Jané Crosswalk Travel System review

Spanish pushchair maker Jané is known for its distinctive buggies and innovative travel systems.

And the Crosswalk is the all-terrain pushchair in the Jané collection. It has been specifically designed as a high performance, cross country-style, but compact folding buggy.

Much like the best-selling Epic pushchair, the Crosswalk is being toted as a versatile push, and should double as an urban pushchair and an outdoor pram.

As an all-terrain it’s pitted against other well-known pushchairs like the Phil &Ted’s Voyager, Stokke Trailz, Graco Evo XT, Bugaboo Buffalo and Mountain Buggy Terrain.

So is the Crosswalk a true all-terrain buggy?

Yes and no. It will give you a pleasant push on bumpy terrain, thanks to heavy-duty tires and great suspension. In fact it’s great to push on gravel, the sandy paths of my local park and bumpy tarmac and cracked pavements.

However, and quite surprisingly, I find it difficult to push on flatter surfaces like living room carpet or on tiled or slippery floors of shopping centres.

Although having both lockable and 360 degree swivel front wheels, when they are locked in place it’s very hard to steer. You’ll certainly need both hands when pushing or turning the buggy on rougher terrain with locked wheels.

You can buy the Crosswalk travel system from retailers like Kiddicare, Samuel Johnston or Direct or Mum.

Tell us more about pushing the Jané Crosswalk.

Being an all-terrain buggy it has very good suspension, thanks to two shock absorbers, which is great for going over twigs, pebbles and rocks – the stuff you’d normally have to mull through at the park.

But, here’s the fix; they can be very tight and make the frame very juddery when pushing a newborn, even in the very comfy carrycot (more on that later).

I had to secure my infant daughter with plenty of blankets when lying down to supress the shakes and keep her stable.

The buggy brakes are positioned on one side of the handlebars and need to be hand operated (a bit like the Bugaboo Cameleon). I found it extremely difficult to use with one hand, I had to take at least one hand from the handlebar to operate it. This made me a bit uneasy and was very frustrating, especially when I had a crying baby in my arms.

Tell us more about the Nano carrycot?

Suitable from birth to around 6 months, or whenever your little one can sit up, the Nano carrycot is very comfortable. When coupled with the thick and very comfortable Jané Saftey Mattress, it’s suitable for overnight sleeping, brilliant!

But the best thing about the carrycot is that it’s lightweight and folds flat, and is very easy to do fold and unfold.

I really like the mesh panel inserted in the middle of the hood (unfortunately discovered quite late – I couldn’t find anything about it in the instruction booklets) it allowed some sunshine in but protected my daughter from direct sunlight. And when unzipped allowed the hood to go very low for those low sunshine days and sunsets.

The carrycot also has handles that allow me to carry it with my daughter remaining comfortable and steady.

What do you think of the Koos car seat?

Its biggest advantage is the weight. At 2.9kg the Koos infant car seat is very light indeed.

It can bit installed in the car with either the seat belt or an ISOFIX base. I tested it with the seat belt, but no matter what car I used it with I had to put something under the car seat so it was at the correct incline and meant my baby’s head will not fall forward with every acceleration.

The car seat base is really easy to fit in the car with the ISOFIX points, it’s sturdy and has light indicators, so you know when the seat is fixed properly. However, the car seat is pretty much at the same incline, so be prepared for little bobbing heads when using this.

Although it’s described as an ergonomic handlebar with four postiton for ease of carrying babies in the car seat, it’s not easy to release or change the handlebar position.

This is especially evident when the car seat is already belted up and when the handle has to be places over the belt in its lower position.

I am also not a fan of the attachable hood for the car seat when in travel system mode on the Crosswalk chassis. If I had to describe it in one word hideous would be the only thing that came to mind. That’s because it is very difficult to attach; there are two rubbers that go over handlebar and then through the tinniest loop that I have seen.

It took me some 15 minutes to fit the hood over the car seat, suffice it to say, it’s not something I’d want to do every time I used the travel system.

How does the Crosswalk work as a travel system?

It’s great as a travel system. The Koos car seat is very easy to use with the Crosswalk chassis and takes no time to safely attach the car seat to the buggy and off again. It’s also fit to the car seat base really swiftly and at all times you know it’s connected safely.

Jané claims the infant car seat is suitable up to 13kg or around 18 months, however my baby is 8 months and only 7.5kg and I am already thinking that it will last for another 3 months or so, as she is getting too long for it.

How is folding the Crosswalk?

You need both hands to collapse but it folds easily. The Crosswalk can be folded with the seat facing forward or rearward, and you don’t have to detach the seat first.

Is it a compact fold?

Not really, you do need a big space to store it when folded and you’ll also need a big car boot to have the pushchair collapsed with the seat unit in there. I had to detach the seat unit or carrycot for my BMW 1 series boot all the time.

And while the Nano carrycot and Koos car seat are both very light, the Crosswalk chassis is not. At 15.5kg, it’s heavy, heavier than the Cameleon 3, the Voyager, Trailz and Evo XT pushchairs.

Will the Crosswalk last the recommended 3 years?

I certainly think it will. Although it’s a heavy chassis, it’s weighty for a reason; it’s very sturdy. There isn’t any threat that the frame will buckle under added weight of shopping bags or a bigger toddler. The seat unit is also very big and wide, so it’ll definitely take any child from birth to pre-school.

Is it easy to build the buggy?

Most of the parts were easy to put together. I have struggled with the installation of the hood on the carrycot (as I mentioned earlier) and had to ask the other half for the help. This is probably because the instructions weren’t perfectly clear and could use improving.

What is in the boxes:

• Chassis
• Wheels
• Seat unit
• Koos infant car seat
• Nano carrycot and hood
• Raincover
• Shopping basket
• Changing bag
• Car seat canopy
• Padded liner
• Harness pads
• Mattress base

MadeForMums verdict:

The Jané Crosswalk travel system is high-quality, safe, sturdy and looks great. The portability, comfort and compactness of the Nano carrycot and Koos car seat mean I would highly recommend it.

However, as a standalone pushchair, the Crosswalk is not great, it’s heavy and can be difficult to steer, not one for an urban-dwelling parent.

Saying that, if you live in the country or other rural areas and after a durable pushchair for a bigger child that you can push through all kinds of rough terrain and don’t have to take it up stairs, then this may be the one for you.

Read more...

• 10 of the best all-terrain pushchairs
• 7 of the best jogging buggies
• What colour will your buggy be in 2016?