Combi stroller... Love or hate??

[We-Luv-Disney]

We have decided to buy a a small stroller before we go. I would rather spend the money on something I can keep and use after vacation. We need one that will fold up small and fit down below my 2yr olds feet. The trunk will be packed full. The Combi strollers fold up pretty small and seem to have pretty good reviews. We are looking at the Combi Strollee $40, the Combi City Savvy $80 and the Savvy Soho $80. Does anyone have one of those or one similar to those and how do you like it? Thanks so much in advance!

 

[scp277]

Before our last trip to Disney (Nov. 2001) I bought a $40 Combi stroller and it was fantastic -- I believe ours was called SUBv?. It looked similar to the Strolee -- it was the lightest weight, smallest, least expensive Combi at the time. It was easy to fold up to get on and off trams, great to have the sunshade, handled well, and we were able to stuff quite a bit into the basket.

Not only was it great for the trip, but we used it for a few years after. It did eventually wear out and I bought another one of the same model second hand, but for $40-$50 and 3-4 years of heavy use I think it's a great deal.

 

[TEXASPRINCESSES]

Bought the combi savvy z 6 years ago and it has been on 12+ family vacations, trips to the mall and many, many other places and is still alive to tell about it! I highly recommend the product--I am way satisfied-too bad my 6 year old is so tall that she "hangs" out of it now!

Not sure what we'll do in wdw next summer as it is still soooo far for a 6 year old to walk all day every day for a week!

Good luck!

 

[Breakfast@Tiffany's]

I've had my Combi since my daughter was born, she's now 4. While all of my friends and family have gone through several strollers, I've been very happy with mine and the features of it. It's not an umbrella type, more of a full size, but I have a smaller car and it folds down flatter than any other full size stroller I've seen. It's held up very well, and I will be taking it to Disney with us.

 

[amarberry]

We LOVE our Combi (I think that it's the Savvy Soho...paid about $90 at Babies R Us last year). It's mostly our travel stroller and DH's stroller for his car. It is so lightweight and folds up wonderfully. I know that a lot of people are gaga over Maclarens, but I really think that the Combi is a better value AND a better stroller.

 

[HLAuburn]

We bought a Combi City Savvy from BrUs, and we've been very happy with it. It's very lightweight and easy to open and fold up. The basket isn't huge, but I bought a Maclaren organizer that works will on the Combi. Full recline is nice, too. No complaints here...can't wait to use it at WDW!

 

[HillPete]

The only complaint I have about our Combi was the extremely short length of the handle. I have really long legs and I would kick the stroller (and inadvertently set the brakes!) all the time. Take it for a test drive in the store and check on that if you (or other family members) are over 5' 5".

 

[lynetteSC]

We purchased the Combi Savvy Soho DX last year from www.combi-intl.com ... got great deal with free drink holder and free shipping for around $100. I think it was during the month of Decmber. Anyway, we LOVE it! It went to WDW with us for ds's 1st bday this past May. It was SO easy to carry on/off buses and various transportation since it has the carrying strap. We had read all the great reviews here and decided Combi over the more expensive brands! We have since used it more than our bigger stroller.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

I don't have any experience with Combi single strollers, but the Combi double is VERY hard to turn once your kids reach a certain weight. I noticed that with an average size 3yo & 1 yo, so it wasn't like I had giant kids in it. I am very picky about steering and turning for strollers. I would suggest trying the stroller in the store with your child in it. The Combi double handles completely different when it is empty.

 

[Huntava]

We have the Combi Twin Savvy, our DD is 28 pounds and DS is 33 pounds. We like it, it is extremely easy to fold up and open, and is very lightweight in comparison to other doubles. The only thing is it will only drive very well over smooth surfaces only, and is a little hard to maneuver tightly with the weight of the kids in it. My son is an escape artist, so the only other thing is he can fairly easily get out of it. I would say overall we like it and are looking forward to using it on our upcoming Disney trip.

 

[blessedby3]

We owned a Combi a few years ago, and I thought it wasnt a very sturdy stroller. I agree that it was very hard to turn once DD got bigger. We bought a Maclaren Volo for this trip for her (she will be turning 7) and it is VERY EASY to push. I can even push it with one hand. DD is about 46 pounds now. The handles are also very tall which comes in handy for DH (6'2"). He doesnt like to bend over to push a stroller. Definately go to the store and try a few models out!

 

[deebs]

I have 3 combi's and love them all

 

[Dani&Pao'sMom]

We bought the Savvy Soho for our trip a few months in advance and it has been the best. It is very lightweight, it stands by itself when folded, very compact and comfortable. our almost 1 year old took several naps on our trip three weeks ago. We had another umbrella type stroller for the 4 year old... a Chicco... HORRIBLE! The only two complaints I have about the Combi is that you cannot fold it with one hand so if the baby is sleeping someone else must either fold the stroller or hold the baby while you do it. When we had the two of them sleeping and just the two of us to hold kids/fold strollers.... well it wasn't easy! The other complaint is that the storage basket is small and difficult to reach but it is an umbrella type stroller after all. Overall, we LOVE our combi!

 

[stacy6552]

I have one and do use it, however, they are short (DH doesnt like it), have no storage, and you cxant hang a backpack on it.

 

[Brina]

we have the savvy z. It is now being used for our second child. It is very light weight, and yet sturday. The wheels are bigger than those on an inexpensive umbrella stroller so it rolls easier. I definitely recommend it.

 

[hsmamato2]

Bought the combi savvy z 6 years ago and it has been on 12+ family vacations, trips to the mall and many, many other places and is still alive to tell about it! I highly recommend the product--I am way satisfied-too bad my 6 year old is so tall that she "hangs" out of it now!

Not sure what we'll do in wdw next summer as it is still soooo far for a 6 year old to walk all day every day for a week!

Good luck!

That's funny- we got our combi foldup 6years ago too- ^ year old will need it this year- hanging out? wel,, he did that anyway when he was little, just for fun! My kids use it as a gocart and give each other crazy rides in it- the neighbor kids love it too- and these kids are up to 13 years old! ( why pay for actual toys?)And, it's still in good running shape! You can't get a better stroller for the price!

 

[becka]

I have a Combi Savvy that I LOVE! My only complaint is that I wish the basket could hold more and was easier to get to but it is an umbrella stroller so I can understand why it is that way. The other features outweigh any concerns about storage.

 

[pjshaff]

I had a Combi and found that I always ended up kicking the wheel axle when I walked, and the handle was much too short. Once my kids got to be a certain weight, it became a bear to push.

I now have 2 Volos and we've used them 3x in Disney now. They push like a dream and are lightweight to carry on the busses. You could probably find a used one or last years model for about $60-70.

 

[applechips]

I am sure you already got a lot of opinions on this stroller, but I wanted to add my 2 cents. I was just looking, this very evening, at the Combi soho at my local Burlington Coat Factory(80.00). While it would work for a small child, it was not right for my 30 lb four year old who is 39" tall. Her feet reached the footrest but her legs were all scrunched up. She was too tall for it basically. She couldn't rest comfortably in it either when the back was reclined. Another thing I didn't like was that while it is lightweight it is made up mostly of plastic and seemed too rickety to me.

If you want to get a lot of use out of the stroller for when your child is older and taller I might check out another type of stroller, like a MacLaren or a Inglesina---those are what I keep getting referred to when I ask about strollers. My dd is not even the tallest 4 year old we know, she is pretty petite and she was too big for it.

HTH some.

 

[metivier]

Put me in the Combi "do not love" camp. We bought the Combi in 2001 when my daughter was born because Baby Bargains raved about the stroller -- the "perfect match system" worked great with the Graco Snug-Ride car seat, etc. The big mistake I made is I did not try it out in the store.

I absolutely DETESTED that stroller! Every time I would walk I would kick the back of the stroller, and the handles were short so it would hurt my back. I begged DH for another stroller.

We bought a new stroller as soon as my daughter had outgrown the infant carrier (February 2002). This time I went to several stores and actually tried out the strollers first. We selected a Maclaren Vogue.

I LOVE the Maclaren Vogue! Yes, it is now 3.5 years old, but it has traveled EVERYWHERE with us -- easily over 30 plane trips.

The 2001 Combi ended up on freecycle I disliked it so much.