Home Best Double Stroller

[so cal girl]

I''m looking for recommendations for a good double stroller.

My sister has 8 month old twins who just upgraded from their infant seats to convertible car seats, so she can no longer use her snap n go. She is currently using a jogging stroller that was passed down to her from a neighbor, but it''s not in the best shape, and it has a permanently locked front wheel. She has an SUV, so size isn''t too much of an issue. Basically she wants something maneuverable, and preferably not huge

I''m also interested in what people recommend, since we''ll eventually need a double once we decide to have a second one in a year or two.

I think she''d like to spend less that $400, so a BOB is probably not an option. But if you have glowing reviews on something over $400, feel free to post them, just so we can get an idea of what''s out there.

 

[D&T]

I love my Phil&Ted sport buggy with the double kit, Its slim as a single stroller, but it is sort of like a bunk bed for strollers. The only thing I absolutely hate is that we have to constantly be putting air in our tires

, the brakes a little annoying as well, but love it still. It doesn't come any cup accessories, however, I found that the BOB handlebar single console works Perfectly and fits the Phil & Ted. Love it! I found mine at REI for $359 plus you have to buy the double kit which Ithink was another $50... plus tax. Nice thing was I got rid of my other two strollers and just have this one. You can actually buy an attachment for a car seat if/when we have another child so we won't be buying another stroller. Its ok for a jogging, not the best, but its the most manueverable stroller I found for us instead of the wide double stroller - easier to shop with and walk about- funny thing is whenever we are out and about, someone always seem to stop us about the stroller and where to get one of them.

 

[neatfreak]

I love my bumbleride, but only the 2009 models and forward. They made some serious changes in 2009 that made it a wonderful stroller from an ok stroller.

Lets see in my twins groups we have:

2 moms with chiccos (hate them)
2 moms with Bob''s (love them-but they don''t fold down well for bringing in the car)
2 moms with Bumblerides (we both love them
1 mom with a City Mini (neutral on it)

We also pretty much ALL have Maclaren folding umbrella strollers and we all love them.

Hope that helps! I did a ton of research before buying our bumbleride and I love it. Folds down relatively small for an all terrain stroller too which is a major bonus. My runner up was the Bob which I loved, but I needed to be able to fit it in my VW wagon and the bumbleride folded smaller.

 

[curlygirl]

Date: 2/22/2010 3:28:02 PM
Author: D&T
I love my Phil&Ted sport buggy with the double kit, Its slim as a single stroller, but it is sort of like a bunk bed for strollers. The only thing I absolutely hate is that we have to constantly be putting air in our tires

, the brakes a little annoying as well, but love it still. It doesn't come any cup accessories, however, I found that the BOB handlebar single console works Perfectly and fits the Phil & Ted. Love it! I found mine at REI for $359 plus you have to buy the double kit which Ithink was another $50... plus tax. Nice thing was I got rid of my other two strollers and just have this one. You can actually buy an attachment for a car seat if/when we have another child so we won't be buying another stroller. Its ok for a jogging, not the best, but its the most manueverable stroller I found for us instead of the wide double stroller - easier to shop with and walk about- funny thing is whenever we are out and about, someone always seem to stop us about the stroller and where to get one of them.

DITTO! I absolutely LOVE my P&T sport. Streamlined, easy to maneuver, great price. We have to put air in the tires a lot as well because we are city people and use this stroller as our main form of transportation but I can't even really complain about it in the grand scheme of things because it's such a great stroller. Highly recommend!

 

[so cal girl]

Thanks for the reviews you guys!

For the Phil & Ted, does it fold with the second seat attached? Living in southern California, you pretty much drive everywhere, so it needs to be easily foldable.

Neat - I''m definitely liking the Bumbleride! I think it may be out of her price range, but I''m going to remember it for we have our second.

For the City Mini, do you have any idea what the mom likes/dislikes about it? That was one that looked really good online, but I haven''t seen it in person.

 

[sunkist]

socal - i dont have a P&T, but from my research, i believe if you get the Dash model, or the next higher one, it folds with the rumble seat attached. I bought a P&T befote W was born and returned it for something else, but if I got a P&T again, I would get the Dash. It has a few more features that make it a little better, at least in my view. Their website has good comparisons between the models.

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 2/22/2010 8:02:20 PM
Author: so cal girl
Thanks for the reviews you guys!


For the Phil & Ted, does it fold with the second seat attached? Living in southern California, you pretty much drive everywhere, so it needs to be easily foldable.


Neat - I''m definitely liking the Bumbleride! I think it may be out of her price range, but I''m going to remember it for we have our second.


For the City Mini, do you have any idea what the mom likes/dislikes about it? That was one that looked really good online, but I haven''t seen it in person.

I don''t remember-but I can ask my friend this week. I just know she wishes she bought a bumbleride. Bumbleride is just a more full service stroller (better steering and wheels, more comfortable footrests for the kiddos, better basket) so I think that may be why.

And FWIW-I got mine for a smidge over your sister''s budget so it can be done if she''s a bargain hunter. I found a place that had a sale and then got it during a time with BING cashback too. I''ve seen them regularly for right around $400 if she keeps her eyes peeled.

 

[lovelylulu]

just chiming in to say that I recently purchased a stroller (single) but saved 10% using Bing cashback from a store with free shipping, no tax and another 5% because the store had a universal coupon. Tell your friend that there are bargains to be had even on brands that don''t tend to go on sale.

good luck

 

[D&T]

Date: 2/22/2010 8:02:20 PM
Author: so cal girl
Thanks for the reviews you guys!

For the Phil & Ted, does it fold with the second seat attached? Living in southern California, you pretty much drive everywhere, so it needs to be easily foldable.

Neat - I''m definitely liking the Bumbleride! I think it may be out of her price range, but I''m going to remember it for we have our second.

For the City Mini, do you have any idea what the mom likes/dislikes about it? That was one that looked really good online, but I haven''t seen it in person.

it''s really easy, it takes all of two seconds to unsnap the second seat. its pretty sturdy, my four year old gets in and out and buckles herself in, however you have to hold the stroller so it doesn''t tip back if you have a heavier child in back (they only recommend the heavier sit in the front) but my older one likes the back one. still works great for us. You might have to see some in person and see how you like them, I know there are stroller I''ve bought online and wished I had seen in person first, I''ve gone through three strollers so far.

 

[so cal girl]

Well, I guess my sister looked at the Baby Jogger link that I sent her and decided she was in love with the City Select. So I guess her $400 budget just went out the window! I guess my parents are going to help her out, but now she''ll have to be on the lookout for someplace that has them in stock.

Neat - Thanks again for all your info on the Bumbleride. I''m definitely going to put that at the top of my list for when we need a double stroller. I also like that you can use the Chicco carseat with it, since that seems to not be the case with a lot of strollers. Since we have a Chicco, it is something to keep in mind.

What is this Bing cashback that you ladies speak of? Is that through the Bing search engine?

 

[Mandarine]

Good thread

I love my BOB but I don't take it anywhere...hehe, I basically use it for jogging and walking around my house (so I use it everyday, just not for errands, etc). I love the Bumbleride, but I wanted a true jogging stroller...so that's why I went with the BOB. I do take it if we're going out for a long day of walking...but I have an SUV so space is not a problem. Both the Bumbleride and the BOB are heavy (IMO)....but every double stroller is heavy!

The City mini seems to be a favorite in the Bump's Multiples board....there is also a City Micro that people seem to like. Two of the girls in my twins group have the city minis and they actually love them. The other one I keep hearing about is the Contours (sp?)...but that's front and back, not side by side.

Another one that I had my eye on was the Easy walker duo....they have had it on mamabargains.com for less than $300!

I'm probably going to end up getting a Maclaren for everyday use once they outgrow the DSNG...


ETA: Just read she liked the city select...that one seems to be SUPER popular on thebump's multiples board!!

 

[jas]

City select FTW here at Casa Jas

 

[pennquaker09]

I have a Kolcraft Contours Tandem and I love it. Kate and Gray tend to like facing each other. Other than the Kolcraft, we have a Graco Quattro Tour, and a BOB. The Graco is probably the best in terms of space, if i take the twins shopping, we use the Graco.

 

[lovelylulu]

so cal girl - bing cashback is a rebate program where you receive a discount if you shop on certain websites. ebates and bank of america add it up offer similar programs. just google them. it''s really easy

 

[neatfreak]

Ohh that city select is really cool! That wasn't out when we were shopping.

But I do wonder how well it can accomodate two kids who are older? Seems better suited for kids of two ages? I am very intrigued but it doesn't seem to be large enough to say accomodate twins who are each 3-4 years old?

Jas what do you think?

 

[Winks_Elf]

I went through SEVERAL strollers before I found the right one for me. It was a Graco side-by-side. The problem with tandems is that they (used to be) are hard to steer, the kids fought over who got to be up front, and it was difficult to get stuff in and out of the basket underneath. The side-by-sides are sometimes hard to go shopping with since they are wider than the tandems, and would have a hard time going through doorways and clothing racks, and the kids would get on each other''s nerves and hit each other. The advantage of the side-by-side is both children are in the front at the same time, the baskets are easier to access, and it was much easier to steer.

 

[hmr_mama]

Just thought I''d give another review for the BOB. I had the single for my daughter and when we got pregnant with my son we bought the double (b/c I loved the single so much). The double is heavy--but as to be expected when it''s carrying 60 pounds in kids! But--if your sister lives in a rural area--I HIGHLY recommend it. Just last week I took it through a hay field. In the town I used to live in (pop. 500) there was no sidewalk to the park--so we had to take a "gravel" road--it was mostly dirt with a few rocky spots. My kids hardly jiggled. Love, love, love it. If I were to do it again I might buy the swivel wheel for the double--the thing can be a real beast to steer when going uphill.

 

[violet02]

Has anyone ever done the Uppa Baby Vista with the rumble seat that attaches to the back? That goes up to 35lbs and the front up to 50lbs. That was our plan for having two kids close in age vs buying a double stroller.

 

[so cal girl]

Just wanted to give an update, as my sister and I went to look at strollers yesterday.

She LOVED the Baby Jogger City Select. It is a really solid stroller and steers very well. Plus, you can fold it with both seats attached, and it folds up pretty small (for a double). The fold was a little sticky, but I am guessing it would loosen up over time. The canopies were awesome, and there is quite a bit of storage. The only downside I can see is that when the kids get older, the one in the back seat is in prime position to kick the one in the front seat in the head

but I guess at that point you can always face them away from eachother to resolve that problem.

I also took a look at the City Mini, and was not as impressed as I thought I would be. It doesn''t steer nearly as smoothly as my BOB. Unfortunately they didn''t have the Bumbleride there to try out in comparison.

I also took a look at the UppaBaby Vist with the rumble seat. As mush as I love that stroller in theory, it is just so big and bulky! And I still can''t seem to get the fold mastered. I originally had planned on getting that when we had a second, but now I''m thinking the Select would be a better choice, and is even less money.

Alright, that all I have from our shopping trip. I wanted to thank all of you again for your recommendations.