CONTRIBUTED BY DIANA QUAINTANCE 

Like many people out there, I try to be eco-friendly in my daily activities. From recycling to reusable shopping bags, there’re a lot of options out there.

About three months before we PCS’d to Okinawa, a hail storm totaled my car and I was left with choices to make. With the price of gas, I wasn’t excited about the idea of renting a car, plus most of the places I had to go to during the week could be reached on foot.

My only problem was when I needed to haul things along. A backpack was handy for the little stuff I needed to take to work, but what about a load of groceries? Sure, a grocery store run was only two miles from home, but the idea of walking back with a week’s worth of groceries hanging from my arms wasn’t my idea of fun; so I started considering getting a portable shopping cart. I’d seen them before, just never had an excuse to buy one.

Around the same time, my husband and I where planning on buying a couple of bicycles. The idea of buying a bike trailer we could use as a shopping cart came up during the planning and I started researching the possibilities.

I’m more a walker than I’m a biker, so I wanted to buy something that could satisfy both walking and riding. I found many models from very reputable brands. But for the most part, they sold children’s bike trailers, or touring trailers that didn’t hit my idea of functionality on the head.

I continued the search and ran across a small Canadian company that specializes in building bike trailers called Wike. They have children’s trailers, and trailers for children with special needs.

Wike also builds trailers to haul non-human cargo. They have a canoe bike trailer, a golf bag bike trailer (husband is saving for that one), a dog bike trailer and yes... even a shopping trailer. We ended up buying two of their models:

The Large Cargo trailer is open, can carry 125 lbs of stuff and can become a covered trailer with the use of bins and bungee cords. My husband has used this one to haul his gear to work.

The Shopper trailer is closed, can carry 100 lbs and is waterproof. Furthermore, the arm that attaches the trailer to the bike can be swiveled upwards and it becomes a shopping cart you can push around. I finally had found the trailer I wanted!

Both trailers can be put together and pulled apart easily. Also, Wike puts the trailers together the moment you place the order, so you know that the product you’re buying is made specifically for you, with all the add-ons you might want on it. If you want to order from Wike, be sure to read all of the add-ons available for the model you want. Some of them have to be added when you first buy it because they build it from scratch. Others can be bought later.

After arriving in Kadena, and while waiting for our stuff to arrive, I started investigating shopping carts again (what can I say? I was bored).

This time, I wanted to find one that could possibly fit in the trunk of a car for when I went shopping off-base, but that could also be used to haul things around when I went walking.

As with the bike trailers, I found many options.

I settled on the VersaCart Transit Cart.

I love it. It collapses like a stroller, it’s waterproof and I’ve used it for everything from groceries to hauling laundry from our room to the Laundromat. The company that makes them will ship to APO addresses. If you’re very tall, I recommend getting stroller extensions for the handles.

I’ve heard that some people have had bad luck with this cart. Someone posted in their review page that theirs broke on the first go. Personally, I’ve put mine through plenty of abuse and it keeps on going, so I’m guessing it was an isolated case.

Although I don’t own one, I’ve seen people off-base using the shopping cart sold by Narita Trading. It was my first choice when investigating carts, but it was erased from the list when I read that the wheels in the cart don’t swivel. Hauling a load of groceries is easier if your cart will corner smoothly, so to me that was an issue. BUT, I’ve seen people using it w/o a problem, so it’s a personal choice. You can buy waterproof liners for this cart as well.

We have taken the VersaCart shopping off-base more than once and have not had any problems with it. We haven’t ventured out much with the bikes off-base yet, as we are fairly new to the island and our schedules tend to conflict.

Now, before you go and order a cart/trailer, however, here’s a few drawbacks:

1) I contacted Wike and asked them if they ship to APO addresses. Their answer was yes, although they said that while the uncovered trailer is small enough that it can be shipped to an APO, the shopper trailer is too big to be shipped directly. I imagine it would be the same thing if you wanted to order one of their children’s trailers. Working with an intermediary such as ShipitAPO might be the way to go if you wanted to order from Wike.

2) We don’t have children yet, so we have no first-hand review about the children’s trailers from Wike.

3) The main drawback when using these shopping carts, sadly, has come from the reaction some people have towards them. From a certain angle, they look like a baby trailer and stroller and people think there’s a baby in there.

Ecologically speaking, it’s a great way to reduce human impact on the environment, plus you get to run your errands and exercise at the same time. You also get to save money you would’ve otherwise spent on gas.

Although we haven’t been here long, during our drives off-base, I’ve noticed a lot of locals either walking or riding a bicycle. It seems a good way of avoiding the daily traffic and enjoying this beautiful island we live in.

I’d be interested in finding out what other options people have found to live a more eco-friendly life here in the island.

Thanks for reading!

Diana Quaintance

Bike safety rules for Okinawa can be found here.

Additionally, if anyone has an idea for a shopping article or would like to contribute, feel free to write me at: [email protected] -- Heather Hansen