Looking for a versatile wheelbarrow to enhance your camping experience? The Westlake Trojan Barrow promises to be a game-changer for outdoor adventures – but does it live up to those lofty expectations?
You can see from the pictures that this barrow boasts a heavy-duty frame but can it accommodate large loads of camping gear – my family love to overpack! So we wanted to put it to the ultimate test and take it with us when we went away to the coast for a weekend. Read on in our Westlake Trojan Review to find out how we got on…
We’ll kick things off with our quick-fire Pros & Cons, before taking a more detailed look at the specifications of the Trojan Barrow from Westlake, before we then run through how we fared when we took it away with us on a camping trip. Let’s go!
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Tough build
- Adjustable design
- Easy to use
- High traction wheels
Cons
- On the heavier side
- Bulky
- More expensive than some of the (inferior) competition
About The Brand
Westlake is a well-known name in the fishing gear world. We’ve seen them grow over the years into a trusted brand for anglers of all levels. They started out small in the 1990s, focusing on making durable fishing equipment. Now, they’re a go-to choice for many UK fishers – but like the Trojan Barrow, many of their products can be used equally well by campers, which is how they caught our attention.
The company specialises in practical gear that can handle tough conditions. Their Trojan Barrow is a perfect example of this. We’ve noticed Westlake puts a lot of thought into making things that have adaptable uses – not everyone goes fishing every weekend, but there are plenty of uses for their chairs and seat boxes etc. They’ve built up a solid reputation for quality and innovation.
They’re always tweaking their designs to make them better. This attention to detail has helped them become a favourite among serious anglers across Britain – and are becoming increasingly popular with campers. Their products are sold in outlets like GO Outdoors and Blacks, which in itself points to a certain degree of trust and respectability.
Specifications
Now let’s down to the details of this versatile Westlake barrow. The heavy duty frame is made of sturdy alloy steel, giving it the strength to tackle all sorts of terrain. Around this frame, there are a series of sections, with made-to-fit bags in each. There is a large cooler pack at the front, 2 carry backs at the rear and below there is an under bag.
Cart dimensions: L109 x W80 x H20cm
This is a good size for a barrow – large enough to handle a fair of amount of gear, but not so big that it takes up too much space. The wheel is removable, and it folds down. It is certainly bigger than some other options for a camping trolley, but as a multi-purpose barrow, it is fairly compact.
One brilliant feature is the adjustable width side, which lets you fit it through tight spaces or expand it for bigger loads. There’s also a single shelf that’s perfect for organising smaller items.
Its rugged build and spacious design make it ideal for heavy duty use, where you often need to transport heavy equipment over uneven ground. It’s a solidly built unit, that is designed to cope with all kinds of different terrain, and handle heavy equipment. Looking at the spec, we reckon it would be just as handy for camping, letting you easily move supplies from your car to your pitch.
Using the Product
So let’s put it to the test! I bought ours from Amazon, taking advantage of the free standard delivery methods that are available as part of our Prime membership – it’s also available at Go Outdoors and Blacks, as well as other major retailers. See where you can find the best deal, rather than leaving it too late like us, and just following delivery methods!
We took the Westlake barrow on our family camping trip, and it was a game-changer. The campsite we went to was near the coast, and one of those more remote campsites, where the car park was a fair old walk away from the camping area. Sometimes, this would be a bit of a daunting prospect, but not with a decent camping trolley!
Setting up camp was a breeze as we loaded all our gear into the sturdy frame in just one load (plus some mildly reluctant carrying from our children). The adjustable width came in handy when navigating narrow paths between tents, but at the same time, there was plenty of room for all our stuff.
It really came into its own, however, the following day when we decided to go to the beach. I’m not sure about you, but when we go to the beach, we tend to take a lot of stuff! We packed chairs, spades, and coolboxes into the barrow with ease. The high-traction wheel made pushing it over the dunes and then across the sand a doddle. No more multiple trips or sore arms from lugging heavy bags, no struggling every time the sand turns from dry to wet and vice-versa.
We appreciated the large front cooler pack for keeping drinks chilled, as we managed to get an uncharacteristically warm day in the British summer! The under bag and carry packs were perfect for storing snacks and beach toys – plenty to keep us entertained and sustained so that we didn’t need to leave the beach at all for the entire day. Throughout our holiday, the barrow proved invaluable for moving equipment around the campsite.
The Westlake Trojan Barrow made our camping experience far more relaxed. We spent less time hauling gear and more time enjoying family activities. It’s definitely earned a permanent spot on our camping checklist.
Conclusion
We’ve thoroughly tested the Westlake Trojan Barrow and found it to be a cracking bit of kit for campers. Its all-terrain design makes lugging gear across rough ground a breeze – being able to move all of our stuff for an entire weekend to our preferred spot, tent and all, made the process of unpacking and setting up much less stressful.
The single-wheel setup offers great balance and manoeuvrability, even when fully loaded, and the adjustable width meant we could tailor the size of the barrow to the amount of stuff we had, and the narrow route we were taking.
The only thing working against it, is also one of it’s most appealing attributes – its size. This hasn’t been designed just to able to be thrown in to the boot of a car at the last minute, it’s more heavy duty than that. While it folds down, it’s not as small as other trolleys that are designed for camping. Have a look at our Portal Trolley Review if you’re after a more compact trolley. It’s also more expensive, but it is so much sturdier and versatile, so it still represents excellent value for money.
This isn’t just a camping trolley, it is much more – a single wheelbarrow, designed for heavy duty use, which also happens to be excellent on a camping trip. If you would get plenty of use out of a wheelbarrow like this, it is well worth the investment.