Thule Cougar feedback thread – chance to win a Sapling Elite Child Carrier for non-testers NOW CLOSED

[AnnMumsnet]

This thread is for the 5 lucky MNers selected to try the Thule Cougar combined Child Jogger, Stroller and Bike Trailer with their little one(s). Read on to find out how they are finding it!

You can see the Cougar in action in the video below

Here's what Thule has to say, "Our motto at Thule is 'Bring Your Life' and this is epitomised by the Chariot range, years ago new parents were expected to curtail or even abandon their active lifestyles outdoor lifestyles, the Chariot enables you to carry on but to bring your whole family with you, whether you’re into cycling, running, camping, or festivals, a Chariot can handle it, over all terrain, in all weathers. Packed with clever design touches, exceeding all U.K. safety standards and engineered to the level you'd expect from Thule, it’s you and your child’s ticket to the great outdoors".

The SRP for the Cougar including bike kit is £699.99 for the double and £599.99 for the single. The Jogging kit is £84.99 and the Strolling kit is £74.99.

Non testers – Thule would love to hear your top tips for getting active with your young children - share them on this thread and you will be entered into a prize draw where one winner will win a Thule Sapling Elite Child Carrier in dark shadow/slate worth RRP £220.00 – they say “Thule’s Sapling Elite child carrier safely and comfortably carries your precious cargo while on the trail and effortlessly transitions between parents with simple torso and hipbelt adjustments. And with premium features like a child viewing mirror, removable backpack and roomy hipbelt pockets, you and your child will never want to leave the trail.”

Testers – we are asking for feedback at least three times please on the thread – please share your first impressions of the Chariot and then some feedback on your challenges and then some overall thoughts towards the end of May.

First impressions
Please say why you applied for this product test, who you are trying the Chariot with.
What were your first impressions when it arrived? What did you use it for first?

Challenges
Please share the challenges you’re undertaking, who they are with and how the Chariot coped with each one: we’d love to see photos too!

Final thoughts
Overall, please give your summary of the Thule Cougar combined Child Jogger, Stroller and Bike Trailer – did it live up to your expectations? How did your LO feel about it? Did you get any comments from other parents about it? What was the best thing about it? Anything you’d like to improve? Would you recommend it to others?

Thanks
MNHQ

Standard Insight T&Cs apply. Please note Thule may well use your photos on their website, on social media as well as possibly elsewhere.

Non-Tester We love to go Geochaching. Baby in the sling, wellies on and off we go! I find we walk miles without realising it because we're having so much fun hunting for treasure.

Walk wherever possible. Wellies and waterproofs (if needed) and you are good to go.

Lucky tester here

Thank you so much for letting me test this. The parcel came last week along with the extra stroller kits and jogger kits. I was really excited to set it up and give it a go and was pleased that it was really easy to assemble. We’ve set it up as a stroller first of all before we go on a bike ride this weekend. It was surprisingly easy to put together and my first impressions of it were really positive. It seems really safe and solid. My 17 month old DS looks very comfy inside and the seat is really well padded. I love how versatile it is to different weathers and the addition of a sun screen as well as a net and a rain cover is great and allows us a lot more freedom. The back wheels are enormous but it doesn’t make the cougar too wide and what’s better, it still folds down easily and fits into my boot. The pull down basket at the back is very useful and fits a lot. It looks great in the red and it feels light and easy to push, everything just seems like its well-built and top quality. I knew that Thule was a quality brand but I was pleased to see that this reputation is well deserved. My DH is also a big fan and said that he’d be far more likely to take this out as a stroller than our other pram because this looks sturdy, safe and sporty.

We’ve already started putting the Cougar through its paces. My DS goes to nursery in the middle of a city, but it backs onto a beautiful city park. It’s a very green, open space with cycle paths. After picking DS up from nursery yesterday I took him for a stroll through the park. He seemed to really enjoy the ride and the Cougar handled all the terrains really well. It’s so light to push and even on grass it seemed to glide. I wasn’t expecting this as the Cougar is very sturdy and I thought that would make it heavy and a bit harder to push but I’m happy to report that this just wasn’t the case. DS loved being able to look out and he seemed less squashed in this pushchair than our usual pram. He was also able to carry his ball because he was less able to throw it over the side of the pram, this made him very happy.

I loved how you can change the strolling wheels quickly if you wanted to go into the jogging kit and you don’t have to hold the wheels, they can just be attached upside down. To test it out, I decided to have a go yesterday during my stroll around the park and I had a quick jog around the park. I loved it. Thank you for letting me test the cougar out because it’s already made a big difference to my life. This has given me freedom I didn’t have before because it meant that I could carry on exercising without needing childcare. DS loved it and he felt really secure. I thought the suspension was great and he didn’t seem to be jiggling about. The ride was lovely and smooth for him.

Non testers – To get my children active we try to walk as much as we can! The school run is walked and if the children behave they get to take a ride on their scooter. They also love playing football in the park and have their own basketball net in the garden. In the summer during the holidays we get the children active by playing family sports such as rounders, cricket and volley ball.

Non tester

The right kit for everyone - including wearing waterproof overtrousers yourself (regatta pack away ones) so you can sit down in the mud with toddlers and pick them up out of mud/rock pools without getting wet jeans (uggg). For my dc it's all about getting a wide range of (second hand/ hand me down) sallapettes, wellies, all in ones. So you can spend a bit of time outside without getting sodden within minutes and having to go home early.

Non tester-
My tips would be don't nag! Don't worry about mud and mess. Let them take risks (within reason). Give them the chance to help shape the day- eg choosing which path to take.
Go with the flow and lower expectations. You might want to walk 3 miles to see a view but if the children find lots of interesting things in the 1st mile it can be easier to go with that. Have fun rather than chivvying then along. It's all new and exciting through a child's eyes.

Non tester

Top tips for getting youngsters outside:
-make it a habit from an early age, even if it is a short time each day - just make it the norm for you & your family.
-Build in adventure/awe&wonder with treasure maps, scavenger hunts etc
-Have the right kit so they can get messy & are warm - really important to role model this: can't expect them to want to wear the right kit if you are not.
-we use OS explorer maps to get the children really involved, also use walkie talkies so as a family we spread out on a walk & use the walkie talkies to chat/give updates.
-snacks, snacks & more snacks - get your timing right- well fed & then snacks!
-don't rush, go at the youngest child's pace, rushing will = tears.
-go with what the child is into & build that into the outdoors - so even an indoor activity can move outdoors, painting, Lego, favourite toys etc...
-positive outlook & remember that children do what children see!

Where you live makes a big difference. Be realistic about what your neighbourhood has to offer, and go with the strengths. I live in an urban area, so taking the kids for a nice walk a and picnic round the local industrial estate was a disAster, but buying skates has been brilliant. If I lived rural, it would be vice versa.

It's all very well think it shouldn't cost anything to be active, but some initial investment makes,all the difference (e.g. the skates). If you are broke, ask for such things as you can't afford for birthday / Xmas.

Non-tester, and probably just as well, as if I had received it in time for our camping trip, it might have been blown away by storm Katie!

A light weight (non padded) waterproof all in one.
Keep it in your bag at all times then whatever the weather you can have fun while they stay happy and dry (cold and wet equals short playtime).
That and a pair of wellies in the car or buggy means hours of fun.
We play in the garden, looking for bugs and flowers, dig on the allotment (and everything is WELL watered as DS aged 2 loves his watering can).
We choose toddler groups we can walk or cycle too and those with outside play areas.
We visit different parks not only when we are at home but when visit others areas (there are a number of play park finder websites). In the summer the ones with water splash areas are very popular and we take a picnic and meet friends.
We are fortunate enough to live in a rural area so nature walks are easy.
With all "adventures" I always pack warm clothes and snacks to keep us going and as my DS is still small I take the buggy with us for when he gets tired. This does restrict us a little as the buggy can't always go where we want to but we still have lots of fun.
Searching for different coloured items is always a good game to play and bringing leaves or flowers home to use for craft or as gifts is also nice.

Getting out and about as much as possible without a car. Woodland walks with a treasure map is always fun!

Non tester- we live near two nature reserves, so we get active by walking and exploring. My kids love stomping round in their wellies, playing tag, building dens or foraging for blackberries

Get out no matter what the weather - the cliche of "no such thing as bad weather, only the wrong clothes" is true! And even in horizontal hail (I'm looking at you, April) they need to stretch their legs.

I'd say always be ready for spontaneous action. I always have a change of clothes for each child in the car & if we have a spare hour go for a walk/jog around somewhere. Particularly if there's a river that the children can throw stones in at the end of it, they are more inclined to get out!

When I only had one child I put a child seat on my bike so I could go cycling. I've got too many to do that now but walking is a great alternative. I just put the littlest in a sling when she gets tired.

lucky tester

Took the Thule out to the local Parkrun this morning. I love our BOB running buggy and I was expecting to find the Thule a bit of a compromise but it performed really well - very light and comfortable to run with. The only things I missed was an easy place to store a water bottle and the bicycle-style hand operated brake on that we have on the BOB which allows you to keep better control on down hills.

On a drizzly morning the integrated rain cover was handy and DS seemed very comfortable. I thought he might not be able to see out well with the combination mosquito net /rain cover but he was happily pointing out trains and ducks as usual.

We stopped at the supermarket on the way home for a quick top-up shop - I LOVE the storage on the back of the Thule, which folds down to a similar size/shape to a cycle pannier and easily stored our basket of shopping - nifty design and much more convenient than the usual under-buggy basket.

Tester

Thank you so much for the opportunity to test this.
Initial impressions:
It's big, but smart and sturdy. I was surprised at how big the wheels are, but then I've never used a running buggy before.
DH insisted on putting it together himself and, typically for him, he tired to figure it for himself. After a short while staring at the different pieces without a clue what he was doing, he conceded and used the instructions. The instructions were really easy to follow and it was very quickly assembled (then re-assembled, as he couldn't resist playing around with it).
The buggy looks very cosy and safe.
So far, we've only taken the stroller out to the zoo and on the beach. It coped very well with the sand. DD2 (2.5) enjoyed being in it, and DD1 (5) insisted on having a go. She thought it was very cosy.
The storage on the back is fantastic - it was very handy for our picnic. So much handier than the usual under-buggy baskets.

So far, very impressed.

Non-tester getting outdoors with your children early and often in any weather is key for building the lifelong habit. Trips to play park, visits to the beach, walks around the pond or through the forest are all weekly excursions for me and my children and they already prefer being outdoors than inside.

Non Tester

Go somewhere where the little ones can safety let off steam and just RUN riot! Take a blanket for resting on, a kite, or a football to kick and catch, and money for an ice cream :-P

I'm always so surprised at just how much fun the kids can have just being outside!

Bang bang bang bang

We have no choice but to drive to school ( it is 2 miles away and i have a 7, 5, 3 yrs old and an 8 month old) but we dont have a parking space near our house nor is there parking directly outside the school, so we put the scooters in the car and use them when we can.

NON - TESTER: We go for a walk everyday and always have play time in the garden - no matter the weather

None-tester

Walk or cycle to and from school with the kids as often as possible. Also support your kids in sports, clubs or any other activities that may interest them. Joining a weekend club sport ensures commitment to a team and regular exercise.

Find time every weekend to do something active with your children. Play frisbee, rounders, piggy in the middle or football in the park, go trampolining, or try indoor activities such as ice skating or roller skating. If you have a garden build a den or treehouse with them in the school holidays for them to play in!

tester again

I love this thing! First bike ride today - we we took a cycle ride across a large country park and stopped at some shops and for lunch. I was a bit nervous of using it as a bike trailer - despite previously having been a keen cyclist I haven't been on a bike since DS was born, never mind towing the most precious cargo! But it was very easy and comfortable, the trailer doesn't take too much effort to pull. I think I need to use it a few more times to really get the feel of it before I'd be confident taking it into traffic, but it feels very stable and secure.

The conversion from bike trailer to stroller is just GENIUS - we locked up the bikes, a few quick clicks to unhook and reposition the stroller wheels and we're off! And now I have got used to the size of the stroller it is really not too cumbersome, and it is an absolute joy to push.

DS also seems to like it - the 'bucket' style seat means he could have all sorts of toys, drinks etc in with him to keep him happy.

Only gripe was I found some of the folding/re-assembly needed to get it into the car a bit stiff and fiddly - but that might just be me getting used to it - and frankly it is nothing short of a miracle that such a big robust thing folds down so flat for easy transportation.

The whole thing is so well thought-through and engineered, I am really thrilled with it.

Non tester.

Organise local buggy walks. Get out whenever you can. Check Facebook for local events like treasure hunts etc. Make it fun and normal to exercise.