Best off-road double buggy

[Freezingmyarseoff]

We will be needing a double buggy in October when DC3 is due (so got plenty of time). We do quite a lot of walking through woods/fields etc and currently have a very old but brilliant mountain buggy which can go anywhere. We love it and want something similar but I find it quite heavy getting it in and out of the car, and it is quite wide so I'm unsure about getting a side by side double which will be even wider.

DC2 will be 22 months when baby is born so we will definitely need a double pram. At the moment we're currently considering:

1. Out and About Nipper double (seems very light but wide)
2. Phil and Ted's Sport (not too wide but I'm not sure how good it is off-road with 2 children in, and DC2 only naps in his pram, I read they're not great for napping children)
3. Another MB (no doubt will be heavy, also not sure between Duo and Duet, and have slight concerns about build quality since the company was sold)

Also, I would prefer a buggy that isn't massive when folded up, our current MB seems to take up most of the boot space of any car (I'm probably asking too much now given we need a double)
Can anyone offer any advice? Are there any other buggies we should be considering?

We hope to get whatever second-hand.

Terrain doubles..hmmm. I find all mbs huge folded, i know that is partly due to my preconceived notion that they are! They do feel different to the pre 2010 ones imo. This might be a time when I might wholeheartedly suggest used is the way to go. Old terrain doubles are cheap and robust.

Tandem wise you could do a lot worse than a tfk joggster with multi x carrycot and buddyseat. Would depend if you elder rider could nap sitting fairly upright? It's the same as the p&t in that regard.

The newer narrower v2 nipper is second only to the duet for width, by autumn the v3 and carrycots should have appeared too should you want that option for your newborn. Nippers aren't small folded either.

Tiggy always suggests the tfk twinner twist too.. some sort of nifty tri fold thing.

Bob are now in the uk also, their off roaders are very well regarded too.

I was only chatting to someone today about how the old MBs were bomb proof and were easily fixed if there was an issue. The new MBs are nothing like the quality of the old ones. I absolutely would not recommend the Duet for walking through woods and fields - you really need bigger wheels - the Duo would be better but they are no longer in production which is a real shame.

Again I am not sure I would want to take a P&Ts through serious off road either. They can be heavy and unstable enough in urban environments especially when dropping off kerbs. But I dont know how off road your walks are.

I would say the Nipper is really your best option out of these. The wheels will ride up and over anything and it will be light to lift in and out of the car. If you get the narrow one then it will fit through any door. However the fold isn't the smallest but I bet its not as long as the single MB.

Look also at the TFK Twinner Twist Duo. Its light, great off road, and the trifold is fairly compact. Or look at the Baby Joggers although I am not sure if the BJCMGT would do what you ask. The Elite and Older Classic are better off road but heavy (but you can pop the wheels off to lighten the load). They are neat folded though. I also like the Bumbleride Indie Twin but its a chunk to lift and put in your car.

Sadly all double pushchairs are pretty big - if you want a side by side - and off road options are limited. You may well be better off buying two pushchairs - one for off road (say a cheap old Nipper or Air Buggy Mimi) and a smaller folding lighter pushchair eg a BJCM or a Peach Blossom 2, for the car.

Thanks for your input. I hadn't even heard of TFK or Bumbleride! I'll check them all out. I think you are confirming my concerns about the P&Ts though, I'm not convinced it will be good enough off-road. My DH (and I) sort of pride ourselves on how extreme we can go with the buggy. Taken a step too far when he had to carry it 2 miles because the mud was deeper than wheels for almost the whole walk

I'm sure I'll be back with more questions when I've done some more research but I'm liking the sound of the nipper more and more. Actually one more question already, how bombproof are nippers - good enough to get second-hand or false economy? Otherwise I suspect we'll end up with a second-hand double MB, unless the TFK wins us over.

I wouldnt get a Nipper second hand. My first V1 one had buckled wheels (both) new out of the box. The early V2 ones have brake issues. I think its worth buying new and they aren't a bad price TBH.

I had an old MB Terrain 3rd hand and it was totally bombproof. I sold it on to a 4th owner on Ebay. They are big folded, although pretty flat so I never found it a major problem

I loved my MB duet and found it fine on country walks etc. I've just sold it and was rather sad to see it go - great buggy

We had a double Mountain Buggy for twins and my dsis had a single. Tbh, the double is not a lot bigger or heavier! Take a look at it. It's by far the best buggy I ever pushed, on or off road.

We just looked at a 2nd hand double MB (urban I think), and the width and the size of it freaked us out a little (well a lot actually). I just can't cope with the idea of such a wide pram - daft I know. And therefore I think we're back looking at phil and ted's again
I'm off to see a second hand P&T explorer tomorrow that has hardly been used, so hopefully that might help me decide. Either way it's not needed until October so plenty of time to change my mind upteen more times

I can understand how you feel. No matter how much someone tells me a side by side is narrow, I can't comprehend how they can be. A narrow Nipper is just 10cms wider than an Explorer. A MB Duo is 11cms wider. Thats not much given both side by sides will easily fit through a standard doorway.