Bugaboo Cameleon vs. Bob 12"AW

[elizgil26]

Help! would love any advice -- have been debating between cameleon and bob 12" for weeks -- First time mom, live in city, will use as primary stroller. any advice on which to choose? thanks!!

[MamaBear]

Don't know about the BOB, but our Cameleon is our one-and-only and after 2.5 years I'm still very happy with it. We've asked a lot of it, and it has met all our needs.

[codex57]

Unless you jog, I'd go for the Cam. The suspension/steering on there is amazing. BOB is too bulky to me for everyday use. What if you wanna stop in a store or something?

[Kindra178]

I am the biggest Bob fan out there. I live in Chicago and power walk, do light jogging, go to tight boutiques, coffee places, restaurants with the Bob. I even took the Bob to Trader Joes the day before Thanksgiving and I was able to navigate with one hand packed aisles with crazed people. I have a bit of a stroller obsession, and to me, it only comes down to one thing: push. I like to navigate city streets while holding coffee and talking on the phone. My only criticism of the Bob is that it can't take a newborn. With that confession, here is my story.

I only have a one weekend experience with the Bug Frog, so I don't know if the Cam is better. I visited NYC with 15 my month old ds. We borrowed my friend's Frog while there. Her baby was only 4 months at the time so her stroller was very new. In short, the Frog has nothing on the Bob. I had to power the Frog up the curbs with two hands, had to navigate tight stores with two hands and deal with its wheels going different directions. I hated it and missed my Bob the whole time I was there.

One more story - a friend came over sans stroller after I had the twins. I had my three boys in my Valco, and she needed to borrow a stroller so we could go to the park. She took my Bob and couldn't get over how great it was. She has told everyone. She just delivered number 2 and while trying out double strollers, she convinced two women to not get the Bug and just get the Bob.

With the price differential, you can get a car stroller (like a citi mini) and a Bob, and still come out ahead.

[codex57]

Were you in like 1 foot of snow? The Frog is almost as good as the Cam. In any case, you should be able to steer both with 1 finger (literally, cuz I do it all the time). Defnitely not a 2 hand stroller.

[ahrimie]

Both are nice strollers IMO. With the Cam, you get a bassinet too but of course, you're paying a premium for it too. I have the Cam and a Bee and love them both. It's definitely one handed steering if you need it. Plenty of times, I'm carrying DD and pushing with the other hand. I haven't been able to do that with other strollers (though, I've never tried the Bob).

[MamaBear]

Were you in like 1 foot of snow? The Frog is almost as good as the Cam. In any case, you should be able to steer both with 1 finger (literally, cuz I do it all the time). Defnitely not a 2 hand stroller.

:yeahthat: The only times I really need to use two hands is when I'm walking along an incline, such as a cambered surface, and the swivel wheels are unlocked. Otherwise, one-handed for sure. And I have also done the one-finger steering many times!

By the way, Bugaboo does have snow tires available now. They have been a huge help at times!

[vahnessuh]

We have a Cameleon, a Zippy and a Volo... The Cam has the best and easiest steering there is! Even way better and smoother and easier than the Volo... which is a lightweight stroller. When I'm out alone with my daughter, I prefer having the Cam because it's so easy to use. Sometimes she wants me to hold onto her... which makes steering with one hand easy with the Cam.

I love love it and it's the best stroller I've ever had!

[WatchingThemGrow]

I just find the Cameleon is a lot less obtrusive inside and between aisles. The BOB is SO much longer.

[purpelina]

I just find the Cameleon is a lot less obtrusive inside and between aisles. The BOB is SO much longer.

Agree w/ that. Also, Bob and Cam are VERY different strollers. And because one is a 3-wheeler, other is a 4-wheeler the steering is a bit different - NOT in terms of ease, but just the way you position your hand to push it is a bit different. It all can be personal preference or a habit. Say, my DH used to prefer steering and pushing of graco metrolite (and it's single bar handle) over a Mac triumph, while I could push Mac triumph with one hand and immediately disliked Graco when I bought the Mac.
Anyway, for a newborn, city living, lots of walking -I'd get a bug. You can change your stroller when your child is older.

[Kindra178]

No snow. It was a gorgeous October weekend. Lots of curbs in Brooklyn are not accessible, and I had a hard time powering them with one hand whereas the Bob would have glided easily.

[salsah]

both are great strollers -- very different, but both are nice strollers. however, you can not use the bob with a newborn (it does not have a full recline). so, if you decided to go with the bob, you have to either wear the baby or get another stroller for the first few months. for that reason alone, i would go for the cam. however if you are leaning towards to the bob, you can check out the mbus? the mbus has a full recline and a bassinet option.

[strollerqueen]

The BOB is more rugged and folds easier. BUT, it is not reversible, which is huge. It is very important to face your baby for the first year, which of course you can do with Bugaboos.

[arivecchi]

The Bug is so expensive that you can get two really nice strollers for that price and cover more of your needs. For instance, you could get a Baby Jogger or Valco as your heavy duty stroller and a really nice Mac or Inglesina for car trips and other travel.

[edurnemk]

I personally prefer reversible strollers, there are other Bugaboo-like options are: UPPAbaby Vista (I have this one and I love it), Quinny Buzz, I'coo Targo, and others. Most are less expensive than the Bug.

[purpelina]

The Bug is so expensive that you can get two really nice strollers for that price and cover more of your needs. For instance, you could get a Baby Jogger or Valco as your heavy duty stroller and a really nice Mac or Inglesina for car trips and other travel.

And you can buy a bassinet for a baby jogger as well. Then you can face the baby until about 6 mo (or when s/he outgrows the bassinet). baby jogger is agreat all terrain

[codex57]

The Bugaboo wannabes aren't the same as the Bug. Whether it's weight, price, features, etc. Babybargains book did a comparison. Surprisingly, the Bugaboo is justifiable beyond status. Remember, once you start adding up things (like bassinets) to other strollers that come standard on the Bug, the price difference drops. And, having 1 stroller takes up less storage space than 2.

Is the Bug perfect? Hardly. It's not even my favorite stroller (of the 2, and soon to be 3, that we have). But it actually does have a lot going for it.

[strollerqueen]

I'm very happy that they dropped the price of the Frog substantially, to $629. That makes it less expensive now than a lot of others in it's class.