Interested in extended RF..which carseat?

[HMC]

Hello, my son is only 5months onld but he is 17lbs and 27 inches. He is currently in a Chicco Keyfit 30 and will out grow the hight at 30inches. I want to rear-face him for as long as possible but I'm not sure which convertable carseat to get. I have been doing a lot of research on the different Convertable seats but that has just led me to more questions...

He fly a lot so I want a seat that is easy to install, transport, and can fit well on an airplane. I have a 2009 Dodge Grand Caravan..and while the minivan has a lot of room in the middle seats, it's not a lot. My sone is also long in the torso..if that helps?

Here are the seats I have narrowed my search down too. What do you think?
Graco Snugride 65
Safety 1st Complete Air
Britax Marathon 70

Any other suggestions are welcome

[BabyBearsMom]

Did you look at the Radians? They are great for tall kids, although if space is an issue it might be hard to fit in your car. I have a Britax MA70 and I don't love it, although I may be in the minority. I find the straps difficult to get DD in and out of the car. What is your budget? For a less expensive choice, I think that the True Fit Premier is a great choice.

[jjordan]

The Graco seat is called the MyRide. It will last about as long as the Marathon70. The complete air and the radian that the pp mentioned might last a little longer because they have taller shells. A long-torsoed child has a chance of outgrowing the MyRide and Marathon70 by height when rearfacing before they get to the 40# rearfacing weight limit. (Although, my moderately long-torsoed child was just about at the RF height limit of both of those at about the same time she was weighing in at 39#.)

You might also look at the evenflo triumph 65 and the evenflo momentum.

At some point it comes down to personal preference. If you can get to a store that has a wide variety of seats (like Babies R Us or Buy Buy Baby or a specialty baby store), try a bunch (in your car, if possible) and see what you like.

[Joolsplus2]

I'd definitely consider the Radians, probably the 65 or 80 if you want to travel with it, because it folds to the lowest profile.
But getting one big solid seat for your car and a cheaper second seat (Like an Evenflo Tribute) to travel with is also probably a good idea, because none of the larger convertibles is a joy to travel with (My Ride and Marathon are very bulky), nor particularly easy to install rearfacing (Complete Air is lighter, but not easy to install RF). The True Fit Premier IS also a good choice (but might be my last choice to take on a plane, it's super wide and heavy).
Really, any seat with a 40 pound limit RF is going to last you a long time rearfacing, if he stays very huge, you might only make it to 3, but if his legs sprout a bit, he could make it to 4 or 5 rearfacing. Just pick a seat that you are comfortable using and installing.... and one with rebound protection, like the Radians, Britaxes, True Fit Premier...that's personally important to ME when I have my kids rearfacing a long time. Marathon is the closest to the quality you're used to in the Key Fit (Roundabout 55, actually, as it has slots instead of a no-rethread harness), but the other seats are all fine, and will fit in your van.