Which Mac? Non-stroller savvy mama here

tarynsmum

Senior Community Member
OK, so I'm not so up to speed with the strollers...

I have a Chicco Caddy, which I felt at the time was a necessary evil (tiny stroller, great for quick trips, and I bought it for ~ $20) and a BOB Rev, which I LURVE for all the right reasons ;)

But, now I'm going to Tennessee to visit my mom for a week. I need a stroller for the airport, and also for hoofing it around the Memphis Zoo, in the neighborhood (not really a suburb, but not a crazy country-like road either. It's kind of bumpy? If that makes sense. We had the BOB last time we were there when we drove and it was great, of course). I was planning on just taking the Caddy and dealing, but I REALLY dislike it for the zoo, and it's not a great push, says the lady who's used to the BOB. And we just got our tax return, which turned out to be more than we expected. And I want to buy ONE THING before DH steals it all for house repairs. :whistle:

So, my actual question: There's the Volo, which is like the net-y seat, right? Is it hot in the sun/summer? Because it'll be used almost exclusively in the hot hot summer. I'm thinking it might be nice because of the air travel, but not if it's plastic-y.

And this is one of those questions that I know makes me look stupid. Triumph vs Quest Sport vs Quest Mod. What is the difference? Is that like someone asking the difference between the Blvd, MA, and DC? :p

So I want one that will fold up OK, but it doesn't have to be umbrella stroller tiny - I'll be pushing it though the airport, and gate checking it. But is the Volo too light? Will I be able to hang my carry one bag on the back without it tipping over (my test of sturdiness)? I'm taking the Radian and carrying it on my back, so I don't need to be able to haul the carseat with it.

:scratcheshead:

ETA: I'd also like to be able to eventually attach a boogy board in the future, so DD can hang out on it and the eventual baby can be in the stroller. ;)
 
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momme2_3

New member
The Triumph has a carry strap and no adjustable legrest. The seat is also quite shallow. The Quest does not have a carry strap it does have a handle strap, and has an adjustable legrest. The recline is not full. All else the same, I much prefer the Quest.

On both, The basket is rather small and quite inaccessible. Only a very small diaper bag will fit down there. If you hang a bag on the back of the stroller, the stroller will tip backwards when your child gets out.

I think anything on the back of a volo will make it tip, they do have stroller weights that you can buy to take the tippiness out of it :) HTH :)
 

momme2_3

New member
Not to throw another one in the mix, but, I wanted to add, that I personally would recommend the ryder if going to be used elsewhere also, I :love: that stroller, it is a step above the quest.
 

indigoblossom

New member
hi my name is valeri and i'm a maclaren addict.

the maclaren website is pretty cool if you haven't checked it out yet, you might want to. it lists the strollers (buggys) in order of economical/lightweight to more features/heavier weight - though none of the umbrella strollers are really "heavy" in comparison to most american strollers.

so i got a volo thinking i'd love it for travel. now i need to sell it because i'm just not going to be happy with such a lightweight stroller. it is lovely at only 8 pounds and i love how it steers and it wouldn't be hard to use the shoulder strap to carry it if you had to chase after a toddler BUT it will tip over if there isn't a child in it with any weight on the back. i had put 2 pound weights above the front wheels on my ryder and that helped, but i'm not sure it would help a lot with the volo since it weighs a lot less than the ryder.

anyhow, i travelled to florida last year and took our ryder to disneyworld. it was great. i gate checked it, and we easily folded it up to catch shuttles and busses on our trip. then i got bored and decided i wanted the roomiest of all maclaren umbrella strollers. i did like many, many quest patterns but i had sold our quest to get a ryder and after having a ryder there was no way i could lose some features and be satisfied so i moved all the way up and got the maclaren techno XLR. this has the highest weight limit of 65lbs and has a wider seat by almost 2". of course there is a downside and that's that this stroller is noticeably heavier and bigger than any other mac. it's still not bad, though, and i've decided to sell the volo and buy a maclaren buggy bag and just use the techno as our primary stroller and also for travel.

i love the techno XLR. i love the extendable handles, the full recline, the roomy seat, but i have to say that the quest i used to have and the ryder seemed more sturdy somehow. i don't even know how to explain it - maybe it's because the XLR was so expensive and i don't want to break it but i felt i could be more rough with the other two, even if i wasn't.

as far as tippability - i bet the XLR would tip over but i haven't tested it out. i do keep a pretty full vera bradely hobo hanging off the handles but i haven't taken my child and left the bag on...i imagine it would tip less than the lighter-weight strollers because of it's weight and wider footprint.

as far as adding a boogy board - i'm interested in others answers about that, too, because by the time i would possibly have another child, my toddler would be too big to ride in a double stroller probably. just based on my experience the ryder and techno would handle that add-on well, but i can't be sure having not ever seen the boogy board in person.
 

Brooke-From-TX

New member
The Triumph has a carry strap and no adjustable legrest. The seat is also quite shallow. The Quest does not have a carry strap it does have a handle strap, and has an adjustable legrest. The recline is not full. All else the same, I much prefer the Quest.

On both, The basket is rather small and quite inaccessible. Only a very small diaper bag will fit down there. If you hang a bag on the back of the stroller, the stroller will tip backwards when your child gets out.

I think anything on the back of a volo will make it tip, they do have stroller weights that you can buy to take the tippiness out of it :) HTH :)

I have the mac. quest mod and it does have a carry strap, if that helps.
 

NVMBR02

New member
I have a Volo and it is my favorite of all the Mac strollers (I have had the Volo, triumph techno and quest) It is tippy, but the Triumph isn't any better. I wrapped my 2lb ankle weights around on each side of the front and it no longer tips. Ds is a hot sweaty kid and he doesn't get hot in the Volo, but he does tend to sweat in the quest (I sold the Techno when he was 4 or 5 months old, so I can't remember that one)

Anyway, in general they are all great strollers, just depends on what you want as far as features.
 

USmominOz

New member
I just bought a carbon volo on ebay for $55. I should get it in a week.

I had the Quest and I really did not like it. I also have my 2nd Techno and it really is not that much smaller than my Peg P3. Since ds hardly sits in a stroller but I still need one on hand for the times he needs it or I want to get stuff done quicker I thought I would try the Volo.

I have the saddle bags from Carry you that will fit on the side or the handle bar and I just put a few things in it, like my wallet and wipes. you can put a bag on it, but it will tip when the child gets out, but if they will be out for a while then I would just move the bag to the seat. I also have a small bag for ds's food which will fit in the basket. For somereason I really like the square hood on the Volo better than the round hood on the Triumph & Quest.

I know if I don't like it I will be able to sell it here for way more than I bought it for.

We are traveling home to the states at x-mas and I got it to bring it w/ us because it will fit in my luggage and not be too heavy.

I have the Valco toddle board that I have tried on my techno and quest. It did work.

I also have the valco drink holder on it too.
 

tarynsmum

Senior Community Member
So, I think I'm leaning more toward the Quest, and here's why (given my reasoning, let me know if you all agree).

I crossed out the Volo because, while it's the cheapest (always a plus in my book), I think it'll be too light for my liking and, looking ahead, I wouldn't feel comfortable putting a baby in it, given it's sling-style seat. The only way I got DH to agree to buy another stroller is that I will use it with the next baby - I'm not really a travel-system kinda girl, and I truly cannot find a double stroller that I don't totally hate. So, Volo is out.

The Triumph seems eerily similar to my Caddy. Obviously with more features and weightier, but it only has the adjusting strap for recline, which I REALLY hate on the Caddy, and the one thing I dislike about my BOB, actually. I just find it really annoying. If it's not what I'm imagining, please tell me. It's really the only thing I don't like about the Triumph, and the reason I'm eliminating it.

So, because of the recline, I think I'm going with the Quest. The difference between Sport and Mod I have no idea. Is it just the fabric choices? It has the 4 recline positions and only weighs a tiny bit more.

Other models are pretty much out of my price range. The Quest is really pushing it for me, honestly.
 

momme2_3

New member
yes, I think the fabrics are the major if not only difference :)

BTW, where are you in pittsburgh? I am south of the city, Peters twp :)
 

tarynsmum

Senior Community Member
OK, so I'm now putting WAY too much thought into this...

I found this on ebay... has anyone ever used the liner? Is it nice? Would it make the Volo more compatible with a smaller baby? I'm also playing with the idea that if I buy a Volo (any thanks UsMominoz for that ebay link!) I might end up getting a sit n stand or something like that down the road instead, since I'll be getting a really nice deal on the Volo.

I'm looking at the turquoise.

I figure it'll be nice, and I'm not super worried about it getting dirty, since DD really isn't a messy kid and I don't plan on using any stroller daily.

This is the accessory kit I'm talking about. Having the bag will be nice too.
 

USmominOz

New member
OK, so I'm now putting WAY too much thought into this...

I found this on ebay... has anyone ever used the liner? Is it nice? Would it make the Volo more compatible with a smaller baby? I'm also playing with the idea that if I buy a Volo (any thanks UsMominoz for that ebay link!) I might end up getting a sit n stand or something like that down the road instead, since I'll be getting a really nice deal on the Volo.

I'm looking at the turquoise.

I figure it'll be nice, and I'm not super worried about it getting dirty, since DD really isn't a messy kid and I don't plan on using any stroller daily.

This is the accessory kit I'm talking about. Having the bag will be nice too.

You can get the accessory pack brand new for $39.99 w/ free shipping at

http://www.mystrollers.com/shop/product.aspx?sku=A415921

I just ordered one. If I don't use it I can sell it here for a lot more than I paid for it since they don't sell it here.

I also have a saddle bag:
http://www.mystrollers.com/shop/product.aspx?sku=PESCARA

You can use this on the side or the handle bars. I use it on my Techno on the side so ds can get his drink out. I also keep a couple of diapers and a thing of wipes in it. That way I can just carry a small bag that fits his food and my wallet and drink bottle. My ds loves to eat and I always have to have food w/ me.

Since I currently have a Techno, P3, Graco and Vaco Runabout, (sold my Quest) I thought than since ds does not sleep in it anymore that I would try this out.

A lot of people said that their kids had no problem sleeping in it.

I was thinking that kids don't lay down when sleeping in a car seat.

I just want to keep something small in the car for the occasional use.
 

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