Help with second seat & travel

jnh896

New member
Hello,
I am trying to decide what to purchase as a second seat as a spare and for airplane travel. We have the Britax Boulevard and I do not want to remove it from our van. As a newbie, I found it difficult to install.

My daughter is 23 lbs. and 11 months old. We travel frequently by air, but last time she was still small enough for her Graco infant seat/travel system.

I would like one that is easy to install with seat belts (as in an airplane) and one that is lightweight to carry.

I was thinking of getting the FP Safe Voyage Deluxe based on other good reviews, but am wondering how easy it is to install quickly/transport.

Any other suggestions are welcome. Although price is a factor, it is not my first considereation - ease of use is my first consideration.

Thank you for your help. I would not have gotten my Britax installed without this forum!

Joy
 
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bombedier

Senior Community Member
For longest use for your investment, I would recommend the Radian65 as a travel seat. It is narrow so that it will fit nicely into those airplane seats and is raved about for travel. You can order the carry-straps to make it into a back-Pack (the seat folds flat). The Radian RF to 33lbs and then FF to 65lbs.

This seat will then be good for when your daughter outgrows the Boulevard as it will last her height-wise for longer than the BV.

Another option would be a Cosco Scenera - it is lightweight and fairly easy to install. It RF to 35lbs and then FF to 40lbs.

The Radian would be my first choice though for return on investment.
 

Stretchy Glue

New member
FPSVD is a nice seat and pretty easy to install (in my experience) but it's pretty big. If you're really looking for something easy to carry, it's a little heavy. Have you considered the Cosco Scenera? It's $40 at Target, has a 35 lbs rf limit, is relatively easy to install. It's also fairly light weight. Since your dd is so small, she'll fit in there well.
There are some other options but I'm not very familiar with them. I know the Evenflo Triumph ADVANCED has a 50 lb limit and good top harnesses but I think it's pretty heavy. I've only played around with it on the shelf so I'm not sure of the ease of installation in that one.
 

sixboys

Member
For the time being, I would just get the Cosco Scenera. It is certainly the lightest of any of the other seats mentioned above. We traveled with a Scenera not too long ago and it was very easy to carry through the airport. I bought it at Wal-Mart for around $40 and it was sold in a clear plastic carrying case with a handle. I'm not sure if it's sold this way everywhere, but it's a great set-up for carrying to the plane, and then the cover folds down very compactly to put in your carry-on bag.

If you are looking for something that you will be able to use for a long time, then I would go for the Fisher Price Safe Voyage Deluxe. It's a great seat, and I personally think it's a little lighter than a Britax Marathon. I'd think about getting the Go-Go Kidz carseat wheeler to go along with it.

I have a Radian 65, and I think it's a good seat, and the folding capability is very handy for travel, but man it is a heavy seat! I would also be a little concerned about installing it in rental vehicles as it does have a very short belt path and can be difficult to impossible to install in various vehicles.
 

jessclear

New member
I love the Safety First Uptown as a travel seat. I find it easy to install in other cars and in airplanes (easier than the Britax seat I have). It doesn't sit up as high as it doesn't have a large base. It RF to 35lbs and FF to 40lbs. It won't last as long as the FPSVD, but it lighter and easier to carry (for me). It also has high top harness slots. The only down side is that it is a narrow seat in the shoulder area. It fits my DD well, but a wider child might feel squished. I tried it in the store first. They have them at a lot of Wal-Mart stores. It is priced around $99.

ETA: I picked it over the Scenera due to the EPS foam. I feel more comfortable with the added foam.
 

wendytthomas

Admin - CPST Instructor
Staff member
I would go with the Scenera. The Radian is a fabulous travel seat, but it won't fit RFing on an airplane. Maybe if you had a bulkhead every time. But as that's not a guarantee I wouldn't get the Radian for a RFing travel seat. Plus it has a removable RFing foot that must be used, and I'd be paranoid about accidentally losing such an important part of the seat.

The Uptown is a fine choice as well, it's a padded Scenera, basically. But for a secondary seat I'd just go with the Scenera.

Wendy
 

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