Sun Jul 02
This is my unofficial review of what I believe is the best stroller, or at least type of stroller, to buy.
Written by: Brett Baisley
I am not an official product reviewer. I don’t work for a stroller company. I am just a regular dad of two boys who over the years have owned and used multiple different strollers. I want to share my personal recommendation on which stroller I think is the best, and I hope anyone who is on the fence on which stroller to buy finds this helpful.
Right before our first kid was born, my wife and I decided we wanted a travel system. If you are not sure what that means, a travel system is a car seat and stroller combination that is designed to work together. The car seat can be removed from the car and attached to the stroller, and vice versa easily. This is great because instead of trying to take out the baby from the car seat to move them to the stroller, you just pop out the whole car seat and attach it to the stroller and are ready to roll.
We did a lot of researching on which system to get, and after reading a lot of reviews and watching YouTube recommendations, we dicded to get the Britax B-Agile Travel System. This is a fanstatic system for infants. Placing them in the car is super easy, and transferring to the stroller is effortless. The stroller is nice as well. It folds up easily, pretty flat as to not take up too much space in the car, and is easy to maneuver. I think they went with the “agile” name because of how easy it was to push this stroller. This is definitely a solid choice for newborns.
Then along came baby number two, and that’s when things got complicated. Having two kids thirteen months apart, we agreed a double stroller was a must. Our main reservation of double strollers was most of them were double-wide, and we thought would be difficult to get through doors, so we focused on double strollers that were front to back configurations.
We already had the Britax system, so we focused on their line of products. We settled on Britax B-Ready G3 Stroller. This stroller was compatible with the travel system we already owned, so the newborn car seat would easily attach. There was an additional attachment that allowed for a second seat to be added in the front to back configuration we were looking for.
At first, we loved it because it would glide along effortlessly and it was stable. But after using it for a while, we quickly realized its downsides. The second seat attaches to the back, close to the ground, facing forward while the infant car seat attaches in the normal positon. Our eldest sat here which wasn’t easy for him to get in, and all he could see was the car seat about 6 inches in front of his face. Plus, the whole stroller was heavy, which was a challenge for my wife to set up and stow away.
From that, we tried a bunch of different types of strollers. We had one similiar to a Maclaren Twin Triumph (ours wasn’t the Maclaren, it was a budget brand that I can’t even remember the name) that was heavier then it should have been. And the smaller wheels proved to be problematic as they would get hung up on every crack in the sidewalk, practically dumping the kids out each time.
We tried a few other umbrella style strollers for a bit. While lighter which made them easier to get in and out of the car, they were not as stable. The kids looks a bit too big for them, even though they were in the middle of the weight range. And again, the smaller wheels proved problematic on even small sidewalk cracks. We must have owned 4 or5 different types of strollers at this point.
Then one day, while at the Bronx Zoo, we came across a family with a Keenz Adventure Stroller Wagon. After talking to them for a bit and hearing how much they loved it, we ordered one while still wandering around the zoo.
We love this wagon. It was big enough that it held both kids comfortably. There are compartments to carry things, like water bottle and sunscreen. One is so big, I put my whole backback in it. There are tons of accessories for it, if you so choose to use any of them (we got the off-road wheels).
It wasn’t until our recent family vaction to Disney World did I realize its faults. The biggest issue with the wagon is it is very difficult to steer, especially now that our kids are older and heavier. Think about it, you have forty pounds sitting at the front and thirty pounds sitting at the back of the wagon, all of which is about four feet in front of you. Trying to steer that around any sort of turn, takes a lot of effort. Taking the kids for a walk in this has become a workout!
So what is my recommendation? Its the BOB Revolution Flex Duallie!
Full disclosure, we never owned this stroller. When we found out we were not allowed to take our wagon to the Disney World parks, we rented this from ShutterBug while we were on vaction. And we loved it!
First, for a double stroller, its light. Folding it up and putting it into the car very easy. It opens and closes in one smooth motion. The wheels are big, so it can handle any terrain. Not once did we get stuck on any sort of crack in the sidewalk. Its stable, it never tipped. Our kids, even at 5 and 4 years of age, fit in it comfortably. Our original concerns of a double-wide stroller was not fitting into doors, but that was completely wrong. Yes, it is a bit tight to fit in a doorway, but you do have a few inches to spare, so if you line it up right, it fits easily.
But the best part of this stroller is that it is effortless to maneuver! Pushing two kids around Disney all day, with the crowds of people there, having to suddenly stop or change course to avoid running into people, was a breeze. I could push and turn this with one hand.
Knowning what I know today, if I had a time machine, I would go back and buy a BOB right from the start. I’m sure the price of this was a bit of a deterrent, but looking back at all the strollers/wagons we ended up purchasing over the years, we probably could have bought two BOBs by now. Yes, it is an investment, but one you will use frequently for 5, 6, 7+ years. Do yourself a favor, and at least seriously think about the BOB line of strollers.