best all terrain pushchair

[angelstar]

Hi,

Thinking of how the weather may get this winter, does anyone know what pushchair would be best and easiest to push on ice and snow, school is up a hill and I have to go 3 times a day. I'd like it too be quite cosy as its got to be suitable for my 4 month old, but also when shes in the sling my 2 year old will need to use it.

Any ideas? forward anr rear facing would be a bounus

I have used a Boogie (now called xts), a Kingswood double and an Urban Detour.
The Urban Detour (from Mothercare) has it's merits as a pushchair round town because of the swivel front wheel, large shopping basket and also it reclines flat for little babies. However, it was rubbish as an 'all terrain' - even when you lock the front wheel. It is really hard to push on sand and not fantastic on gravel. And it is a little unstable with a tendancy to tip to the side - not excessively but enough to feel a bit worrisome.
The XTS version was fantastic as all terrain. Its downside (although this was purchased 4 years ago so may well have changed) was it didn't recline enough for a small baby and the basket was rather small. But it did it's job as an atp extremely well. And it has a handlebar brake which is incredibly useful when goin down a hill!
The Kingswood was good - worked fine as an atp but a bit cumbersome round town.
If you need something that works really well as an atp I wouldn't go for the cheaper options but get somthing at least of XTS standard.
HTH!!!

Oh, and if you want it to be cosy you could put a sheepskin liner in - we have one and it's lovely!

Mine is a Quinny Fashion - great suspension, excellent for walking in woods, sandy beaches or on gravel. Not sure if it rear faces, never tried but it all comes apart for easy transportation. No swivel wheel but never found it necessary as I use the buggy on shopping trips. Lies flat for newborn. DS (3) still in it for the school run and its easy to push due to the suspension, I find buggies hard work with an older child. The raincover is a good design too - you can unzip the front and lift it up rather than taking off the whole thing when you go indoors. It was over £300 but I got it in the sale. Check out their website. HTH

I have a Mountain Buggy Urban and it's absolutely brilliant. I used the carry cot attachment when dS was newborn but they can lie flat in the buggy. Brilliant handling - can turn on a sixpence with one hand. Nice and cosy - got a cosytoes with it and the hammock style makes it snug. Can't fault it.

Kbear, we had a Quinny fashion too and it does rear face, you just mount the seat 180o around and hook it on at a different point, which we really liked for a young baby. We used it from 4 months as it went flat, with a sheepskin liner to make it cosy as it was mid winter. The hood is nicely enclosed too and we used the raincover in windier and cold conditions. It has coped with 3 Swiss Winters and had lots of use off the road and on snow. However am now finding it less stable now dd is older and she can tip it if she leans far forward over the bumper bar and if it is on a camber.

I'm not sure it is available new any more though but the latest Quinny Freestyle seems to include many of the same features. You can use a carrycot or Maxi Cosi car seat on the chassis too.

hth

I have an old style (metal wheels, bumper bar not play tray) Urban Detour and its fabulous. Does ice, snow, sand (wet and dry) and shopping centres without a murmur. However, I wouldn't fancy its chances if we took it up the Himalyas but it copes fine with uneven ground.
Make sure you have a lockable swivel wheel whatever you get as fixed wheels are a bugger to steer.