Larktale Caravan Stroller Wagon Review

Larktale Caravan

---

---

How it Compares

The Larktale is one of the higher-priced 2-passenger wagons, priced lower than the Veer Cruiser, about the same as the Keenz 7S, and higher than popular wagons like the Evenflo Pivot Xplore and Baby Trend Expedition wagon.

It is shaped like a traditional, rectangular wagon and feels more like a wagon than a stroller. It has a push-handle like a stroller and a front handle for pulling, though the front handle isn’t really a handle.

Although it is shaped, and feels like a wagon, it has incorporated a footwell and reclining seats which provide adequate comfort for long, seated rides.

We bought the version of the Caravan that comes with two canopies, a rain cover and insect cover. There is a lower-cost version that does not include the canopies or covers.

Negative Comments About the Caravan

Most Larktale Caravan owners are very happy. We read all reviews about the Larktale and recorded common criticisms so that we could evaluate whether they were true or not.

In this table we list the complaints and our own related experience.

Criticism	Our Experience
5-point harness buckle difficult to fasten	Agreed. You have to arrange pieces of the buckle together first before snapping it in.
Can’t see kids from rear with canopies up	When the canopies are installed, whether up or pulled down, you can’t see into the wagon, and there is no peek-a-boo window.
No universal car seat adapter	There are three separate car seat adapters that accommodate different brands and models.
Doesn’t stay locked in open position, could close while using	No. There is a catch that does keep the wagon locked open. It is true that it doesn’t always latch by itself.
Front wheel falls off	This didn’t happen to us. There is a wheel-release button that can cause the wheel to come off if depressed.
Footrest cover hard to zip	Yes, the zipper is hard to line-up and engage for the footrest cover.
Footrest cover awkward to engage	The cover lays over one of the seats when not in use. If you want to use the harness on that seat, you have to thread it through the cover, and that is an awkward process. It is easier just not to use the harness on that side, or not to use the footwell cover.
Wagon is too long	The wagon is 36″ long and roomy. This makes it slightly more difficult to turn, particularly in close quarters. Despite its length we found it to generally be very maneuverable.
Not good offroad	This wagon does fine on grass, on packed gravel and flat surfaces. It does not do well surmounting bumps or obstacles.
Canopies difficult to insert	We thought the canopies were simple to insert and release from their mounts. It was time-consuming to fasten the canopy velcro correctly.
Plastic pokes through canopy	Not for us.
Heavy to push, bulky	We found it easy to push on typical surfaces. It is a bit heavier than some 2-seat wagons.

Testing and Research

We surveyed all the stroller wagons on the market and purchased the best-reviewed wagons for hands-on testing. We keep and continue to use each of the wagons we test to have a realistic, measurable comparison.

We tested the Caravan in five categories outlined below. Tests are conducted by multiple people over a period of time and compared to test results of other wagons.

Folding and Transport

The Larktale Caravan had mixed results in the category of Folding and Transport:

It folds quite fast without the canopies and much slower when they are properly seated and velcro-ed in.

Folding

The Larktale fold process includes folding down the handle, pulling up from the inside of the wagon, latching the wagon closed with a clip and removing the canopies.

The fold process without the canopies is 10 to 12 seconds long. Removing and stowing the attached canopies can take an extra 40 to 45 seconds.

If you can get by without the canopies, it is a breeze. You will want the canopies at most outdoor events where you anticipate sunshine.

Fold times (including canopies):

Note: The Veer Cruiser measurement was without a canopy.

Folded Size in Cubic Feet

The Caravan is in the middle of the pack for 2-passenger wagons at 8.3 cubic feet folded.

Folded sizes in cubic feet:

We were able to push it into the trunk of our Honda Civic, but just barely.

Weight

Without the canopies, the Larktale is 33 lbs. The canopies and rain and insect cover add almost 5 lbs.

Weight certainly makes a difference when you have to lift the wagon into your vehicle frequently.

Kid Comfort and Usability

The Larktale Wagon was the highest scoring 2-seater in the areas that impact Kid comfort and usability:

Footwell

Most boxy 2-passenger wagons like the Jeep, Baby Trend, Keenz 7S Original, Ever Advanced and Radio Flyer do not have a footwell. The Larktale does have a roomy footwell that measures 15″ x 12″ x 6.5″.

A padded footwell cover folds over from the front seat to cover the footwell. It zips close to form a flat inner surface in the wagon for napping on and playing in.

The footwell cover zipper is difficult to access and engage the zipper.

When the cover is open, it rests on one of the seats and covers the lower harness strap. The harness can be threaded through the slit in the cover and the buckle reattached in theory. However, we had an extremely difficult time getting the strap back through the buckle to the point where we gave up and just don’t use the harness on that end of the wagon.

Aside from those problems with the cover we love that it is built-in and provides a footwell and non-footwell version of the wagon.

Seats

The seats are padded and comfortable. The footwell adds to the comfortable seating because kids don’t have to have their legs stretched out in front of them.

The wagon is also long enough to reduce the fighting over legroom.

Both seats can be reclined with a simple strap release on the seat backs. This makes napping in the seats possible as it is in most strollers.

Snack Tray and Kid Storage

There are some small inner pockets for kids but no snack tray is included in the base model. A side-mounted snack tray with kid cupholder can be purchased separately.

The separate snack trays are hard for kids to reach because the sides of the wagon are high.

The Inside

The Larktale has the largest inner dimensions of any we tested at 35″ L x 17″ W x 20″ H. The height is measured from the bottom of the footwell to top of the side. The manufacturer gives the inner measurements as 36″ x 18″ but we feel like you lose a little of that to the seat thickness.

When the seats are reclined the wagon has an even roomier feel. The size difference is illustrated in the photo below where the Larktale with one seat reclined sits next to the Keenz 7S.

Getting In and Out

The sides of this wagon are high, so smaller children are not able to climb in unassisted. The good news is that the canopies push easily out of the way so you can drop kids in from the top.

Agile 2-year-olds and older kids will probably be able to climb in over the side by stepping on the frame.

Canopies

The Larktale canopies are UPF 50+ and provide almost complete coverage from the sun when they are closed.

The release buttons are difficult to find by touch. I grope at them and then often have to look to find and press the buttons to remove the canopies.

It is easy enough to put them in their mounts, but to maneuver the fabric to the back of the seats and attach the velcro, then slide the side fabric through and attach its velcro takes time.

There is quite a bit of headroom at the back of the seats when the canopies are down.

While pushing the wagon, you can’t see past the canopies into the wagon and there is no window in the canopy to look through.

Parent Comfort and Usability

The Larktale tested well in areas that parents care about like storage space, cup holders, the handles and brakes. Scores in Parent Comfort and Usability:

Handles

The handle height is adjustable from 31.5″ to 46″ with a practical upper limit of about 43″. This is a large range compared to most other wagons.

The faux leather handle is comfortable although I personally don’t like the feel of the stitching on the inner part of the handle.

It folds down by pushing two buttons simultaneously. This is typical for most wagons but those that have a single button are easier to use.

There is a cross bar in the front that can be used to pull the wagon. It works in a pinch but not as well as a true pull handle which must be purchased separately.

Larktale Caravan Pull Handle

Storage Volume Ranking

There is a nice storage basket mounted on the front of the wagon with a small inner mesh pocket.

Underneath the basket is a zippered mesh compartment for keeping wet or smelly things separated.

There are a few storage compartments at the back of the wagon under the handle. One of these works as a water bottle holder.

Cleaning

The canvas and fabric of the Larktale cleans up fine. Some people complain that it also fades in the sun, so follow the cleaning instructions and don’t use any soap that could affect the color.

There is easy access to the inside of the wagon for cleaning out, or dumping out, crumbs. But there are a few places they can hide along seams and under the footwell cover. Crumb removal:

Brake Operation

The single brake pedal is easy to see and engage. It has a spring inside that reduces the force required to disengage the brake. We tried it barefoot and it didn’t hurt our feet.

In our runaway wagon test, it took a couple of tries to get the brake to engage as the wagon was rolling weighted, downhill. When it did engage the wagon stuttered a few times before stopping.

Overall the brake functions quite well.

Steering and Maneuverability

The Larktale is a long wagon and it performed better in our steering and maneuverability testing than we expected.

Steering and maneuverability ratings:

Pushing and Turning

The force required to get the weighted wagon rolling at a walking pace was fairly typical.

However, the force to make a 90 degree turn from a dead stop was high compared to many wagons, probably because of the length of the Caravan.

The wagon turned quite easily while it was moving.

Terrain Performance

We pushed the loaded wagon on grass, up hills, on bumpy sidewalks and on trails. Generally, it felt very smooth, but it is not built for bumpier terrain.

Grass: The Larktale rolled through grassy fields and yards with little resistance. Even making turns on the grass when fully loaded was not a problem.

Hills: It also did a good a job going straight uphill. It was hard to go perpendicular across hills as the front of the stroller pulled downhill.

Bumps: The Larktale did not do well pushing over 1-inch bumps in the sidewalk or similarly sized obstacles on trails. It wasn’t bad on leafy ground but didn’t handle sticks and roots well.

Bump ratings:

The spring suspension in front and rear wheels, along with the nicely shaped rubber tires give it a smooth ride. The wheels are typical in diameter and width for stroller wagons, and are not adequate for true, all-terrain operation.

Staying Straight

On smooth surfaces, the Larktale did a great job of going straight and not veering to one side or the other while pushing.

Straight push test results:

Steering

Overall Maneuverability Rating:

Part and Material Quality

The Larktale Caravan Wagon is durable. Here are the scores for Part and Material quality:

While we don’t care for a few design decisions like the harness buckle, footwell cover zipper, footwell harness threading and canopy velcroing, we didn’t find problems with the parts or material.

The buttons, clips, velcro and zippers work well. The footwell cover zipper works but is hard to access. We didn’t have any problem with it separating, although one customer reported that.

Handle and Folding Mechanism

The handle operates crisply and stays firmly in place. The folding mechanism is smooth and easy. The lock that keeps the wagon frame fixed in an open position sometimes doesn’t latch by itself.

Wheels

The front wheels are 8 inches in diameter and 1.75 inches wide. The rear wheels are 11.5 inches in diameter and 1.75 inches wide. Slightly wider wheels would be nice but wouldn’t be enough to make it all-terrain.

We like the rubber treads on the wheels. They are adequate for the wagon’s 100 lb weight limit and produce a smooth ride for kids on flat surfaces.

Larktale Caravan Wagon vs Keenz 7S

The Keenz 7S and Larktale both have folding metal frames and a similar shape. They also both come well-equipped out of the box and have similar pricing.

The Keenz XC models have a footwell and reclining seats. The 2-passenger Larktale is a bigger wagon inside than the Keenz 2-seaters. The recline of the Larktale seats gives it even more room inside.

Both wagons have high sides which makes it impossible for small children to see directly over the sides.

The canopies have very different designs and their own strengths and weaknesses.

On the whole, the Larktale performed better in maneuverability, folding and transport and kid comfort while the Keenz 7S edged out the Larktale in parent comfort and usability. The Keenz XC has additional features that improve its kid comfort scores.

See our full review of the Keenz 7S here.

Advantages of the Larktale Caravan over the Keenz 7S:

• Better maneuverability
• Slightly better folding and stowing
• Footwell and footwell cover
• Reclining seats
• Included rain cover and insect cover

Advantages of the Keenz 7S over the Larktale:

• More storage overall
• Insulated cooler bag
• Better pull handle
• Easier buckle operation