Ever Advanced Side-Unzip Wagon Stroller Review

Ever Advanced Side-Unzip

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How it Compares

This wagon has a traditional box-on-wheels shape where children sit with their backs against the ends and their bottoms on the floor of the wagon. This is the configuration shared by the Jeep Wrangler, Keenz 7S Original, Radio Flyer and many more.

It has an average price point for a two-seater wagon:

Here is how it shapes up against the other stroller wagons we’ve tested:

Testing and Research

We track new stroller wagons on the market and choose the best-reviewed and highest-quality wagons to buy, test and compare.

We’ve developed 65 tests and measurements we apply consistently to the wagons we test in the areas of Parent Comfort and Usability, Folding and Transport, Kid Comfort and Usability, Steering and Maneuverability and Part and Material Quality.

Our parent and kid teams put the wagons to use throughout this process and we continue to use the wagons over a long period of time to better understand their comparative strengths and weaknesses.

Folding and Transport

The Ever Advanced is super easy to fold and unfold until you factor in the extra time for mounting and removing the sun canopy. These ratings and timings include the canopy. Folding and Transport ratings:

Folding

We can fold this wagon in only 7 seconds without the canopy. Taking off the canopy, and collapsing it adds another 41 seconds to the process.

The folding process is really as simple as lowering the handle by squeezing the easy-access button, and pulling the center of the wagon up until it sandwiches itself together.

There is a locking mechanism to keep the wagon folded. We found that it locks by itself very consistently and does a good job remaining locked even when the wagon is being moved in and out of vehicles.

The canopy is a system of poles that link together in the center and have hinges so that they can be collapsed. Although it gets easier with practice, it is still very cumbersome to open it up, slide the loops to that hold the fabric to the correct locations, and then insert the posts firmly into their mounting holes.

After getting the canopy in place, the fabric almost always needs to be pulled down on several of the four corners.

Fold times:

Unfolding is the same story. With the canopy it takes 45 seconds and without it takes less than 10 seconds.

Folded Size in Cubic Feet

The Ever Advanced folds to 30.5″ L 27.5″ W 13″ which is 6.3 cubic feet, the smallest of any wagon we’ve tested.

Folded sizes in cubic feet:

We were easily able to put it in the trunk of a Honda Civic and in a minivan.

Weight

The original Ever Advanced is quite light for a wagon at 33.1 lbs and this Size-Unzip version is 2 lbs heavier at 35.95 lbs.

Kid Comfort and Usability

The Ever Advanced converts to a bench by releasing the metal tabs at the corners of the fabric and zipping down each side. Kids like having the accessibility to climb in and out of the wagon. At this time, Radio Flyer is the only other manufacturer that provides this capability.

Seat Comfort

The 5-point seat harnesses are on each end of the wagon. Kids sit facing each other with their bottoms on the base of the wagon and legs stretched out front. That is a less comfortable sitting position than seats with a footwell provide.

Their backs rest against the cloth material that forms the ends of the wagon. There are no metal pieces going across the backs that would be uncomfortable. The base itself is padded.

The advantage of this configuration is that the flat wagon insides make a good, flat, napping surface. Our kids also like to move around in the wagon and play, like it’s a rolling port-a-crib.

The harness straps have a soft weave and are comfortable to the touch. There is padding on the shoulder, hip, and crotch straps that is made of the same thick, canvas-like material the sides are made of. I’m not sure if the pads are more or less comfortable than the straps by themselves. In any case, the pads can be removed if they seem to bother your little ones.

The original EA wagon came with a snack tray and kid cup holders. This one does not. Some fabric cup holders sewn into the inner sides of the wagon would have been a nice touch.

The harness buckle is very stiff. I had a hard time pushing it to snap open with one hand and one thumb. It has 4 clips that attach to the hip and shoulder straps. The clips join together so that you only have to clip in two pieces to the buckle. However, they don’t stay together well, so I had to put the pieces together almost every time before snapping them into the buckle.

The inner dimensions are typical for this shape of wagon. See below for how they compare.

Wagon	Inner Dimensions
Jeep Wrangler	33″ L 18″ W 12″ H
Radio Flyer Discovery	32″ L 18″ W 11″ H
Keenz 7S	31″ L 18″ W 14″ H
Wonderfold W1 Original	31″ L 17″ W 12″ H
Wonderfold W4 Elite	30″ L 19″ W 18″ H
Ever Advanced Side-Unzip	30″ L 17″ W 14″ H

Note that the sides are 14 inches high. When smaller kids are seated, or buckled in, they can’t see directly out over the sides of the wagon which I consider a drawback.

The combination of the high sides and canopy provide some decent sun protection. It is certainly not the full protection provided by wagons like the Anthem 4 or Graco Modes Adventure. It also lacks the flexibility to adjust or reposition the canopy like that of the Wonderfold W series wagons.

Bigger kids can climb into this wagon on their own by hiking their legs over the side. Smaller kids may be able to climb in when the side is zipped down, otherwise, they will need to be lifted.

Part and Material Quality

The wheels on the Ever Advanced Side-Unzip wagon are made from PU (polyurethane) which is durable like rubber and lightweight. They are an upgrade from many strollers that use EVA foam, and a slight downgrade from rubber.

They don’t grip quite as well as rubber which we noticed in our braking test, but they allow for large 12″ diameter and 2.5″ width tires which provide a smoother ride.

All four wheels are equipped with shock absorption which proved effective when we tested the wagon on bumpy surfaces.

The wagon arrived with all of its parts intact and everything worked perfectly after it was assembled.

The folding mechanism is smooth and reliable. The frame is solid and feels durable.

We had problems with the handle of the original version of the wagon, but we’ve had no operation problems with the handle of this Side-Unzip wagon. The release button works reliably and the handle hasn’t gotten stuck in its up or down position.

We’ve also found the velcro, zippers and other connectors to be high-quality and work well.

The only exception is that the canopy poles sometimes come out of their mounts.

As mentioned the operation of the canopy, setting it up and taking it down, is awkward and time-consuming.

Overall scores for Part and Material Quality:

Parent Comfort and Usability

The Side-Unzip wagon took only 13 minutes to unbox and assemble. Most of that time was simply removing protective packaging. The manual is clear, well-written, and easy to follow.

The fabric of the Ever Advanced is thick and canvas-like. It resists water and is easy to clean. All of the material can be removed for washing but that takes some effort and isn’t necessary.

Crumb removal is easy. Crumbs and dirt can hide in the inner seams along the floor of the wagon, but is is all easily accessible by a dust vac. Crumb Removal Rating:

To test customer service responsiveness, we sent an email to the address listed in the manual and did not receive a response.

The handle is adjustable and has a wide height range from 20″ to 45.5″. Unlike some wagons, this handle should accommodate parents of almost any height.

The handle is wrapped in comfortable leather, looks stylish, and feels comfortable. It folds down for storage.

The pull handle on the front of the wagon is user-friendly. It telescopes to its full extended length. We like how it doesn’t fall to the ground but will stay up and out at one of several angles. And finally, it is easy to stow by pressing the red button on top of the handle and pushing it down and back into place where it stays without any latching.

A nice-sized storage basket hangs on the back under the handle. The opening is 14.5″ x 7″ which is adequate for most diaper bags. We were able to put a mostly-stuffed backpack in the basket.

Storage Volume Ranking:

On the front of the wagon is a fabric cup holder, and another fabric pocket with a split side to allow for wipes or napkins to be pulled out without the removal of the wipe container from the pocket.

There is a single brake pedal in the center of the axle that stops both rear wheels. There are several problems with the brake. It is stiff and hard to engage. It is also difficult to disengage.

I can’t see the brake pedal while pushing the wagon because the basket blocks the view from above.

The one thing we liked is being able to use the bottom of our foot to both set and release the brake. It didn’t hurt in sandalled feet.

We loaded the wagon and tested stopping it with the brake while it was rolling downhill. The brake engaged but the wagon skidded a few feet before stopping.

There is no car seat adapter available for the wagon. The only included accessory is the canopy.

Steering and Maneuverability

For much of our testing, including maneuverability testing, we loaded the wagon with 40 lbs in the front and 40 lbs in the back. To evaluate maneuverability we pushed the weighted stroller on a variety surfaces, we measured force to push and turn, and even assessed how far the stroller stays on a straight line.

Steering and maneuverability ratings:

This wagon required a low level of force to get it started rolling to a walking speed. Force to Start:

It also required a comparatively low amount of force to keep it rolling at a walking pace.

However, the force required to turn the fully loaded wagon from a dead stop was high compared to other wagons in this group. Force to turn:

The Ever Advanced was of average difficulty pushing straight on grass. It also had average performance pushing up grassy hills. Like most wagons, it was quite challenging to push it going laterally across the side of a hill as was always trying to turn downhill.

Grass rating:

Hill rating:

However, the wagon performed very well compared to most others when we took it off-road. It handled pushing over bumps, cracks, small branches and rocks quite well. This surprised me because the front wheels are 8″ in diameter and 1.5″ width, which is a typical size. The suspension seems to have a good level of tension where it gives way some for bumps but not so much that the wheels twist and hang.

Bump rating:

This wagon has a low tendency to veer which makes it much easier to push on long straight treks. It has wheel locks in the front that make it even easier to stay on track.

Straight push test results:

Overall the wagon has a good Maneuverability rating:

Ever Advanced Folding Wagon vs Ever Advanced Side-Unzip Wagon

The Ever Advanced Foldable wagon was the original stroller wagon from the manufacturer. The Side-Unzip version followed a few years later and has the same general shape with a few modifications.

See our full review of the original Ever Advanced wagon.

Notably, one side of the wagon now unzips to form a bench and make it convenient for kids to climb in and out of the wagon.

There were some quality problems with the design of the original handle. We haven’t had any problems with the Side-Unzip handle but it is not obvious that the design has changed.

The original came with a snack tray and kid cup holders. The new wagon doesn’t have one.

The Side-Unzip has a large basket that hangs under the rear handle. This is an important benefit.

The new wagon folds to a small size although it is 2 lbs heavier.

Although the manufacturer says the design of the canopy has changed, we have the same frustration using the new canopy as the old one.

In terms of performance in our testing, the folding is about the same and the maneuverability of the new wagon is better primarily because of better performance on rough terrain.