I'coo Pacific: a few questions

[jennyzu]

I have seen the Demo on youtube of the new I'coo pacific and that's my only option to see the stroller before I order it on-line.
A few questions that rise after seeing the demo and the pics of the stroller:
1) How upright is the most upright position? all the standart pictures of the stroller in different websites show a semi-reclining position, is it the most upright that it gets?
2) When using the stroller as a bassinet, wouldn't the strap system bother the newborn? I mean, that with a newborn lying in the bassinet there is no need to strap him, and if so wouldn't it just bother him lying on those straps? I know that regular bassinets dont have straps on them.
3) does the stroller come with some kind of additional mattress for the bassinet option? If not, where can I buy it?
4) I have seen in some websites that sell this stroller that there is a rainshield included, and some don't mention it. is it something that the manufacturer always includes in the box? is the foot muff always included?
I also don't understand what does it mean "a mattress pad that turns into a foot muff for cooler days"? how do you use this mattress pad?
5) how difficult is it to assemble the stroller in the beginning?
6) how deep is the bassinet? would you leave your let's say 3-4 months old baby on the porch in it? I used to do it with my daughter in a Inglezina zippy bassinet. I would be checking frequently on her, but wasn't worried that she would fall of (the bassinet was pretty deep).
7) what is the mechanism of the reclining? is it one handed?
8) My Daughter used to sleep in her stroller on the walks until she was 2 years old. and she was able to fall asleep only if the stroller reclined flat. how difficult is it to recline the seat to a full recline with a child in it?
9) Can I take all of the fabric in order to wash it? or is it only partially washable?
10) do you have any cons to the stroller?

I know that that's a lot of questions, but I am very nervous buying a stroller that I have no option to see in person.
Reply With Quote

[PGTB]

I have seen the Demo on youtube of the new I'coo pacific and that's my only option to see the stroller before I order it on-line.

I just received my I'coo Pacific stroller 2 days ago, I am not due for another month, so I won't be able to tell you anything about using the stroller outside with the baby, I yet have to try it. So, that review won't be here till sometime in mid-May. I already have a pretty good idea on how to answer some of your questions since I have the stroller and had a chance to try it at the store before buying it, so I hope this will help.




A few questions that rise after seeing the demo and the pics of the stroller:
1) How upright is the most upright position? all the standart pictures of the stroller in different websites show a semi-reclining position, is it the most upright that it gets?

The seat doesn't have the 90 degree upright angle position if this is what you are looking for. it has 3 recline positions and the most upright is not really straight, it has still a slight degree of recline. There is a strap on the back of the seat that can be tightened to force the seat into the more upright position. I found it to be upright enough, besides there is a bumper bar a child can hold on to with the removable fabric.


2) When using the stroller as a bassinet, wouldn't the strap system bother the newborn? I mean, that with a newborn lying in the bassinet there is no need to strap him, and if so wouldn't it just bother him lying on those straps? I know that regular bassinets dont have straps on them.

The bassinet is long, so it would most likely be allowing your newborn to slide when going up and down hills or when encountering particularly rough sidewalk. Maybe that is why they suggest restraint use in the bassinet and allow the straps of the restraint to come through the mattress pad. However, you don't have to do this and the straps can be hidden underneath the hard board of the mattress and won't be in the way at all.
The strap system can be covered by the mattress completely. There is a hard board inside the mattress, and a padding layer to provide some softness, so your child shouldn't feel the straps at all. If you do want to restrain your child, there are holes in the mattress pad and the board, so that you can bring the restraint belts through.


3) does the stroller come with some kind of additional mattress for the bassinet option? If not, where can I buy it?
The mattress provided should give you enough cushion, so you don't have to buy a separate mattress. You actually don't want to put a real bassinet mattress there to add anymore thickness, because the bassinet is not deep enough for that. With that said, I suggest to use some sort of a cotton mattress pad or a thick sheet to cover the inside of the bassinet including bassinet walls. The fabric inside the bassinet is the same as the seat and canopy fabric, since the bassinet is essentially a seat. This fabric is not very nice as far as bassinet lining is concerned. The strollers that have separate bassinet pieces or dedicated bassinet fabric have much much nicer lining and can be used as is. This stroller bassinet can be used as is too, but I wouldn't advise it for newborn use, it should be ok for an older child and in that situation you will want to use the restraint belts anyway even if they are laying down.


4) I have seen in some websites that sell this stroller that there is a rain-shield included, and some don't mention it. is it something that the manufacturer always includes in the box? is the foot muff always included?
The rain-shield and the foot cover should come with your brand new stroller. They were included with mine. If you order on the internet you should get a completely sealed box straight from the manufacturer and everything would be wrapped in plastic and brand new. I don't think there are options for accessories. The standard ones included with mine are the car seat adapter, the foot cover, the mattress for the bassinet and the plastic rain-shield inside a zippered black nylon pouch.


I also don't understand what does it mean "a mattress pad that turns into a foot muff for cooler days"? how do you use this mattress pad?


There is a mattress pad that has some padding and holes for the straps, inside this mattress pad is the hard board which you use with the bassinet. Together, the board and the mattress pad make the bassinet mattress. The board can be removed by undoing the velcro and the bassinet mattress can become a seat mattress pad for extra cushion. It's not necessary to use this with your seat, but can be the option. The foot cover or foot muff has a zipper and can be zippered into the mattress pad or into the frame of the seat directly I think. When you receive the stroller the foot cover will be zippered together with the mattress. When you remove the board, I guess these two pieces zippered together would make it a very warm foot-muff for winter. I think this can also be zipped into the frame of the seat, but I haven't tried it yet.


5) how difficult is it to assemble the stroller in the beginning?
It was pretty easy and intuitive, we didn't even use instructions. The frame comes fully assembled but folded. All you have to do is unfold the frame, attach the wheels and attach the seat. The wheels are super easy to attach and take off. The front wheels come to you locked, you can unlock them after attaching them. Basically, there is technically no assembly required, it's just attaching the pieces together that have been designed to come apart and adjusted during the regular stroller use (like taking off the seat, taking off the wheels, folding/unfolding the frame, locking/unlocking the front wheels). You can get the idea on how to do all these things from the demo videos.

Conversion of the seat to the bassinet and back is also super easy and is done with the use of straps on the back and adjustable footrest.



6) how deep is the bassinet? would you leave your let's say 3-4 months old baby on the porch in it? I used to do it with my daughter in a Inglezina zippy bassinet. I would be checking frequently on her, but wasn't worried that she would fall of (the bassinet was pretty deep).

The bassinet is pretty shallow, it's a converted seat after all, not a dedicated bassinet. I would personally not leave the child in it that can already sit down on his/her own and crawl unrestrained. As long as you use the restraint belt you shouldn't be worried that your child would fall out. If they are really tiny, I don't think there is a risk at all, besides the canopy is pretty large and thick and covers the half of the bassinet. You also can use the foot cover to zip around the bassinet that would restrain your child from climbing out in colder weather.


7) what is the mechanism of the reclining? is it one handed?
There is a button on the top of the seat, so it's one handed, very similar to what you get on Vista and other strollers.



8) My Daughter used to sleep in her stroller on the walks until she was 2 years old. and she was able to fall asleep only if the stroller reclined flat. how difficult is it to recline the seat to a full recline with a child in it?
I think this stroller seat is specifically designed for this feature and would meet such a need better than the other ones with bucket seat. This seat is extremely flexible. You can convert it on the fly by loosening the straps on the back to completely flat bassinet position. The footrest is also adjustable. There are two straps on the back, one for leg part (to make it bend at the knee level) and one for the back part to make it like a bucket seat. You can actually mold it to whatever semi-reclined or semi-flat position you want using the straps and the footrest. It's a really well designed seat, I haven't seen anything like it before, now it just needs to stand the test of being comfortable for the baby, which of course I wouldn't know for a while.



9) Can I take all of the fabric in order to wash it? or is it only partially washable?
it's partially washable from what I understand. The mattress pad and the foot cover are completely washable. You just have to remove the hard board from the mattress pad. The seat fabric can be unsnapped from the frame, however there are board pieces sewn in there for the back and leg support to make the seat hard. I don't see how these pieces can be removed and I don't think you can wash the seat with these hard board pieces in them. You can spot treat that part and wash the sides of the seat by hand making sure you don't soak the bottom of the seat in water too much. The canopy is removable, but it has metal pieces sewn into it, so cannot be washed in the machine. I am going to attempt to hand wash it, I don't think the metal frame of the canopy would get damaged from water, it's made for the rain after all and it is covered with paint that should make it rust resistant. If it rusts, then it's just a crappy material, oh well.



10) do you have any cons to the stroller?

the only con I can think of is the fabric. It's not really the texture of the fabric, it's nylon and I think will be practical and easy to clean hopefully and after all it's meant for outdoors. But it's the toxicity of it especially for newborn use and the fact that you cannot completely wash it. I am extremely sensitive to some chemicals, like flame retardants. I cannot stand the 'new car smell' and it makes me sick. This stroller made my apartment reek like a new car when I took it out. DH wasn't sensitive to it at all and didn't seem to notice or be bothered, I had to keep the windows open for 2 days to air it out. It's much better now.

When I read the label it said that the stroller complies with the California law on flame resistant materials and it uses polyurethane foam. I don't get it why an outdoor stroller should be saturated with this junk, it's not a car seat and unlikely to be in a situation where it would be near open fire source. Anyway, I don't know if all strollers come covered in flame retardant chemicals or just this particular brand, I am guessing lots of them do. It's definitely a con for me. It will make it complicated because I have to figure out how to cover the bassinet with something so that my son's skin doesn't come in contact with it and so that he doesn't breath in too much.

I wasn't too worried purchasing it as I will never ever use this indoors as a day bed of any kind and would strongly discourage anyone from doing this with this particular stroller. it will be used outdoors only. I am going to wash all the fabrics I can with the mild detergent and baking soda and then rinse it with water and vinegar prior to use. I think it should do the trick.

I have a an organic mini-crib waterproof mattress pad which has a rubber band going around and can be put to cover the insides of the bassinet completely. It doesn't fit too snug, but can be accommodated. it also would keep the baby's diaper accidents from damaging the stroller seat :)


I know that that's a lot of questions, but I am very nervous buying a stroller that I have no option to see in person.
Reply With Quote


I completely understand what you mean! Buying a stroller that is brand new and has no reviews is pretty risky. I took the risk even though I've seen it in person, but still there is nobody who have actually used it in real life to tell you about practical cons and pros. I actually posted a thread asking about I'coo Targo to find out about some real life opinions since I'coo Targo has the same exact frame as Pacific. I wanted to find out if the users of I'coo Targo liked the quality of the ride, the suspension, etc. I've read some reviews online and they were mostly positive and there is a thread you can search under my name that has a response from the user 'eggnova' who had provided a really nice in depth review of her Targo, which was very helpful.

I took the leap of faith and wouldn't actually know if I truly love this stroller until I use it. Hopefully, there will be some reviews from those who bought it who already have children and can put it to use right away much sooner. Good luck with your decision.

[jennyzu]

Thank you so much for the answers!
Now I am more confident in my gut feeling that this is the stroller for us.
I think that now I have the whole picture of this stroller in my head (thanks to the demo video and your answers).
Since It's going to be my second child, I have a very good idea of what is important for me in a stroller, and the I'coo pacific is perfect for my needs.
one last question: In one of your previous posts, you said that you bought the stroller for 422$, can you please tell me where did you find that price?

Thanks again for such detailed and helpful answers!

[PGTB]

Thank you so much for the answers!
Now I am more confident in my gut feeling that this is the stroller for us.
I think that now I have the whole picture of this stroller in my head (thanks to the demo video and your answers).
Since It's going to be my second child, I have a very good idea of what is important for me in a stroller, and the I'coo pacific is perfect for my needs.
one last question: In one of your previous posts, you said that you bought the stroller for 422$, can you please tell me where did you find that price?

Thanks again for such detailed and helpful answers!

I bought it from Comfort1st.com using their 10% coupon on all strollers. They had this discount and that's what made the price a bit lower, plus no shipping charges and no tax. I ordered it some time ago, there weren't many websites selling it. Now, I think there are quite a few online resellers.

Good luck! You probably will start using this stroller before I do :D and be able to review it from practical use standpoint.

[jennyzu]

I thought about ordering from them, but when I looked on-line for reviews of their web-site I encountered a lot of bad reviews. did you have any problems with your order?
I am due in another 6 weeks, so i doubt that I will have a chance to use it before you. however I do plan to assemble it right away and put a review here and in some other places (being a second time mom, I think that I can figure out if it's a good and useful stroller just by looking at it).

[PGTB]

I thought about ordering from them, but when I looked on-line for reviews of their web-site I encountered a lot of bad reviews. did you have any problems with your order?
I didn't have a problem with them at all. The stroller was not yet available for shipping when I ordered, so I wasn't disappointed that I had to wait since I knew it wouldn't be shipped right away. I called a couple of times to find out when they would be available. They ship from Canada, I think every reseller gets them from the same place and they ship directly from some central warehouse without getting to the online reseller physical store first. The sales rep told me information that was correct and it shipped on time according to what she said. She could not exactly say when and how many days i have to wait, but she gave me a timeframe window, like 8-10 days but most likely sooner. It was shipped sooner and I received a confirmation by email with the Fedex tracking number. it arrived in a very good packaging, fully intact. I've ordered from other websites before and some items (even from Amazon or Overstock) arrive like they've been opened before and sealed back or used when you buy new. This stroller is manufacturer sealed and completely new, I didn't have to worry that it was a re-packaged one. I think they are just so new that it would be hard to get the returned and opened one unless you get it from the store directly.




I am due in another 6 weeks, so i doubt that I will have a chance to use it before you. however I do plan to assemble it right away and put a review here and in some other places (being a second time mom, I think that I can figure out if it's a good and useful stroller just by looking at it).

Yes, do that, as a first time mom, I would appreciate it :D

[zane]

Would recommend the UppaBaby Vista over the Pacific. Just bought the I Coo Pacific and I am nor really happy with it. Hopefully I can return it and get the Vista.

[jennyzu]

what exactly you didn't like about the stroller?

[PGTB]

Would recommend the UppaBaby Vista over the Pacific. Just bought the I Coo Pacific and I am nor really happy with it. Hopefully I can return it and get the Vista.

Are you actually using it outside with the baby? Or you just didn't like it right from the start after you assembled it? I am also very curious to know what it is that makes you re-think your decision and why you think Vista would be so much better. I would appreciate your honest opinion!

[jennyzu]

For the record I have to say that I have never seen the vista or the pacific in person, but saw it in different reviews and videos on the web.
I think that the vista has 3 flaws comparing to the I'coo Pacific:
1) the price!!! almost 300 $ difference together with all the accessories.
2) I consider the flat recline a very important feature, not just for the newborn phase. I use the stroller for hours outside: walking, sitting in the park etc. (my DD, now 4 years old, napped mostly outside)
I don't think that the best position for children to sleep in is the Bucket seat, which is the way most of the new strollers are. that's why I don't even like the travel systems.
3) the use of the bassinet is very important for me (again: I don't like the travel systems), but I also don't want to store an additional bassinet after just 5-6 months.

[PGTB]

For the record I have to say that I have never seen the vista or the pacific in person, but saw it in different reviews and videos on the web.
I think that the vista has 3 flaws comparing to the I'coo Pacific:
1) the price!!! almost 300 $ difference together with all the accessories.
2) I consider the flat recline a very important feature, not just for the newborn phase. I use the stroller for hours outside: walking, sitting in the park etc. (my DD, now 4 years old, napped mostly outside)
I don't think that the best position for children to sleep in is the Bucket seat, which is the way most of the new strollers are. that's why I don't even like the travel systems.
3) the use of the bassinet is very important for me (again: I don't like the travel systems), but I also don't want to store an additional bassinet after just 5-6 months.

I was debating for a while myself between these two. I really love Uppababy Vista and especially the organic lined bassinet, the huge basket and the fancy canopy with windows/pull down shade and the 4 seat positions with fully upright. But I ended up choosing Pacific for following reasons:

1) no need to store additional piece, we are short on space and bassinet would only last for that long and then needs to be collapsed and kept somewhere until you want to sell the stroller. Pacific bassinet is kind of always with you when you want it :) and it's longer than Vista's.
2) I like that the seat is flexible and can be adjusted by means of the straps to mold to whatever position you want.
3) I liked two seat height positions - it can be useful when you want your baby at your level depending on where you sit, sometimes it helps to have it higher, sometimes lower.
3) Pacific stroller is slightly lighter and smaller than Vista. It's supposed to only be 3 lb of weight difference in favor of the Pacific, but it just feels a bit more streamlined and lighter frame, simpler construction, thinner tubes and for someone small and not too strong like myself a bit easier to manage.
4) Fold is easier/smoother, although that wasn't a deciding factor since we won't be folding it whole a lot not having a car, but it's really easy to collapse (regardless which way the seat faces), while I tended to struggle with Vista fold and have almost pinched my finger a couple of times.
5) I felt the frame of the Pacific had more 'give' to it, more bounce, I felt Vista to be a bit more firm and wondered if the I'coo frame has some sort of suspension built into it that I cannot see that hopefully would make the ride smoother. Of course I yet have to test this in real life and wouldn't have the opportunity to test Vista in real life. I found Vista suspension to be a bit stiff, but then I'coo doesn't have any suspension on wheels at all from what I can tell. Both maneuver pretty well.
6) I liked the foot cover and the fact that it can be clipped onto the seat to hold it in place. I saw how the individual foot muffs tend to come off and dangle off the stroller especially generic ones (that you would have to get with Vista since it doesn't have one). This foot-muff matches the stroller and looks very clean and streamlined, no annoying blankets or pieces hanging out from it.

Price of course was another factor, it was a good value with all necessary accessories (except bug shield or cup holders) already included. So, I have more budget to splurge on something like Bugaboo Bee (my coveted travel/PT stroller).:tongue5:

The thing I don't like about Pacific is the fact that the fabric cannot be completely washed because for some reason they decided to have the wood pieces of the seat and metal pieces of the canopy sewn into the fabric instead of zippered or velcroed in. I have a hard time with this and this is a major con for me because I am sensitive to some chemicals and I think the foam or filler inside the stroller has that strong flame retardant and I am very worried about my baby using it without a nice wash. Flame retardants have been linked to SIDS... I have to find some way to remove this from the stroller or line the bassinet with something.. Which makes things complicated. I wish sometimes it did have a nice dedicated bassinet with organic lining to give me some piece of mind.

Actually, being completely honest, if I do end up hating Pacific once I start using it, I don't think I would go with Vista to replace it, I think I would then just get a Bugaboo Cameleon. The reasons: completely removable and washable and swappable fabrics, trusted suspension and quality of the ride tested many many times over on NYC streets by 80% of people with kids living there and swearing by it.

Sorry for the rumble, I am sure other posters are probably getting tired of reading my incessant long reviews. I am just trying to justify my decision I guess especially after that one-liner negative review by a completely brand new user in this thread. And especially since I already threw away the box.

Hopefully, you can get some more detailed response from Zane to help you make your decision before you buy!

[kskiska]

what exactly you didn't like about the stroller?

...as those two strollers were my contenders as well but then saw she had posted her reasons in another thread:

http://www.windsorpeak.com/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=2680810&postcount=6

[penny874]

I found these posts very helpful when deciding to purchase the icoo pacific and was compelled to come back and talk about my experience, especially since there is not too much out there about this stroller. On line this stroller seemed to be the answer. It had a large bassinet for my 20 pound 6 month old and looked awesome on the video. I loved not having two separate pieces. However, once it arrived I was very disappointed with the way it teetered on the base. If you follow the link, the other buyer had said the same thing, but I bought it anyway. She was soooo right! It does not seem sturdy enough, even when in the seated position. I am probably going to splurge on the bugaboo now since the uppa has a smaller bassinet. If you still feel the need to go ahead and try this stroller, buy it from diapers.com. They are sending ups to my house to pick it back up, no return shipping fee or restocking fee. Thank goodness this was a painless mistake.