OT: Britax Marathon, any problems?

[laughinplace199]

My two older kids were in Roundabouts when they were younger. I am now shopping for a convertible seat for baby #3 who is almost 9 months old. I loved our Roundabouts, but I've heard a lot of great things about the Marathon too.

I could get a Roundabout, which would be fine for the car and traveling, or I could get a Marathon and then get a Cosco Scenera for travel since the size of the Marathon might make it tough to travel with.

Has anyone had any problems or issues with their Marathon? I know I can't go wrong with Britax, but I want to make sure I pick the right seat for DS.

Thanks!

 

[ampooh]

love my Marathon and it goes to 65 lbs not just 40 so much better deal

 

[QueenGoblin]

My DD is 4 and a half and still in her marathon. I know she is old enough/big enough to be in a traditional booster seat, but she is still very comfortable in the marathon and all the car seat advice I have seen lately suggests keeping them in that 5 point harness as long as possible. I actually bought the boulevard for DD #2 and I really like it too. It is great not to have to rethread the straps to adjust the height and the extra head protection makes me feel better too. They are big though, so we have to keep the front seats a lttle bit more forward in our Forrester to have enough room for the Boulevard to be rear-facing, but if you have a van or suv that probably wouldn't be an issue. You can't go wrong with Britax. I borrowed my mom's car a couple of days ago and she has carseats for the girls but they aren't britax...by the end of the day I was going nuts because the straps were getting twisted and they were a pain to install, etc.

 

[tanyaandallie]

The Marathon, Boulevard and Decathalon are all awesome Britax seats. The roundabout is a great seat, but you just don't get your money's worth out of it. It's usually outgrown by 3 to 3.5 years old b/c it has lower top harness slots and a 40 lbs weight limit. The bigger seats harness up to 65 lbs and 17 inch top harness slots which will generally get a child to 5 or 6 years old.

 

[laughinplace199]

Thanks for the replies! It sounds like there's no downside to the Marathon, so we'll probably go with that. If we do, should we get a different seat for travel, or is it easy enough to travel with the Marathon?

 

[bumbershoot]

Well, we even find the Roundabout too heavy to easily travel with, so we leave the Roundabout at home and grab the Scenera for trips. So I'd definitely recommend the Scenera if you're buying the Marathon.

 

[tanyaandallie]

The marathon is doable on a trip. We took my dd's marathon and a scenera for my ds on our last trip. It really was not that bad with the marathon. the scenera is far lighter and smaller, though.

 

[liz2d2]

We have both and I've found that the Marathon is the easiest to install of the two. Despite that knowledge, somehow we travel with the Roundabout. We have one of those carseat bags that has backpack straps (on the bag, we don't use the carseat straps this way) and we just wear it to the check in counter and check the seat.

So, if you've got the choice, my vote is 100% Marathon!

 

[Princess Roo]

We love our Marathon and travel with it all of the time. We bought one of the backpack style bags that the carseat fits in and the ease of installing it in the various cars has more than made up for the weight and bulk of the seat. Even when I'm traveling alone with DS, I can put that on my back, push an umbrella stroller with him in it and pull a rolling suitcase when needed.

The only downside for us is that it is really big (wide). I don't know how big your car is, but it takes up more than its "fair share" in our mid-size sedan's backseat, not leaving room for 2 other passengers back there very well.

 

[laughinplace199]

Thanks for the help, everyone! As long as it fits well in our car, we're going to go with the Marathon.

Well, we even find the Roundabout too heavy to easily travel with, so we leave the Roundabout at home and grab the Scenera for trips. So I'd definitely recommend the Scenera if you're buying the Marathon.

I'm glad to hear from someone who uses a Scenera for trips. I was a bit skeptical about this seat at first because it's so inexpensive, but a lot of people seem to like them for travel. Plus, although we only have one car right now, it would be nice to have an extra seat for emergencies or to put in my mom's car.

Even when I'm traveling alone with DS, I can put that on my back, push an umbrella stroller with him in it and pull a rolling suitcase when needed..

Wow- I'm impressed! I don't think I could do that.

The only downside for us is that it is really big (wide). I don't know how big your car is, but it takes up more than its "fair share" in our mid-size sedan's backseat, not leaving room for 2 other passengers back there very well.

I'll keep the width issue in mind. We have captain's chairs in our back seat, but DD8 does have to climb between the two seats in the middle row to get to her seat in the third row. As long as she can still do that, we should be ok.

 

[Princess Roo]

I'll keep the width issue in mind. We have captain's chairs in our back seat, but DD8 does have to climb between the two seats in the middle row to get to her seat in the third row. As long as she can still do that, we should be ok.

I don't think that will be a problem. They're just a few inches wider, which I don't think would make a difference in a captain's chair, but in a bench seat where the middle spot is already pretty narrow you really notice it.

 

[tinkandpan]

We just travelled with the marathon last time and had no issues with it.

 

[thepeach80]

We love our Boulevard, but leave it home for trips and take our Scenera.

 

[snocrossmechanic]

Not sure if you are aware but consumer reports did a test and the Marathon did not rate well at all. That was the only model Britax they tested but they did mention the euro versions tested much higher.

Good luck but I would review safety as well as portability. Just my .02

Cheers

 

[laughinplace199]

Not sure if you are aware but consumer reports did a test and the Marathon did not rate well at all. That was the only model Britax they tested but they did mention the euro versions tested much higher.

Good luck but I would review safety as well as portability. Just my .02

Cheers

Thanks, I did not know that. I will keep that in mind as I shop, although Consumer Reports' credibility has gone down in my book after the fiasco with their "testing" of infant seats this past fall.

 

[tanyaandallie]

Car seat experts on the car safety board I visit don't have a lot of faith in Consumer Reports.

 

[annie1995]

We love love love our Marathon!!!!! No problems here what so ever!!!

 

[dhardawa]

Consumer Reports really has no credibility as far as car seats go. Us techs have said this for years, but until the fiasco with the infant seat testing came out, no one really listened. They refuse to allow certified child passenger safety technicians into their testing and in many cases the seats are not installed correctly. They also refuse to use any of the added safety features the Britax seats have like the lock offs and rear facing tether. The biggest problem is that they take a brand new seat, use it once, and then rate it. Many seats they recommend as their "best buys" are horrible seats to use because within months the straps are twisted and the adjusters are useless. If a parent can't use a seat correctly it isn't safe at all.

As for the Marathon, I think you'll be very happy. If you like the Roundabout you'll like the Marathon because it is really just a bigger clone. I have traveled with my Marathon and never had a problem. You can always grab a cheap luggage cart and bungee cord it on and then just roll the whole thing through the airport. I highly recommend against checking any car seat. All too often, the airline will destroy the seat (car seat bag or no car seat bag since true damage is damage to the shell) and they take no responsibility so you are out a chunk of money and left at your destination without a safe seat.

Dana
Certified Child Passenger Safety Technician

 

[myAAbatteries&aTD]

Another Marathon lover here! We've always used Britax carseats - my 6 1/2 year old just moved out of her Marathon into a Britax booster, which she LOVES....

 

[WAHMto5]

I LOVE our Marathon and wouldn't have anything else! My dd is going to be 6 in Oct and weighs only 44lbs and loves her seat, very comfy for her