MegaSack DRAW - This year's winner is user - rgwb
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Junior in now 5 weeks and mum is getting real cabin fever not getting out the house. We're both active (well until she came along anyway!) and live quite remote along a lengthy pot-holed dirt track. We've only one car which I use for work so using that to get to paved streets isn't an option. We've got a normal buggy but it just doesn't cope with our drive at all (great for round town). Mum's not confident with the fabric sling or our Mountain Buggy Juno (I love it but she won't use it). So aside from carrying bub in her arms until they reach the road and then putting bub in the buggy the pair are kinda stuck.
So I started looking at more off-road capable buggies that are suitable for newborns - the Mountain Buggy Terrain type thing. Then I thought why not just get a bike trailer that converts into a buggy (Thule Chariot type thing) as the intention was always to get a trailer anyway.
Does anyone have any experience of using trailers as buggies in a more off-road environment? Particularly with the infant hammock insert?
Or should we be looking at a purpose built buggy now with a view to get a trailer later at which point we can sell on the buggy?
Ta!
We have a cx1 and were using it to go into chicksands woods within 5 weeks of our son being born, kept him stable and safe, he loved it and I think started his continued love of being in the woods
We've just got a Bugaboo Fox for buggy duties and a Thule Chariot for jogging and bike trailer duties (as here). https://singletrackworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/its-not-friday-the-13th-but-it-is-fresh-goods-friday-the-413th-the-no-shock-or-gore-edition/
Whatever you go for then bike trailer usage is restricted to after 6 months old as they don't have sufficient head control and you risk rattling their brains to bits. You can use the infant sling in the Thule as a buggy / jogger after 1 month but when I took my 4 week old out in it last week for our first run and he was pretty rattley so I'm sticking to smooth roads and taking it easy up and down the kerbs for a while yet.
The Bugaboo is really easy to push on rough terrain although I tend to just lob him in a sling if I'm walking out as he's loads more settled in it and it means I have my hands free.
We love our Chariot, but what @sok said about age limits. We used our chariot as a stroller from ~1 month and it was fine although she's always had very good head control. When walking you can walk at an appropriate speed and path to keep it stable. It's great on the rough stuff, rolls so so much better than our collapsible MaClaren buggy.
however I think you should spend time getting more comfortable with your sling/Juno or invest in one that she is happy with.
Whats your location in case someone offers to let you borrow or trial some kit?
Aye, wasn't going to use it as a bike trailer till 6 months or so.
What made you settle on the Thule Chariot other brands and models?
We're up near Inverness if anyone has something I can see in the flesh or test out.
Our Chariot has been used more as a go-anywhere buggy than it has as a trailer.
Bought secondhand from someone who'd already used it for 3 kids and it was still in good shape and had the infant sling as well as the running wheel, buggy wheels and cycle trailer kit (if you're buying new they're all separate things to buy). Went for that as they're well supported, all parts easily available, decent quality and seem to hold their value like crazy so wouldn't lose too much on it.
That said, we also got an older Phil & Teds double (steel frame, weighs plenty) for about £40 when we had our second and needed to be able to carry both at times - with 3 big wheels and pneumatic tyres it handles most rough footpath stuff absolutely fine. Main thing for rougher surfaces (or things like sand) is having either a single front wheel, or ones that can lock forward. We ended up buying a nicer, alu framed P&T one secondhand before a holiday just so it was easier to carry or chuck in the boot.
It's easy to get sucked in to the "must buy new things" idea with a baby, but stuff like pushchairs tend to be pretty cheap secondhand so use it as a way of trying them out. Most people seem to go through a few until they find what works best for them.
Our daughter is 10 days old and we have used our Out n About nipper sport twice already on gravel paths and fire roads round Cannock Chase. With the newborn support and careful line choice/speed she seemed fine and not too rattled! It wasn’t stupid money and will hopefully hold its value when we come to sell it.
Been tempted to buy a trailer but most people I have spoken to said a cross bar chair was more practical so I will wait until she is a little older and get one.
Why a Chariot?
We wanted a buggy & trailer capable of off-road fun, so I don't think there's a lot of competition (do any others have suspension??). They hold their value so well, we bought one new in a sale for less than ebay 2nd hand prices.
It gets used at Hamsterley for family rides and for whizzing down to town before getting converted to a stroller to go for a coffee.
(do any others have suspension??).
Crikey aye! Burley, Hamax and Croozers trailers have some sort of suspension. Croozer's is an elastomer based suspension system while others are leaf or coil sprung. Can't seem to find any reviews making a distinction between their effectiveness.
We have been given a decent offroad type buggy but it's not got a lie flat seat and I can't even find anything out about it online never mind get an infant sling for it. So I'd be reluctant to get a buggy that we'd only need for a short while.
Oh, I'm not insistent on buying new! The only thing we've bought new is the Juno carrier - and that was long before baby made her debut! And the car seat actually.
We got a chariot cx1 and used that as an off-road pram as well as a trailer. It was great, but with the jogging wheel at the front it was quite big for manouvering around shops etc' and needed dismantling when putting it in the car.
We eventually got a baby jogger summit X3 and I can't recommend that enough. It copes with off-road stuff no problem, collapses in one swift move with one hand, is dead easy to manouver and the little one loves. You can get adapters to fit a car seat and there is a lie flat cot attachment, although we didnt need that. It is a bit heavy, but you don't really feel that when pushing it about.
We've got loads of use out of it and itt's still in great condition, I expect it will sell well on eBay when the time comes.
https://www.babyjoggersummit.co.uk/acatalog/baby_jogger_summitx3_01.html
chariot cx1 here as well. great behind the bike and even better with the jogger wheel as a go anywhere off road buggy. we didn't get ours (second hand) until our baby was a year or so but have another one on the way so will try it out with the baby sling we have for it a bit earlier.
we had a (another ebay special) candy peach jogger or something - heavy and clunky and not great off road really - I guess the average joe's "off road" isn't the same as our "off road" . the clip in car seat attachment was good though and not something you could use the cx1 for.
Thanks for all your comments.
What's everyone's experience with 4 vs 3 wheelers? The 4 wheelers look like they have smaller front wheels than the 3 wheelers. For where we live, larger wheels would be beneficial (yes, I do have a 29er). The three wheeled town pram we have is quite difficult to manoeuvre so maybe the 4 is easier?
I'm not sure about others but the Chariot converts from a three to four wheeler. Three tracks better so is good for running duties, four is more manoeuvrable so easier as a buggy.
To answer your question above, we went for the Chariot as works as a bike trailer, jogging buggy and off-road buggy too (for the latter a sling is far easier though). Others we looked at are more specific bike trailers.
Want to buy a Cx1? I have one for sale PM for some details - it has the jogger wheel, baby sling and a couple of tow hitches.