This improved Backpack Stroller has just launched in the UK market and it fills a great niche. Packed neatly into its smart backpack, it is allowed as hand luggage by most airlines.
New to the UK, the QuickSmart Backpack Stroller hasn’t won any awards here but it did win a ‘Good Design’ award in the Australian International Design Awards in 2011 and I’d say it deserved it.
The main features make it a quick-folding (four straightforward steps), very compact buggy, ideal for bundling in the backpack and transporting. The folding mechanism is fine once you’ve done it once or twice. Both hands are required to push down corresponding buttons so I found sometimes my chin or knee was helpful but this isn’t a problem as long as you’re not holding a baby.
The Backpack Stroller has an easy-to-use rear brake, which works on both rear wheels, and a 5-point safety harness for strapping your child in. It has fixed-height foam-covered handles, which are padded, comfortable and set at a sensible height.
This buggy was previously criticised for its inadequate sunshade/hood but this must have been improved because it’s ideal now and does the job perfectly well.
What we love
The QuickSmart Backpack Stroller is light and very nimble to manoeuvre – I say this with genuine enthusiasm as someone who hated with a passion a previous high-quality all-terrain buggy my husband chose for us, which was infuriatingly wide and horribly heavy.
This buggy looks great and I love the fact that it packs up neatly into the backpack, which is certainly good quality and much better than basic. I also like the strong, wipe-able seat fabric.
The folding and unfolding mechanism is neat and relatively easy.
My son Daniel loved the fact that it was comfortable enough and that the grey cover looked slightly camouflage!
What to watch out for
This buggy isn’t designed for long shopping trips when onboard storage is required – it only has a small 0.5kg capacity pocket and if you’ve bags of shopping there’s no where sensible to hang it. Also, for a long ride it isn’t hugely comfortable and has no recline position. Also, it’s not a good buggy for very uneven or rough terrain.
Who is the QuickSmart Backpack Stroller best for?
The organised parent who travels frequently by air.
The QuickSmart Backpack Stroller has manoeuvrability and style. The fact that it’s reasonably quickly and neatly packed up into its backpack is brilliant for travellers. It’s not cheap and has few other frills, but it’s still good value, does a great job and feels like it will last well.
