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(Review ID: 1768)
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1 of
1 people found the following review helpful:
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If you want to get a car seat frame - get Mac's easy traveller, January 19, 2009
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Reviewer: purpelina from East Coast
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purpelina
saw things this way
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Overall Grade
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(8) |
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Pros:
Smallest fold, fits all major brands of car seats, big cargo space
Cons:
Not very easy to steer one handed, no suspension, not rec'd to use on bumpy streets w/ a newborn
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I love Maclaren strollers, so when looking for a stroller frame, I was glad to find one made by this company. I also caught a floor model on sale for $45, so the deal was sealed for me :) Biggest plus: this frame would work with pretty much any car seat on the US market. But keep in mind, that the bar were the car seat "clicks in" has to be properly installed in order for your seat to be safely locked in place! Here's how to do it:
When you look closely, you'll see, that there are several heights to position the bar (you have to unscrew the bar and then screw it back on), plus it has to be positioned the right side up (the sides, or rather the corners are labelled with letters: abcd). Check with instructional booklet or ask sales ppl. Luckily for me, my floor model came already assembled to fit the safeseat, and that's the one I have. Now, if sales ppl at the store where you buy the frame don't know how to properly adjust the Easy Traveller for your car seat, or better yet, never heard of this, well... Try calling Maclaren customer service, they might help. Really, it's their job, but seldom will anyone tell you about this feature of easy traveller. Another great plus of this frame: smalles fold. Period. It folds so narrow, you don't even have to put it in your trunk, it fits in the floor along your rear seats! That's helpful when you are say travelling with 2 kids in car seats, their feet don't reach the floor, and you can out the folded easy traveller right there, which saves you yet another run around the car to fetch the thing from the trunk. It's very helpful when you have errands to do, like doctors appointments, have all papers in your bag, and don't need to get anything from the trunk. But even if you go shopping, you can shop till your trunk is bulging and almost impossible to close - in that case, you can either use the "along the rear seats" trick, or shuffle around things in the trunk just a bit and fit the frame on top. It's so small and lightweight it won't damage anything. I just wouldn't put it directly on top of couple dozen of eggs :)The frame pushes very smooth, and steers great - with two hands. One hand steering is tough, especially whith added weight. Now, one hand PUSHING is possible, especially with a newborn and no stuff in the cargo but wait a couple of months or so, add a few grocery bags, and you can't push the thing with one hand, also, forget about smooth sailing over the curbs. First, you need TWO hands to steer over the curbs, second, you have to slow down before attempting it, third, you have to sort of lift up the front wheels just a bit or they can get stuck.
I'm also suprised, there is no suspension at all. heck, even the cheapest gracos have suspension, why not here? You have a newborn here, and they feel each sidewalk crack! So you can't walk very fast, as you have to concentrate on the sondition of the streetm and drive around big bumps and all, plus if your baby has trouble falling asleep, s/he might wake up, if you do'tn pay attention to where you are going. Might be tough to crossstreets with rails in the middle, as this frame doesn't drive over them smoothly. Another thing I didn't like: it's quite wide. 21 inch. It still fits through the row in a bus, so you can take the bus without folding the frame and carrying the seat, but handles are so tall that they are always in the way. Cargo space is big, easy to access with the seat in place through the sides, but if you put too much stuff in it, the thing starts rubbing on some screw on the frame, and might get torn in the middle. Mine did. But i easily repaired it, and it's as good as new.Now, after all this negatives, you might ask me, if this is worth it? I'd say yes, if you plan on using a car seat frame at all. It's ridiculous that stroller manufacturers charge you almost same amount to buy an adaptor for your car seat, which BTW is not even universal, but car seat specific. And if you realize, your child doesn' like specific car seat model (this happens!), you are stuck, or have to shell out another $50 or so for a new adapter. Crasy. Get the Easy traveller. Once you are done using it, you can easily sell it, if you wish, and recoup some of your money. This frame is excellent to travel with as well as visiting doctors offices. And doctor's offices are oftentimes very small, waiting areas very crowded, elevators packed with ppl... With this stroller frame you always find space. Another question you might have, why should you buy this car seat frame and not a different brand? Well, As I said, almost any car seat will fit in there, it folds small so it's easy to carry, fits in any car/trunk, is easy to stash away in a closet if you are saving it to use with your next baby, quality is excellent it'll sure last through several babies, so can be passed on in your family several times, it pushes easier than other frames, and most importantly, it turns much easier than other frames. I tried them out in a store. besides, when you are checking out floor models, all other brands would have some damage from just light handling by customers (and I truly believe, nobody comes to the store with the intention to break the thing!) - well, all but the Easy traveller. It always looks like new, even after several months of display dutie
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best baby purchase yet, June 10, 2009
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Reviewer: rmmina from San Francisco Bay Area, CA
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rmmina
saw things this way
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Overall Grade
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(10) |
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Pros:
lightwt., huge basket
Cons:
carseat did not fit as snugly on the frame as I would have liked
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I'm updating my review from last year... we ended up keeping the Maclaren Easy Traveler even though our Graco Safeseat did not "click into it" as snugly as I would have liked initially. We were able to make some adjustments with screwdriver in hand to get a better fit. Our baby is now 11 mos. This is by far, the best purchase we made. Our son is getting too big for his infant car seat, and I wish this stroller could continue onto toddler-hood with us. I love the overall quality of MacLarens -- it's been very easy to use, lightwt., DOUBLE - folds nicely, and has a HUGE shopping basket, and nice quality frame. The double fold is a step above the other frame strollers like the snap and go, which only fold in one direction. Clever engineering and quality make this the stroller to use in the city or around town. Who needs the equivalent of a Hummer stroller navigating narrow aisles in a store? This stroller made life much easier. Also, so lightweight, I could hold baby in one arm while pulling stroller out of the back of the car.
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Fantastic-and DOES fit the Grace SafeSeat, May 19, 2009
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Reviewer: NouvelleMere from Annapolis/Baltimore, Maryland
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NouvelleMere
saw things this way
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Overall Grade
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(10) |
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Pros:
one hand fold-up, one hand steering
Cons:
none
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I received this frame as a gift after taking it for a spin around the now defunct Right Start store. I do not recommend it for bumpy surfaces; however, it is great for smoother surfaces. My favorite features are the one-hand close (all you do is pop the foot lock and fold the stroller down; it locks closed by itself) and the one-hand steering (it is very smooth). The one-hand close is especially important when I am by myself as a safety feature. Not that I'm taking my son anywhere dangerous, but I like being able to quickly enter and exit my car even if I am just at the grocery store. My son is not a huge fan of being in his carseat (we both prefer wraps), but he has gotten used to it and falls asleep once we start moving. The Maclaren frame is a much smoother ride than any other Snap-n-Go type frames. I tried out the Graco model at a Babies R Us and it seemed very rickety and difficult to steer compared to the Maclaren. I saw that one reviewer had trouble fitting their SafeSeat into this frame; I have no idea why. My Graco SafeSeat snaps perfectly in place.
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Worth the money, April 17, 2009
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Reviewer: sunmountain from Seattle
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sunmountain
saw things this way
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Overall Grade
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(9) |
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Pros:
Ease of use and easy to store
Cons:
The cup holder is worthless
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We loved this stroller mostly because of how compactly it folds up compared to other snap n go's. It also is built on a much more solid and durable frame. The basket is big and I could steer fairly well with one hand. We used a Graco Snug Ride and it fit very well. I loved it. Although if I were to buy again I may have gone with the Maclaren XLR instead b/c it has a car seat adapter and then you have your umbrellas stroller when you're done with the infant seat. We also bought a Maclaren Quest Sport and that would have saved us from buying the ET and the QS separately. But the Easy Traveller is a great Snap n Go
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(Review ID: 1550)
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2 of
2 people found the following review helpful:
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The best "snap and go" available, October 13, 2007
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Reviewer: rgors from Denver, CO
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rgors
saw things this way
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Overall Grade
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(10) |
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Pros:
lightweight, maneuverable, sleek appearance, HUGE basket
Cons:
tippy
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I resisted getting a "snap and go" for the first month because I didn't want to buy a stroller that was useful for only 6 or so months (the point when I anticipated buying an umbrella stroller for out-and-about). I didn't particularly like using the large Chicco C1 stroller all the time, but I'm cheap and didn't want to spring for a short-lived snap and go frame.Then we decided to go on an airplane trip and I knew I would need a light snap-n-go option for the airport. After much research, I dutifully determined that a Mac was the best fit for my Keyfit carseat.The stroller arrived and it was so easy. I opened my box and handed my husband the instructions. (We are a manual-reading sort.) As he opened the booklet, I figured I'd try the stroller. I had it open before he even got to start reading the manual. And I could figure out how to close it on the first try without reading the manual. I don't know about you, but the first time I try to close any stroller generally makes for good material for "Comedy Central" so I was already very happy.We put the carseat in the frame and it fit very solidly. We then secured the carseat with the straps but really, I have forgotten to click the straps a few times and gone over some pretty tippy sidewalks and curbs and the carseat didn't even budge.Before going on our trip, we realized that this stroller makes for a good in-the-house stroller. Yep, you got that right -- in the house. Put baby in carseat and carseat in stroller and stroll her in laps around the kitchen island to soothe her before sleep. Laugh if you want -- it's a funny picture -- but it worked!When we went on our airplane trip, my husband said to me "I think this is the best thing we've ever bought." The huge basket makes SUCH a difference when you are traveling!! You can hang stuff off of the handles (such as a carseat base) -- awkward for sure, but when you're making your first airplane trip with an infant, you're loaded down with so much stuff that any option is a good option. The stroller was so easy to fold, unfold, and steer (one handed) through airports and hotels and stores. It was the difference between having a good first plane trip, and a GREAT first plane trip with our daughter.The handle on the side of the frame is useful for putting the frame in and out of your car.The Mac frame is also very "sleek" and trim compared to the other snap and gos. The lines are clean and simple. Once you have a Mac, then you look at the other snap-n-gos and think "ugh, how cheap and bulky." Yes, you become a snap-n-go snob.I was stopped at least three times on vacation by complete strangers to ask, where did you get that frame?? My SIL also liked the frame so much that we gave it to her the week after she came home from the hospital with her second baby.OK, so there is ONE thing I don't like about this frame. It tips very easily. Do not hang something on the back UNLESS you have a heavier object in the basket, or your child in the carseat in the frame. I think all the mac strollers are like this -- very tippy. I guess it's a trade off between tippiness and wheel-kicking (we do not kick the wheels on this frame).I paid $70 for this from babyuniverse.com. They shipped super quickly, too.
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