A stroller you can put anywhere

Author's Rating:

Pros: ultra-compact, tall seat

Cons: could be lighter and is a little noisy

The Bottom Line: 
I don't know if it was worth the money, but it's a great stroller and I love having it in my car for when I need it.

Author's Review
The Quinny Zapp is a pretty amazing stroller and it's three-wheeled version was so popular over in Europe and Canada that so many Americans started importing it. This meant that the next step was a 4-wheeld version.

Now, bucking convention, I simply detested the redesign. the 3-wheel style, to me, was more streamlined and sleek, and the color choiced abroad were better, too.

So, knowing that, I got this stroller in Mauve (not listed on epinions, it is a greyish purple color... nice and gender neutral, but not your typical stroller color).

Since it is the Euro version, it came standard with not only it's rain cover and travel bag, but also a very beautiful footmuff that is amazingly padded for the coldest of winters. The footmuff even comes in it's own little mesh bag, perfect for storing it in the travel bag, but also keeping it clean when stored with the stroller, whose wheels might be dirty from going over terrain.

The canopy was easy to attach and comes out enough to shade a child, but I think, for longer days out, for being outside in a lot of sun, adding a sunshade like one from Protect-a-bub would be a good idea.

It has 3 tires, which are a type of rubber over plastic. This is not an all-terrain stroller, but it handles the basic terrain pretty wheel.

It can be a bit noisy and there is no suspension, but if you're looking for something that folds compactly, this may not matter.

Folding and Unfolding
One reason I wanted this stroller, despite having a Mac Volo that I loved and that had almost all of the same accessories and features (no recline, decent canopy, rain cover, optional travel bag you could buy separately, carry strap), it was long and, with my daughter now riding sometimes but not all times and me desiring to have a stroller that, for the last years of her stroller use being able to just leave the stroller in the car all the time and not worry about space but also not worrying that I'd need it because she got too tired on a trip, I thought this stroller would fit the bill.

In fact, when folded, it is so small that it easily would fit into an overhead bin or under your airplane seat for air travel. It is smaller than the cheap 12 dollar umbrella strollers, being about 16" long, and only about 8" wide and thick.

However, it is not an easy fold. I consider the Mac a pretty simple fold... it's a straightforward umbrella style fold. This stroller, however, has a 3-part fold.

They did make it easy, though, by numbering the parts on the stroller. First, make sure you have the brake on. You push the button with the number 1, then the button with the number 2, and hold it in as you push the handles down toward the front wheel. Finally, you use your hand or your foot (I used my hand as I'm tall, but I've seen people hold where the buttons are and use their foot) to press where a grey tab is by the number 3, until the stroller narrows. If you don't like bothering with it, I do think the stroller would fit about any car or van's storage area without this last step.

Unfolding is a bit less awkward, but similar steps. You do the buttons the same way, but from opposite sides (though they are numbered correctly), then use your foot to pull the grey tab toward you. This is actually doable in any shoe, even the rubber/plastic flip floppy sandals.

The last steps are just to pull the bar connecting the handles straight till they click (this bar bends itself when you fold) and step on the left side to release the break.

It was awkward at first, but once I got the hang of it, I found it was quick and really worth it to have such a great fold. I am constantly asked, when people see me folding/unfolding it, where I got it and what it is, because, whether they are amazed the stroller can go so tiny, or that such a tiny thing can open so big, they are just immediately in love with it.

The Rider's Perspective
One thing I like about this stroller, when comparing it to a lot of umbrella strollers is that the seat is higher than most.

Now, one might wonder if some of the older kids (the usual umbrella stroller riders) would be bothered by this, but Quinny has prevented this displeasure by designing the footrest in a way that, by grabbing the sides and sliding her foot backwards onto it, my daughter can then stand up and place her bottom into the stroller seat with ease.

Because there is leg support connected to the footrest, it is very safe for a child to get in themselves without risking the foot going too far back and the child ending up on the ground in a face plant.

The straps can be put as a 3-point harness OR as a 5-point harness. I was pleasantly surprised at how tight they can get, and I'm not surprised that this stroller is rated for 6months and up. Having since tried some of my friends' babies in it, I found the seat is very giving and seems to have a natural recline that increases with the lack of height that comes with younger children and young toddlers/infants, so it works well.

For older children, the harness is snug and you can remove the lap straps, keeping the shoulder straps for the 3-point harness, which makes it easier for them to buckle themselves in.

The seat is tall, allowing even my 7yr old to fit comfortably in it. He is right at where he would fit better without the canopy, but since he doesn't actually ride in it, he just tested it for me, it's not an issue. He is 50" tall and 60lbs.

The Buckle
This buckle is what is called a puzzle buckle. These are standard things over in Europe, but Americans aren't very tolerant of them.

This one, I feel, is great because it is both simple and also prevents a child easily freeing himself/herself from the stroller while riding or while Mommy or Daddy is washing their hands in the public restrooms after a diaper change.

You simply overlap one plastic half over the other and push them into the buckle.

This does not lose a child their independence, because my 4yr old mastered this the first day.

To release the buckle, you squeeze the receptor, pushing in the grey button on either side. My daughter cannot do this, which is good, as she is still impulsive and would get out without telling me, risking injury.

This way, she has to tell me, so I can bring the stroller to a stop.

Stroller Weight and Handle Height

While very little, this stroller is not what I would call lightweight. At a good 16 pounds, it is as heavy as strollers that also feature reclines and take from newborn up. I really feel that this product could be made lighter, like the Maclarens it easily competes with. However, I could also see where it could improve it's marketing by having a seat that allowed multiple reclines.

The handle height is not short, about 41" tall, but it felt shorter than the Maclaren. Would I trade it for the Maclaren because of that? No, I would not. But I'm only 5'7" tall, so it will depend how tall you are.

The wheels, though, are nicely spread, and there is no way, no matter how long your stride, because of the design of the bottom area, to kick the wheels.

Other notes and a final thought

This stroller does come with adaptors for the Maxi Cosi infant seat, but I have not tried this feature. This would make the stroller suitable from birth, but since my kids still needed more recline when they left the infant seat because they left it much earlier, and since I'm not a fan of the Maxi Cosi infant seat, I don't think I would use this as a travel system.

You can hang light things off the back of the stroller, but it is prone to tipping if you hang too much or if the child leaves the stroller, but this is pretty typical of an umbrella stroller.

One thing that it does not have that other more expensive umbrella style strollers have is a basket. Someone in Europe designed one for it, though, and many people buy it, but I opted not to as I really don't have a need for it.

My final thought on this stroller is that it's great for all seasons and is so compact that it is great for ages six months and up for quick trips, and can be used anytime for kids over 2yrs (even long trips).

It's especially nice for having something that can fit in the overhead bins or under the seat if you fly, but the size also helps when your child is at the end of the stroller years and you just need something that you can leave in the car for those long shopping trips where the legs wear out and not worry about forgetting it due to needing space.