Best Umbrella Stroller for Travel?

We got the Combi Flare and it will hopefully last a long time, as it is one of the only strollers (next to the Graco IPO) under $100 that holds children up to 55 lbs. It has a carrying strap and is very easy to fold. The design pattern is very cool looking. It is also a lot lighter than the IPO.

Whatever you decide on...it won't provide storage for baby to access. www.kiddiekangaroo.com sells stroller pocket accessory systems that put baby's bottle, sippy cup, toys within his reach and folds up with stroller for easy loading on buses, taxis etc. You will love this because you won't lose or contaminate baby stuff when dropped for lack of storage.

I purchased one on One Step Ahead a few years ago to take with us to Hawaii with our then 18 month old. I loved it! ($50) It was lightweight and folded compactly for travel. I can't find the exact one I purchased then but here's the newer version and it looks like it's even improved. I also noticed that they sell an extended bar for taller people as well. My husband (6"3") was able to push the one we purchased but and extended probably would have made it even better. Here's the link: http://www.onestepahead.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId...

It's so funny we just went through this. We have two very nice strollers that are just too big for travelling. We bought a $10 no-brand, used umbrella stroller at the used baby store for our recent trip to Hawaii. And what do you know, it's our daughter's favorite stroller. Go figure. Plus, it weighs nothing and I didn't care if the airline ripped it in half. The best ten bucks we ever spent!

My advice? Buy the cheapest one!!

I have the Chicco, and I like it for travelling. However, I am 5'5". My husband is 6'1", and has to bend over just enough to be uncomfortable. For $70, it works great for me, but I probably would not recommend it to someone taller.

Take you little one to Babies R Us and take a couple for a spin, then order your favorite off amazon.com (assuming you have enough time!) BRU is notoriously overpriced, in my opinion...

We got the silver cross travel stroller for our European trip and it was amazing! In fact we love it so much we ditched our heavy bugaboo stroller and use this exclusively. Light weight, fold easily. Has a bag for travel and a plastic wraparound to protect your baby in case it rains. Also has the basket below for storage. Here's the link if you want to look at it:

http://comfortfirst.com/p-36873-silver-cross-micro-v2-lig...

Good luck!

Hi-

My friend loves her Uppa baby G-luxe, which is around $160. Perhaps you could find it cheaper used?

Sorry I don't know about the others.

Good luck. =)

I don't have any of the ones you listed but I do know of a Handle extender, they help anyone over 5'6" with hunching over to push your stroller. One step ahead has one but I am sure you can find them elsewhere. Also for an extra shade (since the one on the strollers is so darn little) I just found the "RayShade" it is this extension shade. The cool thing about each of these is they are attachments so you can put them on and take them off of any stroller you have. So get the cheapest and add the attachments which you can reuse! Good Luck!

Dear A.,

I'm not sure about those other strollers but I bit the bullet and spent the $100 on the Maclaren. It was the best thing that I did. It is light weight, has a stap to carry on your shoulders and as my son has grown, I was able to adjust it. My husband is 6'7" and I'm 5'9" and it is quite comfortable for us to push it. He is 3 now and it is quite comfortable for him to sit in. And if it gets wet, you just open it up and it will dry out. Good luck.

K.

i have the macclaren and love it-I have had it through 3 kids! so, it holds up.

Mexico is a bit sketchy right now, i would register w/ the state department, and stay close to the hotel.

I have a Chicco stroller that we bought about 5 years ago and I love it. The things I liked about it: rigid back support pieces instead of the usually slouchy sling backs, a zipper for the back to allow seat to recline a few inches for sleeping, 4 swivel wheels for easy maneuverability, easy to fold/unfold, and I found it tall enough (I'm 5'9"). The downside - it did not have a basket for storage - but we just added a net back to the back. I'm actually selling mine, so if you're interested, let me know. Best wishes!

I bought the "Baby Trend" lightweight stroller when we traveled from L.A. to NYC. I have to tell you, it was $40 at Babies "r" Us, and it is the best $40 I've spent in a long time. My husband and I are also tall, and we both found it easy to maneuver (on the mean streets of NY, no less). It reclines, has a basket underneath, a tray for your little one, and cupholders for you. It folds easily, too. I'd definitely go give it a test drive :)

I see a lot of suggestions for Combi...not a good suggestion for tall people.

Hi A.,
I recently went and bought an umbrella stroller for travel. I purchased a Inglesina trip, but the Ingelesina Swift is good too (a little bit lighter than the Trip and cheaper). We considered the MacClaren's, but decided on Ingelsina because if you hang your purse or diaper bag on the stroller handles, it doesn't tip over if the child is not in it. The MacClaren's tip over if the stroller is empty and even if you hang a light purse on it. My husband is 6 foot and this was one of the only stroller (we tested 10+) that he did not kick the tires when pushing. Amazon has one for $99. http://www.amazon.com/Inglesina-Swift-Stroller-%252d-Lava...

I bought the Baby Trend Trendsport Lite when my son was about 11 months and it worked great. I think they have a newer model and it's still under $100. My only dislike about it (it's not a big one though) is that you have to have it in full recliner position to fold it up. Check it out - I think they still carry it at Babies R Us.

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=267181...

Hi we have the chico capri, they have it at babiesrus online and in the store for about $70. We took it to hawaii and it worked out great. Much better height than the others. Even comes with a strap to hang over your shoulder when collasped.

I like the baby trend black stroller. I believe the model is trend sport. It is very, very light and its like a smaller version of our big stroller. It reclines not the best but our 18 month old can take a nap. It also has a basket underneath.

We have one by Safety 1st. It's light weight but still very sturdy.

We went through this last year. We looked at all the models you mentioned (including the MacLaren) and had the same budget. We settled on the Combi...it's either the EX or the Helio...don't remember which one it is. It's very lightweight, easy to open and close, and compact. It fully reclines, has an adjustable canopy, small basket, and a carrying strap. (You didn't mention the age of your baby, but we started travelling with our son when he was 5 1/2 months old.) One of the features I really liked at the time was the infant boot, which lets you enclose the babies feet so they don't hang down. It even came with a small matching diaper satchel. I noticed this year's models have some extra features, like cup holders. We used it on travels to Chicago and Hawaii last year and it held up really well. Friends of ours purchased the same model based on our experience and have been very happy with it as well. Have a great trip!

Hi-

I have a Graco IPO that I have traveled with all around the country. I love it. We also own a Quattro stroller which is entirely too big and cumbersome to travel with. The IPO is about 70 bucks, but I have to warn you, It is on the heavy side for an umbrella stroller. 17lbs. I will be travelling with my son this weekend alone and I will be taking my IPO. Good luck!

We got the red Chicco C6 recently, and like it. It is a zooped up umbrella stroller as it has a sun shade, slight recline with zippers (very handy for a sleeping baby), strap to carry it over your shoulder when it's folded up, and a small basket. The one downside is that the clip to hold it together when it is folded up is very tight and hard to clip together. We use a small bungee cord and put that around the folded up stroller instead. I noticed many other people's comments on Amazon said the same thing about the clip.

Hi A.,
The best umbrella stroller is the one that you can open and close the easiest for the least amount of money! We got an inexpensive Maclaren umbrella stoller from Babies R Us... I don't know which model but I know we spent less than $100 and it lasted us 5 years. Check consumerreports.com and the Baby Bargains book. They give good advice on the best products for your money.

Good luck.

I wish I had seen this post last week! We went out of town to visit family this weekend and forgot the stroller! The car was overflowing with stuff already our only option in our tiny hometown was Wal-Mart. I picked up an Evenflo X-sport umbrella stroller. It does not recline, but it has a small basket and it maneuvers a lot better than my humongous Sit n Stand or my less humongous Graco Quattro. I'm 5'6" and hubby is 6'1" so think about adjustable handles for tall people. I have a long stride and kept kicking the wheels of the new Evenflo stroller and felt a bit hunched over pushing it.

If I had thought about it before leaving town, I would probably have gotten a Chicco Capri. I've been eyeing them for a long time.