Travel Stroller

[ashleyst12]

Hello,
Had a quick question. My wife and I are looking for a light weight travel stroller. We have the Combi Perfect Match for our regular stroller. We have been looking at umbrella strollers but aren't to crazy about them (our daughter is 9 mths old). This would mainly be used for trips out fo state. Does anyone know of any good strollers that are a step up from an umbrella stroller??? My wife prefers one with a canopy, a good supporting seat and possibly even a basket underneath. Thanks, Rob

[raynjen]

Rob,
I know of several umbrella style strollers (the kind that fold in half and collapse from side to side) that have all the features your wife wants (though you will find that all of these have small baskets.) You didn't mention price so I will give you my top pick - the Maclaren Techno. It runs around $300 (you can find them on sale though). We have the Maclaren Vogue which is one step down from the Techno that I bought onsale online for $150. We have used it with our now 9 mo. old daughter since she outgrew her infant seat at 4 1/2 months. It has been on 8 airplane trips and 7 cartrips of 250 miles or longer and I absolutely love it! My husband was initially skeptical because of the price and the fact that we already had two strollers, but he has come to really appreciate it as well. If I could have afforded the Techno I would have gotten it, the main difference is a step up in comfort for the baby. You can see these strollers at http://www.maclarenbaby.com/pages/products.html

Hope this helps!
Jen

[ashleyst12]

Jen,
I appreciate the help. Just out of curiosity, what web site did you use to get your stroller at???? My wife was initially looking to spend about $50 but I told her for a good one it may cost more. Any thoughts of any strollers in the $50 range???? Again, thanks for your help.

Rob

[dubbogod]

We bought the Combi SUBV and really like it. It has a recline, not super flat, but enough for a baby to sleep, a canopy, and a basket (albeit very small). It folds up really small, to 8" wide, although it is tricky at first, once you get it, it's amazingly easy. It's also only 10 lbs.

You can get it at www.babycenter.com for $42.95 plus shipping, and I think there You can also read reviews of it there.
It's also available for $39.99 in the Wild Safari print, at http://www.combi-intl.com/shop/index.php3?SCREEN=item&sid=XOyWrrj6VucEc9kd&item=52, the combi discount outlet, with free shipping, but all sales are final, no returns, etc. (except for warranty issues). They also have the Travel Savvy (folds to 10" and is 11 lbs) for $69.

Hope this helps.

Shawn

[MamaKath]

Rob,

Try www.strollers4less.com for some good deals as well. I would recommend the Kidco Maverick Plus as very similar to the Techno. Also the Kidco Grand Finale is very nice. I have one and love it. We no longer use the carrycot, but the baby is comfy in it (5.5 months) and my large 3 year old fits nicely as well. On the low end of cost is the Graco Kite. Many of the folks here have that as a travel stroller. For around 40$ at walmart or TRU/BRU it gives you a big basket, recline, parent and child trays. It does only have a 3 point harness though. As someone who has had strollers damaged every time I've flown (from minor scratches to missing pieces, etc.) this one is a good pick since it may have serious damage during your trip.

HTH~

[momathome]

Babycenter.com has has some really good deals on Macs lately - Techno for $200 and Vogue for I think $125. I purchased the Vogue from Babycenter and love it! Good luck!
-Lauren

[egoldber]

Is the stroller for air travel or car travel? For air travel, I would definitely get a stroller that can be folded with only one hand. Also, once you get used to the lightweight and convenience of an umbrella stroller, you will find that you will use it a LOT. So I would buy the best stroller you can easily afford. I have a Maclaren Mistral (now discontinued, similar to the new Maclaren Quest) that I got for $99 on clearance. You can find good deals on '01 strollers many places on line and at BRU type stores.

HTH,

[Gagesmom]

I have a Peg Perego Pliko and it's great. You can buy a basket for underneath, it has a canopy, the seat reclines, it folds really easily, it is light and also sturdy. I think mine was about $190 plus $20 for the basket. It's actually a lot like a bit bigger, better umbrella stroller. Just an idea for you.

[suzska]

I don't know. We bought the Combi Convenience stroller AS our travel stroller. Of course if you're talking about trips in the car, it would take up too much room. But we were flying to Florida and since we would be gone from the room all day, I wanted something bigger than an umbrella but smaller than my travel system stroller. So we got the Combi and have been happy with it.