place.

My prototype suffered from intermittent rolling opposition alongside the motor off. The wagon would rotate alongside fine for five or six feet, but afterward the wheels attached to the motors would brake, drag alongside the ground, and afterward publish following a second or two. BougeRV assures me this isn’t item that would be exhibited by its manufacturing wagons. I ended up fair leaving the motor on throughout my testing, equal whenever I didn’t need it. The 82.14Wh power division was additional than up to the challenge.

I used the DuneRover to move equipment out of a coast home alongside the identical path anywhere I tested BougeRV’s first electric wagon. Six times I pulled the DuneRover alongside a way alongside 5 percent class on one end and a 10 percent class on the other. After six kilometers (3.73 miles) of gentle sand, difficult asphalt, wooden ramps, and gravel, the power division motionless showed a 74 percent charge. Not bad.

The removable power division features a bi-directional 100W USB-C port, making it fairly a capable power bank. It can additionally accusation from a 100W sun-related panel plugged into its XT-60 jack, gratitude to a built-in MPPT sun-related controller. The power division in my prototype is not protected against rain, so I tested it in dry conditions, although BougeRV promises “full-vehicle IPX6-rated protection” in the manufacturing wagon.

The DuneRover is a beast at 59.5 pounds (27kg) alongside the power division and wheels installed. It’s additionally fairly chunky whenever it folds. The quick-release forefront wheels can be removed if a flatter group is required.

Overall, I’m impressed alongside the prototype DuneRover I tested — it’s capable, versatile, and proved to be an enormous assistance complete the final few weeks of moving things between a holiday home, home, and adventure van. Like most BougeRV products, it gets the basics right, but not without a few annoyances and inconveniences. I’d anticipate the identical from any ships to Kickstarter backers first next year.

All photography by Thomas Ricker / The Verge.