Life

This Rolling Beach Cart Is Also A *Chair* & OMG You Just Saved Your Back This Summer

One of the most ferocious arguments I've ever had with my husband involved beach gear. We'd just spent a day upon the shore with our son, and when it came time to leave, we were tired, sticky, and our son had sand in his eyes. We'd almost made it all the way back to the car — dragging all of our toys and towels and Tostitos — when my kid suddenly realized we'd forgotten his Paw Patrol soccer ball. Which my husband and I each blamed each other for, of course. Perhaps a beach chair that turns into a cart could have saved us. That's right! Chair cart! Because one might describe the argument that ensued from the forgotten Paw Patrol soccer ball as... heated. I like to say that if I could have summoned one of those giant sandworms from Dune to explode out of the earth and swallow my spouse whole in that moment, I would have. But now, no need for the summoning of sandworms!

The Mac Sports Beach Day Lounger functions as a full-length, adjustable beach chair (complete with headrest), perfect for lounging with a Corona and flipping through Vanity Fair. (Not that you'll get to do either of those things for more than 13 seconds, but still...)

And when one is ready to head on home, they just flip the chair up, attach the mesh liner, and voila. Now it's a cart, which can be filled with the boogie board, cooler, towels, buckets (and Paw Patrol soccer ball! Don't forget the Paw Patrol soccer ball, for the love of God!), etc.

Constructed of metal, nylon, polyester and steel, this sucker can haul up to 100 pounds. It has a big sturdy handle, and its monster truck-esque wheels make it ideal for transporting it over sand and rocks. Another bonus: it folds down flat for easy storage.

They can be purchased on Amazon for $100, where one customer raves: "LOVE LOVE LOVE this chair/cart!" (Probably because it's saved her marriage, I imagine.) There's also a really cute teal version available at Target, and the site even includes a video of the chair/cart metamorphosis in action. That one is $134.99, which does seem a bit pricey for a beach chair. But I suppose if one looks at it like they are buying both a cart and a chair, the price tag can be justified?

It is a pretty genius idea, but also such a simple and practical one. It's one of those inventions where I like to imagine the inventor at the moment of inception. Was it some sunburned woman who — several daiquiris in — just stood wearily upon a beach, staring at all the crap she had to somehow get home, and thought, "What if I had magic powers and could somehow transfigure this stupid beach chair into a wagon...?"

However it came to be, it's a clever idea indeed, and I just might have to snag one for myself. The only issues I can really envision are: 1.) My kid insisting that he gets to pull the cart. 2.) My kid insisting that we pull him in the cart. 3.) My kid insisting Chair Cart is actually a Transformer, not unlike Optimus Prime, and then spending the afternoon sitting upon the sand transforming it back and forth.