Posted by
Nashua852
17 yrs ago
Hi All,
Just seeking some early advice on the Phil & Ted's. Kid's will be 22 months apart and below are some questions for you seasoned 'drivers' out there. Right now we are very happy with our Maclaren, but fear that when baby #2 arrives, 22 month old number 1 will not be too pleased with walking everywhere especially because;
- We use public transport A LOT, any problems with escalators?
- Grandma is usually a 45 min. bus ride away, or a taxi from the MTR - how boot friendly is the double stroller?
- Is it easy to take apart/fold when in doubles mode? Does it require dissembling?
- Worthwhile investment, or pricey with all the works?
- We don't drive, and thus why I'm even considering a double buggy!
- Has anyone seriously been pushing their child in it to the age of 5?! Not a criticism, just curious.
- How in the world am I going to survive with 2 kids and no helper?! :P (this can be considered largely rhetorical, hehe)
Would the Maclaren double be a better bet? I just figured in HK straight and narrow better than wide on our cobblestone pavements.
Thank You for taking the time to read this -- any help will be appreciated!!
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"- We use public transport A LOT, any problems with escalators?"
No problems either up or down. Just hold it in place.
"- Grandma is usually a 45 min. bus ride away, or a taxi from the MTR - how boot friendly is the double stroller?"
Unclip the doubles kit then fold. Takes 15 seconds if you practice. Re-assembly takes maybe 17 seconds. It's not as small as a MacLaren but it fits without any problems in the boot.
"- Worthwhile investment, or pricey with all the works?"
If you walk a lot, totally worth it. We love ours. Especially when #2 was under 6 months and she could totally lie flat in a very cozy space, with #1 riding in the doubles kit in the top position.
"- Has anyone seriously been pushing their child in it to the age of 5?! Not a criticism, just curious."
Our kids aren't that old then. #1 is 3½ and #2 is 2. We still use the stroller.
"- How in the world am I going to survive with 2 kids and no helper?! :P (this can be considered largely rhetorical, hehe)"
Can of worms. Opening. ;)
"Would the Maclaren double be a better bet? I just figured in HK straight and narrow better than wide on our cobblestone pavements."
Totally different design paradigm. The P&T is designed for walks. MacLaren strollers have much more rolling resistance, and are thus not suited for longer walks. You have to lkeep pushing if you will while the P&T keeps rolling easily. The P&T is more comfortable for the kids. The Mac is lighter though.
Important note: Mac double does not recline flat and horizontal. The P&T does. Flat and horizontal is way better for baby's back the first 6 months if he/she is going to be in the stroller more than 20 mins at a time.
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A slightly different view:
I generally love the Phil and Teds and have 3 kids under 5, however here are some of my views
- We use public transport A LOT, any problems with escalators? With heavy kids I loath using escalators as it's heavy with kids in it and quite difficult to balance, but generally you can find a lift.
- Grandma is usually a 45 min. bus ride away, or a taxi from the MTR - how boot friendly is the double stroller? It's big and takes up most of a boot (we travel a lot with ours and not much else fits in a boot once the buggy is in)
- Is it easy to take apart/fold when in doubles mode? Does it require dissembling?
It's easy once you practice. You need to have somewhere to put the back seat once it's apart
- Worthwhile investment, or pricey with all the works? Worthwhile for us as we've used it loads
- We don't drive, and thus why I'm even considering a double buggy! I walk with ours a fair bit. I can be a bit tippy with heavier kids and my heavy ones generally want to be in the bottom which makes it worse
- Has anyone seriously been pushing their child in it to the age of 5?! Not a criticism, just curious. Yes - after a long day my older will jump in the back whilst one of the others is in the front and it's fine (see note above) although heavy to push up a hill!
- How in the world am I going to survive with 2 kids and no helper?! :P (this can be considered largely rhetorical, hehe)
Would the Maclaren double be a better bet? I just figured in HK straight and narrow better than wide on our cobblestone pavements. The width of the phil and teds is great as it fits through a standard door, but i think the folded size of mclaren much better and lighter. P&T is heavy on its own and once folded cannot be rolled.
Thank You for taking the time to read this -- any help will be appreciated!!
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Hi axpatguy38 and pokulamum,
Thanks for your responses!
I'm leaning more towards the P&T based on what you said as well as certain weaknesses the maclaren double seems to have based on other reviews. The many wheels going up and down kerbs/stairs can't be easy, add that to the weight of growing kids and manouverability i would assume detiorartes with time. In that respect the P+T probably outlasts the Maclaren ...and even though it's a better fold, I think straight and narrow would probably be best
I am confused about a couple of things -- with hood and shopping basket etc the maclaren twin is upwards of 13 kg. The P+T claims it's around 11kg but I doubt they've taken into account the added weight with the doubles kit? Does anyone have any information about total weight with doubles kit?
Also there are four or five different styles.. the P+T Sport looks good, but are there any material differences between them? What do you guys use?
Thanks again!
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we don't have a P&T but i know someone who does...MOST escalators will be fine, but the narrow, 1 person escalators you might encounter apparently don't fit it...that said, those are more and more rare these days...
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"manouverability i would assume detiorartes with time. "
Not really. It's just crap to start with. ;) The MacLaren is a good stroller, but with those small, solid rubber wheels and strong rolling resistance long walks are really a struggle. The P&T wheels are more like bicycle wheels (the tires are the same as on beginner bicycles) so once you have it rolling it just keeps going. With the stiff frame and big wheels, turns in the P&T require very little effort. On the Mac the frame is "loose" and in a turn you are both turning and bending the frame, adding effort.
"The P+T claims it's around 11kg but I doubt they've taken into account the added weight with the doubles kit? Does anyone have any information about total weight with doubles kit"
The doubles kit can't weigh more than a kilo. I haven't compared the two. I won't lie to you, the P&T is hardly a lightweight stroller like Quinny. But this only really comes into play when you lift it. Pushing, there is a world of diference.
P&T "Sport" is more or less the model people visualize when they think "P&T". We actually have an e3, the original model. The Sport is more or less an improved e3. It's really good. I imagine the new aluminum models like the vibe are very nice, and lighter.
I would also argue that the P&T and the Mac are designed for fundamentally different uses. If all you do is take the stroller out of the car and walk short distances, mostly in shopping locales and so forth with smooth floors, and if you want it to fold smaller, the Mac is a good choice. If you walk on HK sidewalks, and take longer walks, the P&T is a good choice. You can even push (well, pulling works better) the P&T on a beach with some effort. No way you could do that in a Mac.
One more thing: the P&T is not a good stroller for twins until they are about 6 months old. It is really made for children between 15 and 36 months apart.
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Kim11
17 yrs ago
I also have a P&T and think it is the best thing ever invented. My kids are now 4 and almost 2. The 4 year old is big, size of a 5 year old and only now am I thinking he is getting a bit big but he still sits well and manages to fall asleep when he needs to if out for the whole day(don't get excited he doesn't nap at home, just on the train). We will continue to use it with him for another year if we can.
It is not too heavy although like mentioned above is not a lightweight stroller but easy enough for me to fold and lift on my own, yes needs a bit of practice at home first. It might be a bit difficult for the bus if you need to do it quickly but putting the baby in a sling might help to get it out of the way so you can fold it. I think it is the best since it fits everywhere and is really easy to roll as mentioned above.
i tried a side by side stroller in Australia before coming here with P&T and didn't liek the uneven weight with baby and 2 year old, much more difficult to push. I think the new P&Ts are even more lightweight.
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know
17 yrs ago
in my experience you can easily fit the phil and ted in the boot of a taxi. one fold and it's down. the boot of our car is very small but we still get it in that by taking the wheels off- which come off and push on very very easily. my sister has been using this buggy for years with her two and i have really enjoyed using it with my one (next one due soon)- with a small baby though it was easier to use the maxi cosi with the quinny zapp for travelling in taxis as it's much more compact and you have a ready made car seat with the maxi cosi.
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Have you considered just buying a buggy board to go on your existing stroller?
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My kids are also 22 months apart. I rarely used the P&T. I found it too big and too heavy. It's great for walking around the Peak but that's about it.
I much preferred having one in the maclaren and the baby in the baby bjorn. Then when they get older, one in the stroller and the other standing on the buggy board.
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Thank You all for your kind imput. We've decided to go with the P+T!
Re the buggy board -- we live in Yuen Long, that's a 45 min MTR ride away just to get to central. Too much of a shock for a 22 month old. As we generally do lots of walks - be it to friends houses, granies, or hikes the P+T seems ideal, however awkward it will be.
Of course I considered having baby in the Ergo/Bjorn and toddler in the maclaren and switching as the occasion called, but given the distance we are away from home when we do go out, its tempting fate just a little too much!
Has anyone traveled internationally with your P+T? And how protected is baby in newborn/toddler mode? I was a bit apprehensive to see the little space below the toddler seat but having said that, I obviously have no experience of it myself!
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Well you've made the right choice. We've had a P+T for about 3.5years and have only stopped using it over the last 6 months - as we now have 3, and the oldest just turned 4. The middle one has always loved to walk and the oldest would still ride if given the chance.
We've used ours in the UK, South Africa, Thailand and HK. We've bought the travel bag and its worth every cent to protect it. We've got the panniers and bug mesh too. But you really only need the rain cover. An umbrella is better to keep the sun off a newborn.
Definately buy the Sport.
Carry a small pump and puncture kit if you go off road anywhere. We actually carried a very small pump and a mini repair kit (no glue - the patches already have glue) in the handbag or backpack. We never had punctures here but we did in the UK.
It is a bit heavy but my wife is 5'3". She managed with a 2yr and a 6month old getting on/off every form of public transport in HK - yes including green and red minibuses. You just get used to the lifting.
Escalators are the riskiest part of travel. The weight with the kids in make it difficult to handle. Its easiest to push the pram ahead of you when doing down. Raise it up onto the back 2 wheels. When you go up - you go first and again lift up the front wheel. You have to watch the 'me first' average HK-er who is quite happy to shove passed you in an effort to get on first. Saying that security have regularly made us use the lift and those stupid poles are sometimes locked. We always lift them just to make sure they are stuck in the ground,
You do have to watch your baby's head in newborn mode. Its better to have the head at the end you are pushing so that you can see him/her. Make sure baby's head does not hit the back step of escalator.
Oh - and our kids love the pram. We've not got rid of ours - just in case - no not number 4 - but number 3 really does deserve a ride!
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"Has anyone traveled internationally with your P+T? And how protected is baby in newborn/toddler mode? I was a bit apprehensive to see the little space below the toddler seat but having said that, I obviously have no experience of it myself!"
Interationally, sure! There's even a travel bag accessory for checking it as luggage.
As for "protection", that space is very cozy. It sits within the frame tubing so there are no real issues apart from the head. Still, that's where you are so it's never really a problem. Just be careful with escalators.
Agreed with steveandgina. Get the panniers.
"Escalators are the riskiest part of travel. The weight with the kids in make it difficult to handle. Its easiest to push the pram ahead of you when doing down. Raise it up onto the back 2 wheels. When you go up - you go first and again lift up the front wheel."
I always go up front wheel first. The kids lean back a bit but it's no big issue. With newborn, of course, you can't do that. Either take the lift or get the cocoon accessory and lift baby out (in the cocoon). This is pretty much a must have anyway IMHO.
Summary of accessories you should buy:
- Side panniers.
- Cocoon (carry bag for baby that slots into baby position).
- Rain cover.
- Travel bag.
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Can anyone let me know where I can buy a Phil & Ted pram in Hong Kong?
Many thanks in advance!
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Cheukwong,
It's available from Bumps to Babes and Mothercare.
There are a few on sale on the classified section of this site "babies stuff" too but as tempted as we are..we're going to wait and see how the pregnancy progresses first and probably buy it for a much better deal when we visit the UK this summer. If you're a member at either B2B or Mothercare you get a discount..although I think from a price comparison I did Mothercare was cheaper.
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