Poll - Which seat for travel?

[carseatfreak]

Ooohhhh...wish i knew the right answer for us!! Getting ready to embark on a cross country trip with layover, 2 y/o twins, and our 8 y/o in less than a month and I just can't decide!! It's between classic MA's or RN XTSL's.... I like the idea of ff with the RN on the plane and having use of the tray but one of the twins will have issues when we get on the plane (she freaks out in busses, small rooms, new places (I am preparing myself for her to scream until she falls asleep and praying that is not the case). This is the only reason I am thinking maybe rf on the plane would be better for her as it is more the norm. Anyone flown with rf MA? Legroom similar to in a vehicle?

 

[mrosehughes]

I vote radian. We put it in our umbrella stroller then backpack it onto the plane. Although I did come away with bruises from trying to install it too quickly on the plane the last time (the belt path is so darn skinny).

We flew with our blvd a few times and it was such a pain to get up and down the aisle. But I think the ra is lighter, right?

I find the ca65 a bit tougher to install than the radian, but that might just be that I'm less familiar with it. It is a lot lighter.

 

[mayasmommy]

RN! We used it last month for dd & it worked great. We had backpack straps on it & a ghetto traveling toddler (four large key rings). Dh would carry it short distances, but we would put it on our carry on for longer distances.

Sorry to hijack, but can you describe this "ghetto traveling toddler" set up a little more for me. We will be traveling soon with our Radian, and I would love to hear how you strapped it on without spending a lot of the special straps.

FWIW, I do like the Radian for travel a lot. But then again, I am usually wearing DS on my back, and DS is lugging the car seats. My plan is to bring the Radian for DD (who is 4 - I contemplated not using a car seat for her on the plane because she is pretty well behaved, but then I need it anyway for the rental car), and maybe the SS1 for DS (he is 20 months old, way below the weight limit, but right at the height limit. He uses a BLVD RFing in the car). I will check to see where his head hits the shell in his SS, but I am still not sure which seat I want to bring for him.

Can I expand on the question to see what do people think is easier to lug around the airport - a convertible like the ones mentioned, or if the kid still fits, would you bring the bucket?

 

[HeatherMo745]

Sorry to hijack, but can you describe this "ghetto traveling toddler" set up a little more for me. We will be traveling soon with our Radian, and I would love to hear how you strapped it on without spending a lot of the special straps.

FWIW, I do like the Radian for travel a lot. But then again, I am usually wearing DS on my back, and DS is lugging the car seats. My plan is to bring the Radian for DD (who is 4 - I contemplated not using a car seat for her on the plane because she is pretty well behaved, but then I need it anyway for the rental car), and maybe the SS1 for DS (he is 20 months old, way below the weight limit, but right at the height limit. He uses a BLVD RFing in the car). I will check to see where his head hits the shell in his SS, but I am still not sure which seat I want to bring for him.

Can I expand on the question to see what do people think is easier to lug around the airport - a convertible like the ones mentioned, or if the kid still fits, would you bring the bucket?

We traveled with the radian and did a "ghetto" traveling toddler set up also! We just used a luggage cart (like $10, maybe $15, at Walmart) and took a the bungee (sp) cord that came with it and put it throught the FF belt path and around the luggage rack. It when around like 4 or 5 times and was super sturdy but also easy to get off fast. I flew from SC to CA on 2 flights by myself with a 14 month old that way and it was so easy!

 

[HeatherMo745]

We traveled with the radian and did a "ghetto" traveling toddler set up also! We just used a luggage cart (like $10, maybe $15, at Walmart) and took a the bungee (sp) cord that came with it and put it throught the FF belt path and around the luggage rack. It when around like 4 or 5 times and was super sturdy but also easy to get off fast. I flew from SC to CA on 2 flights by myself with a 14 month old that way and it was so easy!

Oh and if I had a bucket that my little one sill fit in (she would fit on the onboard air 35, but we weren't goin to buy one just for a short amount of use) I was DEFF take that instead of a convertible. It's easier to get around

 

[kathysr98]

Sorry to hijack, but can you describe this "ghetto traveling toddler" set up a little more for me. We will be traveling soon with our Radian, and I would love to hear how you strapped it on without spending a lot of the special straps.

The rings are oversize key rings. I used a 3" center ring with 2" outer rings. A smaller center ring would probably work better, but I would stick with the 2" or so outer rings so you can easily hook on the premium LATCH connectors. I just put the tether strap over the top of the carry on & hooked to a ring & then hooked each end of the LATCH strap to a ring around the body of the suitcase. Using the FF belt path gives you plenty of strap length.

 

[bbartlettnfld]

I like the Radian for travel, yes its heavy but it fits the airplane seat and if child is light enough to use LATCH I have had no problems installing in rental cars, granted we got the Radian for DD when she was 4! DS used it but never RF.

I have also traveled with the MA it installed well on the plane and vehicles but since I am a bigger person it was painful to sit next too and I had bruises on my shoulder where it was crammed into me, it never fit RF on any of the planes I took it on! The MA does however install amazingly well into the seat of the Quinny ZAPP! using latch connectors and Top Tether!

BethAnn

 

[An Aurora]

Every time I've flown, I have used a cheap luggage cart and "installed" the seat on it with the latch clips. Alligator latch clips work much better than the clip on type. I always have two seats, so I put the second on top of the first and bungee. It takes a minute or two to uninstall and reinstall going through security, but it's not too bad.

 

[calihannah]

I'm loving this thread as I am facing a similar issue --

DD2 (18 months, well off the charts for height) is on the verge of outgrowing her CCO by height (she's 34.5" and is riiiight at the 1" limit now). We travel by plane at least 2x per month, sometimes more. The CCO has been amazing -- sad to have reached the end of that era!

DD1 is 5 now and has been fine in the airplane seatbelt since about age 4. Before that, we either took the Radian onboard and FFed it (foot thingy in the luggage) or used a CARES harness. Her travel car seat is a Safety 1st Go Hybrid, easily stowed in the bin or under the seat in front. She also rides in a RSTV for trips that are not car-intensive at our destination (she hates it for frequent car use). The Radian was a total risk, though -- we had several issues of incompatibility with rental cars and ended up FF more than once. She was over 3 when we traveled with that seat, though, so not awful if we had to occasionally FF.

But I'm surprised that nobody has mentioned the True Fit -- it actually makes a phenomenal travel car seat, despite its size. It fits well onto a stroller for schlepping, or you can do the traveling toddler thing (pic below). It installs remarkably well in SO many vehicles -- not only with LATCH but with the seatbelt (the belt lockoffs are really handy). It works in small cars, too, since you can put it very upright even with the headrest attached. We've put it in several dozen rental cars and have never had an issue. Downside: it's not light, and it can be a bit tricky to carry down the aisle, since you might have to lift it above the seatbacks (narrow-body planes mostly). But with its lower profile, I like how it fits on planes far better than Britax convertibles (mind you, I haven't tried the new models with the lower bases). And it can be found for under $150, so if you want a seat primarily for travel, it's not obscene.

PS -- we tried traveling with the Scenera a couple of times and had so many install problems on the destination end in unknown cars -- even with noodles -- that we gave up. We have a CA that we've used in extra cars in the past and dislike how it fit DD1, so we haven't yet tried it with DD2. I hadn't considered it as a travel seat because of what a PITA I found it to be to install. I'll revisit it, since its weight would sure make it a good contender. I'll also think about the RA55 as a possibility, though I don't know that it will take us anywhere near FF age.

A few pics:

True Fit FF on a plane --

True Fit with the Traveling Toddler strap (the purchased one, I'm not that creative to DIY!):

Radian FF on a plane -- the tray table fits over it well: