akasleepingbeauty
My favorite place to run is Disney!!
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2000
We just returned from a week in WDW with our 23-month old DD. We bought a new Graco stroller (MetroLite) several months ago to use as our "Disney" stroller since I was worried about taking our Peg Perego Pliko (worried it might get stolen). Anyway, as the trip got closer my dh and I began discussing whether we wanted to take our Evenflo backpack with us. It seemed like it would be useful at times but it also seemed like it would be difficult to switch between the stroller and the backpack since it would be nearly impossible to cart the backpack around and secure it on the stroller while on rides etc.
So, I started looking at backpack/stroller combinations on-line. I found the InStep versions which looked fine but seemed a bit expensive for the quality (granted I was only looking at online pictures but after seeing several at WDW I think I was right). Then I came across the Kelty Convertible Stroler/Backpack. It looked really good but was pretty expensive (about $150 or more and sold out at many places) and now time was getting tight which would mean expensive shipping. I had about given up when I came across www.campmor.com They had the backpack/stroller in stock for only $100.00 with several accessories at equally good prices. They also had second day shipping for only $13.00 total. Wow - we couldn't resist and so we ordered it just a week before our departure. I could hardly believe it when it arrived right on time and just as expected!!
So, now onto how much we enjoyed using it. We checked our stroller as luggage (inside of a stroller carrying bag) and used the Kelty inside the airport as a stroller. We gate checked it upon boarding and then used it at the Orlando airport upon arrival. Our DD did sit up higher in it than in the stroller and it is definitely a different position (legs straight down rather than a sitting type position) but she seemed very comfortable in it. The only issue we ever had was that it was a bit hard for her to find a good position to rest her head when she was tired - we bought the pillow for it but it was not in the right place so we are going to try to come up with something ourselves to help in the future. The stroller is very narrow (I believe it would even roll down an airplane aisle) and it has swivel wheels in front and brakes on the wheels in back. It rolls smoothly and is very easy to maneuver in tight areas. We took the stroller with us to the parks for shorter trips and for times when we were expecting crowds (parade times especially) that may make having the backpack a better option. We used it both ways but did use it more as a stroller since we didn't have too many really bad crowd issues. It folds up nicely and my DH says it is quite comfortable to wear. There is space underneath the seat to store things (we bought a matching diaper bag and a matching cooler bag which we used alternately in the storage area). We also ordered a sunshield which stored nicely in a pocket in the back. It has a clear window that can be down during rain or up for more ventilation. It really helped when the sun got bright.
We got so many questions and comments on this stroller and saw a couple of others using the same one during the week. It was really a great option for us and we are planning on using it for similar situations as much as possible. Granted, we had to transport 2 strollers but we really felt it was worth it in the long run to have the flexibility offered by having both the regular stroller and the backpack/stroller.
Let me know if you have any questions about this and I'll help if I can!
Rhonda
So, I started looking at backpack/stroller combinations on-line. I found the InStep versions which looked fine but seemed a bit expensive for the quality (granted I was only looking at online pictures but after seeing several at WDW I think I was right). Then I came across the Kelty Convertible Stroler/Backpack. It looked really good but was pretty expensive (about $150 or more and sold out at many places) and now time was getting tight which would mean expensive shipping. I had about given up when I came across www.campmor.com They had the backpack/stroller in stock for only $100.00 with several accessories at equally good prices. They also had second day shipping for only $13.00 total. Wow - we couldn't resist and so we ordered it just a week before our departure. I could hardly believe it when it arrived right on time and just as expected!!
So, now onto how much we enjoyed using it. We checked our stroller as luggage (inside of a stroller carrying bag) and used the Kelty inside the airport as a stroller. We gate checked it upon boarding and then used it at the Orlando airport upon arrival. Our DD did sit up higher in it than in the stroller and it is definitely a different position (legs straight down rather than a sitting type position) but she seemed very comfortable in it. The only issue we ever had was that it was a bit hard for her to find a good position to rest her head when she was tired - we bought the pillow for it but it was not in the right place so we are going to try to come up with something ourselves to help in the future. The stroller is very narrow (I believe it would even roll down an airplane aisle) and it has swivel wheels in front and brakes on the wheels in back. It rolls smoothly and is very easy to maneuver in tight areas. We took the stroller with us to the parks for shorter trips and for times when we were expecting crowds (parade times especially) that may make having the backpack a better option. We used it both ways but did use it more as a stroller since we didn't have too many really bad crowd issues. It folds up nicely and my DH says it is quite comfortable to wear. There is space underneath the seat to store things (we bought a matching diaper bag and a matching cooler bag which we used alternately in the storage area). We also ordered a sunshield which stored nicely in a pocket in the back. It has a clear window that can be down during rain or up for more ventilation. It really helped when the sun got bright.
We got so many questions and comments on this stroller and saw a couple of others using the same one during the week. It was really a great option for us and we are planning on using it for similar situations as much as possible. Granted, we had to transport 2 strollers but we really felt it was worth it in the long run to have the flexibility offered by having both the regular stroller and the backpack/stroller.
Let me know if you have any questions about this and I'll help if I can!
Rhonda