BlueDragon
New member
I took our new Radian on a plane trip last weekend -- 1.5 hours plane ride so a good test drive.
Actually, we ended up not using it on the plane. We boarded, started installing it, then realized how different the seatbelts are from cars. I gave up pretty easily because I wanted to get it in overhead space before we lost that space and were forced to check it in.
The problem is that the seatbelts, both the left and right ends, are several inches long. In cars, the female end is typically just a piece of plastic, almost flush with the seat. So, when you buckle, the buckle can be seen. With airline seats, and I guess I had forgotten this from when we traveled with our Wizard on board long ago, the buckle would end up being inside the carseat somewhere. Maybe this is not true for all planes and that is why I didn't have memory of it. In any case, when you are trying to buckle the two pieces and they are inside the seat, it is not very easy. I suppose you could pull one end through all the way, buckle, then pull it back inside, but it is far from ideal (the female end on a plane seatbelt is bigger than that of a car). Again, I really didn't want to have to check the seat so I gave up fairly rapidly.
We also bought the carrying case. I'm not too impressed. I still prefer having the case as opposed to not having it -- just to protect the seat and the fabric a bit. The problem with the case is it is just too tight. You have to push and shove and heave and ho and huff and puff to get the seat in there. And that is if you were lucky enough to put the seat in exactly the right orientation inside the bag. Then as you zip it, things are so tight you worry about catching the fabric in the zip. Oh why oh why didn't they make it just a tad bigger? We also bought the Safeguard Go and that carrying case (comes free with it) is quite roomy. In fact, many things about the Safeguard Go are really well planned out.
Nonetheless, I was glad to have the seat. We were told our cousins would have seats for us, but there was a Marathon and a backless booster. I put my 4-year old in the Marathon and her brother in the Radian and was happier that way. Just don't like backless boosters.
Also, despite it's weight, my DH didn't complain too much (of course I carried it, but I thought he would complain anyway about having the extra stuff). I also installed and uninstalled in the unfamiliar car pretty easily -- that can be a dealbreaker when you are with people that think you are paranoid about safety and taking up too much of their time...
I did think the Radian fit well in the plane -- a narrow seat and a low seat is precisely what you need to make it fit right (so you can get the tray table down, so it is harder for the kids to kick the seat in front of them, etc).
Actually, we ended up not using it on the plane. We boarded, started installing it, then realized how different the seatbelts are from cars. I gave up pretty easily because I wanted to get it in overhead space before we lost that space and were forced to check it in.
The problem is that the seatbelts, both the left and right ends, are several inches long. In cars, the female end is typically just a piece of plastic, almost flush with the seat. So, when you buckle, the buckle can be seen. With airline seats, and I guess I had forgotten this from when we traveled with our Wizard on board long ago, the buckle would end up being inside the carseat somewhere. Maybe this is not true for all planes and that is why I didn't have memory of it. In any case, when you are trying to buckle the two pieces and they are inside the seat, it is not very easy. I suppose you could pull one end through all the way, buckle, then pull it back inside, but it is far from ideal (the female end on a plane seatbelt is bigger than that of a car). Again, I really didn't want to have to check the seat so I gave up fairly rapidly.
We also bought the carrying case. I'm not too impressed. I still prefer having the case as opposed to not having it -- just to protect the seat and the fabric a bit. The problem with the case is it is just too tight. You have to push and shove and heave and ho and huff and puff to get the seat in there. And that is if you were lucky enough to put the seat in exactly the right orientation inside the bag. Then as you zip it, things are so tight you worry about catching the fabric in the zip. Oh why oh why didn't they make it just a tad bigger? We also bought the Safeguard Go and that carrying case (comes free with it) is quite roomy. In fact, many things about the Safeguard Go are really well planned out.
Nonetheless, I was glad to have the seat. We were told our cousins would have seats for us, but there was a Marathon and a backless booster. I put my 4-year old in the Marathon and her brother in the Radian and was happier that way. Just don't like backless boosters.
Also, despite it's weight, my DH didn't complain too much (of course I carried it, but I thought he would complain anyway about having the extra stuff). I also installed and uninstalled in the unfamiliar car pretty easily -- that can be a dealbreaker when you are with people that think you are paranoid about safety and taking up too much of their time...
I did think the Radian fit well in the plane -- a narrow seat and a low seat is precisely what you need to make it fit right (so you can get the tray table down, so it is harder for the kids to kick the seat in front of them, etc).