Versa or city Mini

[Ijustworemytrenchcoat]

First of all sorry for boring you all once more on the pushchair thread, but I am driving myself mad here. The icandy raspberry is going to take too long, so I thought I had decided on a city Mini 4 wheel or GT, but I can't stop thinking about parent facing and the Baby Jogger Versa in particular.

My son is 7 months and has been fine the couple of times I have faced him out, but I wasn't! I like being able to see him, and talk to him. On long walks I want to be able to see him and chat with him. It really upsets me to think of only having a forward facing pushchair when he's just starting to babble so much.

Would it be utterly stupid to replace the travel system I have now with
another rather than moving on to the City Mini? I keep thinking size wise there's not a great deal in it, in fact according to the Baby Jogger website the Versa is a smaller fold, and not quite as wide or long when open. What are the drawbacks of the Versa in this case? Is it just because it is heavier? I know the fold varies slightly but I could live with that to have a reversible seat, especially because it folds with the seat either way.

My local retailer doesn't stock the Versa so can't try them together.

We have the versa (but no baby yet, so can't comment on that). The fold on the Versa is pretty small but it is a lot heavier than the City Mini (especially the non-GT version) and does somehow feel bulkier, even if it's not. It also doesn't seem to "flick" open in quite such an easy way.

We went for the Versa because of all the things we wanted in a pushchair (carrycot, parent-facing main seat, maxi-cosi adaptors, nice and sturdy for towpaths etc, easy one-piece compact fold), weight was something we were happy to compromise on, but it is pretty heavy.

I wish I had got it in the first place, but I think if I get it now it won't be quite right. It is pretty much the same weight as the Vista, and it is interesting you say it feels a little bulkier than the City Mini even though it's not, as I quite like the city Mini, it feels a lot finer than my travel system. But I keep getting stuck on not wanting him facing away from me just yet. I'm going to keep the Vista as well for now for that reason.

Weight wise even the City Mini felt heavy to me, manageable but not lightweight. The 4 wheel and GT versions are around 9kg I think so in between the standard City Mini and the Versa. Just need to decide which one if it's the city Mini I go for!

So why not keep the vista for now and get something genuinely smaller, lighter and cheaper? Maybe sell your vista when the raspberry lands if you like it as much as you think you will. It's always like this, there is always something that looks perfect on the horizon but just out of reach, in reality it rarely ends up being perfect or in the months it takes to arrive your needs have evolved. Fwiw I found the versa both big and heavy, absolutely fine for a main pram but swapping from a vista... I would not have found it worth it (not to say you wouldn't). I haven't actually seen and felt one but the urbo 2 might be worth a look. Oyster gem maybe? I'm clutching at straws, I can't remember the previous threads or the details of exactly what you were looking for! :-D

I know what you're saying, but I want something before June as I want something easier to use that fits my lifestyle as soon as possible as I think I will be more likely to get out more that way.

It's just getting to be a hassle now wrestling with the Vista. First if we're out and about to different places it's heavy and awkward to constantly fold and put in the boot, especially parent facing. At least I have help then though. It's even more annoying if I'm on my own as we have steps down to the road from our house, I have to carry it down then unfold and go get the baby. They're not steps down from the front door so it's quite a distance, out of hearing distance. He's pretty mobile now so I don't like leaving him for long. I could try bumping up and down the steps but they're quite steep and I wouldn't do it with him in (not that brave!).

I do like the Urbo 2, but do need to go over rough ground at times, so would like bigger wheels. Funnily enough the Oyster Gem caught my eye today, we had it out side by side with the Vista in the shop. I love the size, but although the fold was easy it's not something I can do one handed which is important for me at the moment. The idea of carrying the baby jogger down and just being able to go, and the easy fold on the way back is very appealing.

I have a versa and I love it but...DS at 9 month's old largely refused to sit parent facing and spent the whole time trying to lunge out of the pushchair. so I turned it around to face out and he's far happier. it's lighter and smaller than Vista, but nit by much. it's still big and bulky which you may not need with a slightly older baby. I bought a cheap umbrella fold that I keep in the car for shopping, trips into town etc and keep versa for long walks, dog walking etc as I can't be faffed with folding it and heaving into car boot anymore. hope that helps!?