Maclaren vs. Baby Jogger

[Cant wait for Disney]

Hi all!
so we are looking into buying a used double stroller from craigslist for our upcoming trip. We will use it for regular life too, but our main concern use for it would be Disney. At the time of the trip we will have a 4 month old and a 2 1/2 year old.
If you were us, would you choose the Maclaren Twin Techno or the 2008 Baby Jogger City Elite double? It seems like on amazon the baby jogger gets way better reviews than the maclaren. Would you dis parents agree?!

 

[CC1977]

Yes!!!!!! Hands down Baby Jogger (I have both)

 

[Wadecool]

I would go with the Maclaren. The Techno series of strollers are extremely well designed and easy to use.

 

[loweschickie]

I just nought a double Mac of CL a month ago. I love it! Our kids will be 10 months and 4. It's perfect!

 

[danceintherain]

That's a tough decision if you've never used either stroller before. Some things work better for other people. I would probably go with whichever one is lighter, because it will be easier to get in and out of the car and on and off a bus.

 

[senoragilbert]

Mackies are insanely light and fold up really small, plus have the LONG handles (extendable) for those of us with a long gait (of any height!) I found it really easy to deal with my Mac Techno when it was folded up because it was still the same length (hold a handle, drag it behind you) but keep in mind, my "baby" is almost 9!

I have friends who have the baby jogger, but they don't travel with it, they buy cheapo WM umbrellas for that, so while that may just be their preference, it also may speak to the portability.

I probably didn't answer your question so much as confuse you more. I say, go wherever you can find those brands, try them out, fold them, walk with them at normal, full (fast Disney!) pace, etc. And enjoy your trip with your little one! We took our all over the world (with a small w, not a capital one!) when he was little and we are so glad we did, despite stroller angst.

 

[Cant wait for Disney]

thank you everyone for your opinions! This is a toughie! In regards to the maclaren- do toddlers have enough room to be comfy and potentially fall asleep? I've only seen pics but it seems a little tight to me. I like hearing how light the maclaren is, but the baby jogger looks roomier for the kids..is this true?

 

[disprincessatheart]

I have just one child and have never used either of these strollers, but I have an observation. When Dh and i were stroller shopping we went to babies r us and looked at all the models they had. We couldn't understand how people travel with maclarens they have NO useable storage space. The baskets are positioned in such a way that you can't put a diaper bag in them at all. I guess it's fine if you want to carry your bag everywhere you go, but we prefer to leave the diaper bag in the stroller and carry our valuables with us in a much smaller bag.

 

[pumpkinmomma]

I have just one child and have never used either of these strollers, but I have an observation. When Dh and i were stroller shopping we went to babies r us and looked at all the models they had. We couldn't understand how people travel with maclarens they have NO useable storage space. The baskets are positioned in such a way that you can't put a diaper bag in them at all. I guess it's fine if you want to carry your bag everywhere you go, but we prefer to leave the diaper bag in the stroller and carry our valuables with us in a much smaller bag.

we have a maclaren and the baskets aren't that practical. I use a bag that hooks onto the back of the stroller instead. We tend to travel light anyway, I don't like to take a big diaper bag with me. You can fit a bag in the baskets, just not a large one.

The pros to the mac are that it folds small and is lightweight. Very easy to get in and out of the trunk, on and off buses, doesn't take up a ton of space. That was our main reason for getting it. The sunshades are not as good as the baby jogger and the seats are smaller, so if you have bigger kids, that's a consideration.

My girls are 5 and 2 but they are on the smaller side so they fit just fine in the maclaren. The 5 yr old is just now starting to not fit so well.

My girls can nap just fine in the maclaren.

 

[mykidslovesdisney]

I have owned a Maclaren Techno single and double and a baby jogger single. When my kids where close to the age of yours the Maclaren was tougher to steer and pulled to the side of the bigger child. It was a newer stroller too.

I love the baby jogger for WDW. The fold is amazing and with the sun the canapy can't be beaten. The steering will be amazing no matter what size you are pushing. The ELite is a bit bigger than the city mini but well worth it. I believe the seats will be more roomier in the Elite than Mac and less likely to tip over if something is left on the handles. We use S hooks on the city mini to hold a bag or too. One hand push on the Baby Jogger can't be beat. The Maclaren will require a 2 hand push. The tires on the Elite will go over uneven surfaces better than the Maclaren too. have you checked out the Baby Jogger website for the video of the stroller?

In the last 13 yrs I probably have owned/used over 25 strollers. for our last DS I purchased the Mac Techno XT-- that I loved until I found the City mini. Hands down the push and turn of that stroller is the best. I soo wish I knew about the city mini when I needed the double. We did try out the double at the time we purchased the single and it was heaven!

DS4.(5 in June) still uses the city mini for WDW. We visited the Bronx Zoo yesterday and DH and I were discussing if we should bring the stroller along. DS4 asked for the stroller! totally surprised me. He did ride in it occasionally. His response reassured me that the city mini will come along with us in Aug to WDW.

Good luck with your decision. Maybe see if you can check both out to test drive it.

 

[merbobear]

I have a (single) Techno XLR with the weight limit going to 65 lbs. The canopy is extendable beyond the 'normal' canopy size (it has a zipper that allows it to open up an extra increment), and I would say that it easily rivals the canopy on the baby jogger strollers. Also the Maclaren is a lot more lightweight..the City Elite is a pretty heavy stroller even as a single (in the ballpark of 24 lbs, give or take) so the double will weigh probably 8 or so lbs more than that.
I have tried my dd in the BJ City Mini & Elite & Select models and she is too tall for ALL of them - her head hits the canopy when it's extended and when retracted (it kind of rests against the back of the seat where her head should be able to lay).

I tried her in those strollers in October, and in January she measured 43 inches tall.

Do you have a store near you that sells a city mini or elite? If you do, I wo uld try your older child in the seat to see if the canopy is going to be too low (the canopy height is the same for all of their city series models!).

All that being said, I love the BJ strollers! My dd just happens to be too tall for them, or I would have purchased the mini myself just for Disney.

 

[Lilyzmom]

My dd is 5 1/2 and has down sundrome. She weighs 44 lbs and is 42 inches tall. The maclaren quest stopped working because she could easily drag her feet and it was really hard to push. She only needs a stroller for traveling or long shopping trips. I bought the city mini gt and it works really well for her.

 

[Cant wait for Disney]

thank you everyone for your help and opinions! We ended up going with the maclaren due to the weight and portability. I love wearing my boba baby carrier so in everyday life we wont need the double super often and my main concern was Disney. I'm excited that it can be folded and carried so easily. The baby jogger sounded awesome, just a little heavy for us. The woman on CL gave us an amazing deal and I cant wait to go pick it up!

 

[OhanaBreadPudding]

I just bought the City Mini a few weeks ago and I am in LOVE with it!! It folds up so easily and is very light. I know that's not the question, but I just wanted to add my support for the Baby Joggers!

 

[MyCathryn]

I have a Maclaren Double for when my second was born. We bring a single maclaren and the chicco cortina to disney. So we don't have to lug around a double if my oldest didn't want to ride and this way we can go two ways not have to stay together. I would recommend the Maclaren. I love it. Sadly there isn't a lot of storage on this stroller. I do have the stroller bag on the back and we hang small bags on the handles. It is lightweight and super easy to manage. I had my newborn in it with the back reclined all the way obviously. It worked out great. Good lucks with your decision.