Discover the pros and cons of the Portal Camping Trolley in our detailed review.
A good camping trolley can feel like a lifesaver on a camping trip. It can save you so much time and hassle when you first arrive at a camping site – ferrying all of your gear from the car to your pitch. Depending on the site, this could be quite a mission. So in this Portal Camping Trolley review we are going to help you decide whether this is the trolley for you.
We are going to be running through the pros and cons of the Portal Camping Trolley, before taking a look at the specific features and then putting it through its paces as I take it out on a camping trip with my family. And we take a lot of stuff away with us when we go camping!
At the end of this review we hope that you will be able to determine whether the Portal Camping Trolley is the right trolley for you.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Folds up to a relatively small size – easy to fit in the car
- Well made
- Easy to steer
- Excellent weight capacity (100kg)
Cons
- More expensive than some of the competition
- The colour really shows the dirt
About the brand
Portal are relative newcomers to the Outdoors industry, having only been around since 2011. They have quickly built themselves a great reputation though, for making quality products and having a huge range of everything from paddle boards to camping rocking chairs!
They seem like a fun company – there is an obvious focus on adventure and trying new things, which is something we can definitely get behind. I must confess though, that this camping trolley is the first product I have ever tried from Portal, so I didn’t really have any preconceptions before I gave this product a go.
Portal Camping Trolley – Features
When it comes to a camping trolley, it’s all about facts and figures. There are only so many features that a trolley can have, so I will cut to the chase and highlight some of the key facts for the Portal Camping Trolley.
First of all, let’s talk size. When in use, you have 80 x 39 x 30 cm (DWH) worth of internal capacity, which is pretty sizable, really. The height is key here, even though you’ll find that your tent is probably longer than the trolley, you can position it at an angle so that it comfortably fits in, with plenty of other gear filling in the gaps.
So we know it is big, but does that mean it takes up loads of space in your car boot? Well, no, actually. It compacts down to 30 x 21 x 77 cm when it is all folded up, meaning you can slot it down the side of your boot and still have plenty of room for your other stuff. There is a case that fits around the trolley when it is folded up, and here is a pocket in the case for the removable solid base of the cart, keeping it all in together.
The Portal Camping Trolley has a weight capacity of 100 kg, which is pretty standard for a good quality trolley. This is made possible by the steel frame, with the criss-cross structure which both reinforces the unit as well as enabling it to fold up.
The front wheels are universal, meaning that they rotate a full 360 degrees and that is where you do your steering. Portal claim that they are suitable for all kinds of terrain, including tarmac, grass, beach and stone. This is great because the fear when you buy a trolley is that it is very difficult to drag across anything other than perfectly smooth pavement.
Speaking of dragging – you operate this trolley by using the adjustable handle. You can fold it to an angle (there’s a clip on the trolley to secure the bottom half of the handle) or you can have it fully extended, which is best when you have a heavy load.
Finally, the fabric that is used is 300D polyester – this is a very strong and durable fabric that can be removed from the unit and then washed in a washing machine. All you need to do is unscrew the knobs on each corner of the trolley, and the fabric will slide right off.
So those are all the key facts for the Portal Camping Trolley – how does it perform in real life?
Using the Portal Camping Trolley
We went on a camping trip recently; me, my wife and our two children (aged 2 and 6). At the campsite that we were staying at, no cars were permitted on the camping fields, which was great as it meant our children could run about with impunity, but it did mean that we needed to lug all of our stuff from the car park to our pitch.
Enter the Portal Camping Trolley!
In just three loads I managed to transport all of our stuff (and as I mentioned at the top of this review – we have a lot of stuff), and as well as our stuff I managed to transport both of our children there and back. And there and back. And there and back again. They loved the trolley, and took great pleasure in waving to the other campers like they were royalty – we had announced our arrival at the site in emphatic fashion…!
In all seriousness, though, having this trolley with us really made a significant difference in how our trip started off. I had the job of getting everything to our pitch, while looking after the boys at the same time, which gave my wife time and space to get everything sorted there, and make a start on pitching the tent. The trolley made my job so much easier, and the boys were delighted to stay with me, and we were able to get everything moved pretty quickly.
The Portal Camping Trolley coped with everything that we put in it – there was no danger of us overloading it, even with two children in there! And it coped with going over the gravely, and bumpy, car park, as well as the grass on the camping field. There was never the fear that it might start to struggle – it was a smooth trip every time.
We took a trip to the beach on one of the days, and the trolley again made everything so much easier. We could pack all of our beach stuff (shelter, games, food etc) in there so we only needed one trip and we weren’t constantly struggling with a load of stuff in our arms. The wheels weren’t quite as smooth on the sand, but at the same time, it definitely made the trip easier, so it was worth the extra effort that it took to drag it.
It even doubled as a pushchair when our youngest fell asleep – we just loaded him in there with some nice soft towels and he was quite happy sleeping in there for a much-needed nap!
The best thing about the Portal Camping Trolley, other than how much easier it made our trip, was how well it folded down. It was simple to do, to begin with, but also compacted so much that it didn’t mean we couldn’t pack other ‘essential’ items.
All in all, the Portal Camping Trolley saved us a lot of hassle and time.
Verdict
The Portal Camping Trolley is a great piece of camping equipment. Depending on where you are staying, you may find yourself having to carry a lot of stuff a fair old distance, and having a trolley as good as this one is going to save you a lot of struggling.
There are cheaper trolleys available, but there won’t be many that are cheaper and as well made as this one. It gives you a lot of confidence as it doesn’t seem to struggle with anything we were able to load it with.
While this review is specifically for camping, this would also make a great trolley for festivals, picnics, beach trips and sports equipment. It is a great piece of kit to have in your home, for a wide range of different activities.
I am a huge fan of the Portal Camping Trolley – it is up there as one of my favourite pieces of camping equipment.