Britax or Rainier?

(In Canada)
Ok I have it narrowed down, my beloved Britax or the new rainier. My 3.5 yr old still fits RF in marathon so I'm not worried about RF longevity of a britax for us. The seat will be for my 3 month old. The rainier keeps grabbing my attention. Is it fabulous? How will it be installing in a honda odyssey?
Or a Britax boulevard or advocate.
My questions and concerns are, I love Britax, so so easy to install. I've had the roundabout, marathon, marathon 70 and b safe. Will I regret getting the rainier when I go to install it?
If I get a britax is the advocate worth the extra money? Is it a lot bulkier? And with the rebound bar, does that mean I don't RF tether?
Thank you, it's a hard decision.

The Ranier is definitely going to have a steeper learning curve for installation and use. That's an issue for some, not for others. It's main benefits are for extended rear-facing and perhaps for 3-across or adjacent installs. The Rainier is not quite as narrow as the Radian and has a slightly different shape, so this remains to be seen based on real-world use. It also converts to a booster later, but this is not a selling point for me personally. I don't care for the shoulder belt routing of the Dionos in booster mode compared to most other high-back or combination seats.

Both models are on our recommended list at CarseatBlog, though, so it's hard to go wrong, but I think the Britax is somewhat easier to use and install in general. I like the Advocate's side impact cushions, especially if you will be using it in an outboard seating position and don't need to install a carseat adjacent to it. It's wide enough that it won't puzzle well to other seats, though in a newer Odyssey this wouldn't be an issue. Granted, a newer Odyssey has great side impact protection so it might not be worth the extra cost!

One other option for you soon- what about a Frontier/Pinnacle for your 3.5 year old and then let the baby use the Marathon? If you are using an infant carrier now, by the time baby needs a convertible, your older child will be over 4 years old and may be ready for a bigger seat.

http://www.amazon.ca/Britax-1-Pack-Frontier-Harness-2-Booster-Onyx/dp/B00CSJTTMG/

I wouldn't use the diono as a booster either. Our odyssey is 2008 but will be getting a 2015 when they come out. It will be outboard. RF I'm thinking the advocate would be fine with my 12 yr old sitting beside her, but once ff will it be too wide for someone to sit comfortably beside?
I was planning on buying my daughter the frontier, she'll be 4 in September. She still sleeps in the car, will the frontier be good for that?
Also the marathon expires in 2 yrs. I don't know what I'd do then. Would seem weird to have to buy a 2 yr old a new seat. Also would a new boulevard or advocate be safer for the baby?
Can I still rf tether the older marathon?

Ladybugmomma said:

I wouldn't use the diono as a booster either. Our odyssey is 2008 but will be getting a 2015 when they come out. It will be outboard. RF I'm thinking the advocate would be fine with my 12 yr old sitting beside her, but once ff will it be too wide for someone to sit comfortably beside?
I was planning on buying my daughter the frontier, she'll be 4 in September. She still sleeps in the car, will the frontier be good for that?
Also the marathon expires in 2 yrs. I don't know what I'd do then. Would seem weird to have to buy a 2 yr old a new seat. Also would a new boulevard or advocate be safer for the baby?
Can I still rf tether the older marathon?

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The side wings on the advocate definitely make it less flexible to fit an adjacent passenger. You'd have to try it to be sure, just make sure to get a good return policy if you do, just in case! On the plus side, they are touted to provide a cushion for an adjacent passenger in addition to protection from a side impact, so I guess it's a tradeoff.

I can't say for sure about the Frontier 90. My son wasn't a carseat sleeper so he never slept in his. It does have a modest amount of recline available, but perhaps other seats are better in that regard.

You're fine using a RF tether on your current Britax convertible or a new one. As for safety, I can't really say if any model, old or new, would be safer than another. A lot depends on your comfort factor with installing and using any particular one.

Ok I've decided (I think lol) to stick with Britax, that's where I'm comfy.
I just don't know who I should buy for first. Frontier and pass down the marathon for a year then replace. Or keep 3 yr old in marathon, replace with frontier next year and buy baby a new britax.

To the OP- are you in the US or Canada? I think your original post indicates Canada, in which case I believe the Britax seats are now using an anti-rebound bar. Can you clarify your location please?

Canada I believe, she did mention the ARB and maybe someone can answer about the RF tether + ARB please?

Ladybugmomma said:

Ok I've decided (I think lol) to stick with Britax, that's where I'm comfy.
I just don't know who I should buy for first. Frontier and pass down the marathon for a year then replace. Or keep 3 yr old in marathon, replace with frontier next year and buy baby a new britax.

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Britax revamps their line every 4 years or so, Frontier just got its upgrade and the convertibles are due in the next year or 2, so I would get a 90 now and a new Marathon in a year or 2 when the other one expires.

Admin said:

Canada I believe, she did mention the ARB and maybe someone can answer about the RF tether + ARB please?

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It's one or the other --

RF tether Aussie-style over and around to the designated forward-facing anchor point (chances are the tether strap is not long enough for that, inquire about a tether extender from Britax).

Use the ARB (available for free from Britax if the seat ordered doesn't come with one).

RF tethering Swedish style with the D-ring is not an approved option in Canada.

Thank you everyone. Yes I put in my original post that I'm in canada.
Ok can the anti rebound bar be used on any of their seats? I really don't want to tether Aussie style. Does that mean I can tether my current marathon like I did before? Could a arb be used with it?
That's really interesting about them revamping the seats on a schedule like that.