We were pleased to see an easily adjusted and secure three-point harness system, which loops over your child’s head and clips to a buckle which reaches up between their legs. These straps were easily adjusted by our tester, but were still complicated enough that the mini tester couldn’t loosen anything himself.
Although there’s plenty of space behind the rider to wear a backpack safely and comfortably (and to stop any pesky kicks to the behind from tiny feet), this can affect ease of communication with your child, and it can be tricky to hear what your passenger is saying sometimes.
This being said, our tester assured us that he could easily reach back and adjust a helmet or hold a hand when needed, and could just about see what was going on back there when he needed to. Great for that added reassurance that your child is safe and happy.
The Caress also boasts many other stand-out features, including a recess pocket to accommodate the helmet, an adjustable footrest, and controls which allow your child to lie back to a splendid 20% recline. Our tester said this was great for his passenger and there were no complaints; the 18-month-old actually fell asleep on a bumpy gravel trail, which sounds like a success to us.
The installation instructions are clear, using pictures and simple English. An Allen key was also provided, which could even be attached to the fitting bracket while not in use for complete ease.
Adjusting the height of the foot rests was easier than on cheaper models, and it was also easy to adjust the position of the seat itself. The foot harnesses were a little fiddly, and the dial to recline the seat is a little tricky to get the hang of, but the seat as a whole was totally child-proof – and we were willing to put up with more complicated controls if it meant they couldn’t be tampered with by little fingers mid-journey.