How hard do you think this would be to push?

[journey4justice]

http://www.koolstop.com/strollerpack/

I have a chance to get one at a really good price. I like the idea of the stroller backpacks but we tried the Kelty one (40 lbs weight limit) and my son was too big for it.

This one looks cool but I worry how hard it would be to push. It would be great to take to Europe with us and I could just fold it up and take it on the plane with us or into small restaurants.

Any thoughts?

[american_mama]

I have seen photos of stuff like this, but never even touched one, so take my comments as musings only.

It looks like you have to push it (or possibly pull it) at about a 45 degree angle, like a rolling suitcase. If you push it more upright, I wonder if the kickstand will scrape the group. If you push it at an angle, you will be bearing some of the weight. Sometimes I feel the effort of pushing a fully loaded suitcase, so a fully loaded backpack/stroller with kid could be heavy. Also, I wonder if it will be hard to steer. Comparing it to a suitcase, I always pull my suitcase behind me and have far less control of it if I am pushing it.

In backpack mode, the wheels would probably get your clothes dirty and occasinally you will probably bump into people or things (racks in stores), getting them dirty or knocking stuff over. It does say the wheels quick release, so you could remove them in that situation (if you can reach - you may have to have a partner do it once kid is on your back), but then where do you store the wheels?

The kickstand feature seems important. Without it, you'd never be able to walk away from your child even for a second. Nevertheless, you might want to get it out of the way on occasion, but it doesn't look like it moves.

How much does it weigh? Will that plus weight of child (and future weight of child if you use it for the next 1 or 2 years) be too much?

I can't imagine that it reclines. Will your child be comfortable, especially if you're out long enough that he/she needs to sleep? Is there enough storage for your stuff? Will your child be more inclined to try and climb out because it's low to the ground? I imagine the harness could keep them in, but some kids are good escape artists.

I live in Belgium and recall that you are moving to Amsterdam. Finding the right stroller for conditions here is a challenge, and the best solution may be to have more than one solution. For instance, I have a swivel wheel jogger for walking to playground and bus trips into city, and a 12-16 pound, easy fold all-purpose Evenflo stroller with a big basket, which I can use for almost everything, including travel and grocery shopping. I have traveled to cities where I wish I had the jogger for the wheels, but couldn't bring it because of the hefty size or weight. And I have been in places, like subways with narrow turnstiles and crowded trains, where I wished I had a tiny umbrella fold stroller, but it wouldn't work because of minuscule basket or minimal comfort for DD. So you often give something up to gain in another area.