Brigala
CPST Instructor
I had a car seat playdate today. Among other things, we took the Elite Air 80 + out to my car, squished it into my Civic's front seat (so I wouldn't have to move my car seat out of the back) and tried two kids in it as a booster. One who is just a little too small to use it as a booster, and another near the top of the size range (and close to 5-stepping).
I posted pictures in a public facebook album. Please let me know if this link doesn't work for you because I can share my photos and comments in other ways if necessary. I'm not positive, but I *think* you should be able to view the album even if you don't have a Facebook account.
The verdict: Belt fit is a lot better than on an Alpha Omega, but we HATED this seat as a booster anyway and would never ever ever buy one with the intent to use it as a booster. The belt did not retract through the guide at all, the seat is absolutely giant, there's no way a kid will be able to buckle it himself/herself without help (even an older kid) because if by some miracle they could reach the buckle they would need help getting the belt back through the guide after leaning over that far to reach the buckle. Plus, buckling the kids in took up so much of the belt that it engaged the ALR so we couldn't figure out how to use it without locking the belt on the child. That problem will probably vary from vehicle to vehicle. I suspect there are some vehicles out there with belts that aren't even long enough to use this seat in booster mode.
I posted pictures in a public facebook album. Please let me know if this link doesn't work for you because I can share my photos and comments in other ways if necessary. I'm not positive, but I *think* you should be able to view the album even if you don't have a Facebook account.
The verdict: Belt fit is a lot better than on an Alpha Omega, but we HATED this seat as a booster anyway and would never ever ever buy one with the intent to use it as a booster. The belt did not retract through the guide at all, the seat is absolutely giant, there's no way a kid will be able to buckle it himself/herself without help (even an older kid) because if by some miracle they could reach the buckle they would need help getting the belt back through the guide after leaning over that far to reach the buckle. Plus, buckling the kids in took up so much of the belt that it engaged the ALR so we couldn't figure out how to use it without locking the belt on the child. That problem will probably vary from vehicle to vehicle. I suspect there are some vehicles out there with belts that aren't even long enough to use this seat in booster mode.