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All of the recent stroller questions have got me thinking. We are flying across the country with our daughter for the upcoming holidays and will need to purchase a lightweight umbrella stroller. Although our current stroller is great, it takes up a lot of space and is not ideal for travelling. We are looking for something that doesn't take up a lot of space, would be good for travelling, but is also sturdy and durable. I'm hoping some of you may have suggestions based on your experience with different strollers.

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7 Answers

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Chalk up another big plug for Maclaren. We have a Volo that stays in the car for trips to the store. We also shopped the chicco umbrellas and a few other brands that the local Babies `R Us had on-hand. Spend about 5 minutes in your local baby store with the mix and you too will own a Maclaren.

We chose the Volo because it's very light weight, the wheels move like they aren't touching the ground. It's amazing how frictionless the stroller feels with a 25 pound baby in it. Folding and unfolding is a piece of cake. Once folded, the Volo has a strap tethered top and bottom so you can shoulder it like a bag or backpack.

The difference in price between our Mac and the nearest competitor is about $25 USD and you know where the extra money went when you push them around the store (preferably with the baby in there).

The one consideration for travel though is that this is a $100 USD stroller and there is potential for it to disappear en route.

Good luck and enjoy your trip.

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wow, wish I could buy it in the US. I looked at Babies R Us in Canada and they were around $200. – Tammy♦ Oct 20 at 19:56
How far are you from the border? BRB is giving away a free umbrella stroller with purchase of a Mac on their US web site. – Rob Allen Oct 21 at 1:03
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 toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2887343 – Rob Allen Oct 21 at 1:03
Thanks, we are about two hours away from the border. Might be worth a trip. – Tammy♦ Oct 24 at 0:46
Difficult to choose thy accepted answer as all the recommendations were the same so I chose you as your response was most detailed. – Tammy♦ Oct 24 at 0:48
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I would look at Maclaren strollers. They are a little bigger than your typical Umbrella stroller, but they are small enough to travel with. They also still have room you can store your things in which most umbrella strollers do not have! They are safe and durable and will last you a long time! Check it out! http://www.maclarenbaby.com

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I agree that a major downfall of a basic umbrella stroller is the lack of storage which would be nice when traveling. I have considered getting something like this myself. – Sabrina Oct 20 at 6:23
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I love my Maclaren stroller. We have a Quest. It is lightweight, compact and easy to fold up with one hand. It pushes nicely and seems well made. My only complaint is that the sunshade is not long enough, so it doesn't do the greatest job at shading baby from the sun. You can buy an add on shade though, which is what I did.

Also, I'd buy a stroller bag if you are going to check it. Baggage handlers aren't too concerned about making sure your items arrive in one piece. I'm glad we bought a bag b/c the bag ended up really beat up.

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Thanks the stroller bag is a good idea. – Tammy♦ Oct 20 at 19:55
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While reading my paper this morning I came across an article about Mclaren Strollers. I know that we have been discussing the brand on Moms4mom and have being recommending it.

Here is some news I found on the internet from Press Zoom

(PressZoom) - News reports announced a McLaren Strollers recall set to be released on Tuesday by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. A report by ABCNEWS mentions that over 1 million strollers will be recalled by the baby product maker due to issues with children getting fingers caught in the strollers.

Model numbers were not released in the news item and could include strollers made dating as far back as 1999.

According to ABCNEWS, there have been numerous reports of children getting their fingers caught in hinges on the strollers and several having partial amputations of their fingers.

An official release is set for November 10, 2009 from the CPSC. Reports indicate McLaren will be sending out special kits to owners of the strollers to help prevent such injuries from happening further.

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I'll go from the opposite direction and tell you what NOT to get. On a cross-country trip earlier this summer, we brought our basic, $10 umbrella stroller because of the size. In some cases, this worked just fine, but when we went to places like a zoo, the wheels were horrible. They are just small, hard plastic wheels that don't do well on anything but pavement.

At the very least, I would suggest getting an umbrella stroller with larger-than-normal wheels, preferably inflatable rubber.

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We bought the G-Luxe stroller from UPPABaby. It's very light, easy to carry, and easy to maneuver. The only downside is that the basket won't hold much more than a diaper bag.

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We went to the local toys r us and looked at the lightweight strollers that were around $100 (Canadian). We tried them all and decided the one that we liked best is the Combi Flare Stroller. I think the best thing is just to go in and try for yourself. We took it on a trip to Vancouver and it was great for travelling. You could see wear on the wheels by the end of our trip since we did a lot of walking but we are still using it whenever we go out. We have brought it on other trips since and it still is great. Good luck in your search.

http://www.toysrus.ca/product/index.jsp?productId=2933744&cp=2582969.2582977.2582977&parentPage=family

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