Proper off road push chair

[NewbeeMummy]

Hi All,

I was hoping someone could give me some advice with regards to pushchairs.

I'm looking for a good quality push chair that can be used on very bumpy off road tracks and can be used on stairs.

Ideally it should recline to almost flat so that the lo can fall asleep on the long walks we do.

lo is 8 months old, and can sit up unaided so it doesn't have to be a suitable for new borns

Thanks very much for any ideas you may have.

My SIL has a mountain buggy and it is bloody fantastic for real off road stuff, incl mountains! We walk around a lot of farms and countryside and it is amazing. It is a bit heavy and bulky, but no worse than the mothercare travel system I started off with.

Have you looked at the mumsnet reviews? My DH did a lot of research and bought a baby jogger II (2nd hand on ebay) - it has massive wheels and will be great for walking on rough terrain. It looks good, but we can't use it yet, DD is only 3months and needs to be 6months. It has a reclining seat.

A BOB...I love mine! www.bobgear.com
It has huge wheels, fantastic suspension, huge seat (my 5.5yr old can sit in it), it goes over everything, DS (9mths) is happy and comfortable, has lots of storage space etc

Cannot recommend it highly enough!

Thanks for the suggestions the Bob looks fantastic, we actually have their kiddie bike trailer, but the distributor only does the trailers and not the prams. Can you get them in the UK?

@ Rene - I was told by a mum that the baby jogger wasn't really suitable for off road, so would be very interested in your views once you start using it.

@ Penguin - The mountain buggy reviews tend to focus on more city use than off road, may I ask which one you have?

Easylife sport (see ebay for a bargain one) or www.kidsense.co.uk they are brilliant - I've had 2 (sold then regretted selling) and have just bought another 2nd hand.
They are similar in apperance to the mountain buggy - but - they work very very well off road - they fold really compactly - the rear wheels are quick release, the fabrics are really good quality, as is the harness, and the seat is much bigger - you can honestly fit up to a 7y old in it - and they work really well with the shade a babe sun covers (which come with them as standard when new I think - check that bit though!).

I find these buggys really durable and practical. They go around £50 on ebay - so you could save yourself enough cash to buy a fab Outlast Alvi (space technology) snuggle bag to use in it fo the winter time (yes they are worth the money)!

Easylife sport buggies really do work well off road (I have tested on pebble beach, steep woodland off road - including tree roots - gravel - sand - hills - town - stairs - pavements - shallow water - heather moors etc.). The seat is hammock style certainly on the older models on ebay, think maybe boarded on newer ones - but get a hammock seat one if you are going over very rough terrain - it's soo much more comfortable for your child - no pressure points - and it helps absorb any jolts.

Oh, and the child sits higher up in the easylife sport buggy than in the mountain buggy - so they're more up and out the way from shopping bag height - or nosy dogs height (I hate when dogs shove their nose into the pram and invstigate..I am not a dog fan - having been terrorised by one as a child!). The parcel bag beneath is large and can hold a LOT.
The hood stays up when you click it up - so even if your littleone tries to push it back - they can't!
The foam handle is some really tough and hard to damage foam stuff (not like the cheaper stuff you see on most buggies) - and it doesn't absorb the rain - so if you are walking miles in the rain - you won't end up with prune fingers!!!
The only downside is - the child can't face you - only face away. However, I've bought mine for our camping trips and weekend excursions where we go off road /to the beach and I don't want to worry about getting our "posh" pram ruined! (I can stand the easylife sport in the garden and hose it if necessary)!

PS I have no idea why more uk shops don't sell this model - the only theory I can come up with is - they know how durable the easylife sport is - so it will get resold a lot - and possibly reduce business for the shop - as friends would be able to pass them on for generations.

One day - I want to own a pram shop - and in it primarily would be the easylife sport - and then loads of pretty accessories to "personalise" them! LOL!

NewBee - You're right, even the Mountain Buggy website calls the buggy my SIL has (and I want) a urban jungle.

Seems they are trying to aim for a biggger city based market with their PR. Not sure why, I live in rural NZ and every farmers wife I know has one.

SIL & BIL also spend a lot of time at local ski field and use the MB there. (So you'd be set up if UK gets loads of snow again this year!)

Am preg again so was planning on getting a MB this time, but will check out the easylife too....bet it's not available in NZ. Grrr.

LOL - Easylife is another NZ made buggy! Doh.

There's lots of them in use here too and sorry if I offend the previous posters but I think they look really cheap compared to the MBs. I must stress that maybe because kiwis will not let anything die, 2nd hand buggys on their equivalent of ebay come with descriptions of "used for 27 children but plenty of life left!". So maybe I've only seen really well used ones....not my choice though.

You have to see irl i think. The build quality of the easylife sport's i have owned, all 2nd hand are as good as the mountain buggy. They're a bit bigger overall, with a bigger seat. They're very high quality, and do go on forever. I'm a fan!
I also found it easy and inexpensive to buy spares if i wanted too. (I bought spare seat and hood in black and a bumper bar to make mine look more up to date).

I've just bought a teutonia spirit s3 for my DD (due on sunday!)

it has gel wheels so no nasty punctures to deal with 5 miles from home.

also has a handlebar brake (unlike mountain buggies) so you can get help down steep hills.

Nice wide seat so hopefully will last for a while.

Great sun and wind protection

and VERY easy to fold/adjust/quick release everything.

I have to say - I know it's possible - but I've never had a puncture to deal with on the easylife - they come supplied with proper thick and durable (perhaps even puncture resistant?) tyres!

The Teutonia spirit does look nice Kailie - are the seat fabrics easy to remove and wash if they get covered in mud say? - I do like the bumper bar on that model - and the fact that the seat is reversible. Looks fab.

Another vote for Mountain Buggy - we have the "urban" but it's been along beaches and through fields, over stiles, up and down stairs and up and down mountains. Ours is 3 years old and good as new.

I had it fitted with wheelchair inner tubes and thorn proof tape inside the tires, and we've never had a puncture.

You can clip off the fabric shopping basket which means you can go through long grass etc too.

As the embarrassed owner of 40+ buggys at the moment I would have to say mountain buggy....They can quite literally handle anything and I know someone who had hers for 8 years and it was still going strong!!!They are more expensive than some alternatives but hold their value well for resale.I havent tried some of the mentioned alternatives though but LOVE my MBs...I have urbans, swifts, breezes and terrain and would say they are all great

You cannot beat old style MB terrain (the one with with the red frame and zip hammock recline)Absolutely bomb proof and light enough to throw over styles.

I have had a mountain buggy terrain - but I prefer the easylife sport - as I can more easily and cheaply buy accessories/spares/repairs and I like that the seat is higher off the ground - and it goes better in snow.
The easylife sport is a bit bigger than the mountain buggy - I have kids that are quite big for age - and they also need a buggy up to age 5y or so as the school is a couple of miles from our home. I guess it fits our needs really well. The older easylife's off ebay have hammock type seats too.

I had a Kiwi Explorer which is very like the Easylife and loved that too