Talk me out of (or into) a Maclaren Quest

[TiffanyA]

So, here's the deal. We already have a Maclaren Triumph and love it. I have absolutely no arm strength so lightweight is a must for me. However I am constantly worried about our 19 month old son napping in the Triumph. It doesn't have a great recline (definitely some, but I've seen a lot better) and his feet dangle - which of course is why I want the Quest. Better recline and an extendable leg rest.

He does nap in the stroller quite easily - as long as you are moving. He awakens 2/3's of the time if you stop for more than 10 minutes. The fact that he naps so long (when moving, as I said) in there leads DH to believe he is comfortable. And thus he thinks I'm crazy for wanting to buy another stroller. I can get a Quest for around $130-$160 depending on vendor and color. These are all 2009 models.

Talk me through this!! Am I being silly for wanting the leg rest and (as reported, is this true?) deeper recline*? Does DS even need it as he is napping? If I don't get it, that's more money for Disney!

*I read one thread where a lady had both the Triumph and Quest and claimed the recline angle at it's farthest was actually the same!

 

[mommy-on-the-move]

I've never owned a triumph but we have had the quest for disney with our youngest son when he was 19months old and It was a really comfortable angle for him to lay back and sleep in (he napped in the parks too) However it's certainly not a total recline.

The canopy is quite large for sun coverage and the fact it came with rain covers was great for covering the seat & stroller bag when we went into shows/long rides (we came out of several to find other people with wet strollers and ours dry because we'd put raincover on before we went in!) Our sun canopy had a window for peeping in on him and also a pocket on the back of it which I found handy to keep wipes or autograph books in- easy grab without routing through the stroller bag.

I'm 5'4 and my DH is 6'2 and we could both push it easily, it even held our oldest son (who was 5 at the time but he's huge in stature) if/when he fell asleep on the bus back to the resort- DH carried our middle daughter, I'd carry our toddler and we'd push our oldest son in the stroller as he's so heavy to carry! (he's 8 now and not a great deal shorter than me!)

I really like Macs for their longevity, they're good sturdy strollers- ours that we took with us in 2008 is now at my moms house as her visiting grandchild stroller for when she has our new baby or my sisters son.

I did find the leg rest can sag a little in the centre with larger kids though and it was a big fiddly to get out (but on the plus side it doesn't snap which was a fault on the older macs with the fold up and down leg rests- these ones extend out from the frame) I also found the harness a complete pain in the backside to adjust and release at times (which was a pain when it came to buses)

Our next trip I'll be buying something cheaper most likely as I know what air-travel can do to strollers!

If you're happy enough with your existing stroller and he will sleep in the existing stroller and the saved cash is going to be extra spending money in the budget I'd most likely stick with the existing stroller as a triumph is a good quality one too, also at 19months you might be counting down the months left in "need" for a stroller so might not get money's worth out of a new one unless you can get good resale on them?

 

[DisneyAndRedSox]

Huge Mac fan here. Here is the issue with the Triumph on napping, the seat is not very deep, it is deeper on all other Maclaren models. The quest will give you more recline and a deeper seat- gives more support up to the knees.

Another thing to consider is the Volo. It has no recline, but the seat is very deep- my DD sleeps in it all the time at Disney and has never slumped forward. It is kind of like taking a nap in a hammock! I finally stopped taking the Techno to Disney and switched to the Volo since it is so much lighter and has a carrying strap.

I recommend going to a Babies R Us and test drive them out first before buying.

 

[hannah_03]

Love Macs too. We used the heck out of our Volo.

 

[sevans89]

I was in this same situation when we were going when my DD was 10 months. We had a Triumph that we loved, but I wanted to get the Quest for the reasons you mentioned. We ended up getting the Quest and it worked just fine, but I missed the carry strap that our Triumph has (our Quest didn't come with the strap, I don't know if they do now). I didn't notice a difference in the recline. And, the extending foot rest didn't work very well. Overall, I regretted getting it. Fast forward 3 years later, we have gotten rid of the Quest and are still using the Triumph. If your son is napping in the Triumph I would stick with that.

 

[lov2b@disney]

we love our triumph, bought it when my son was 6mo old, he has never had a problem napping in it...took it on our last trip, he was 4 and still napped in it!

 

[TiffanyA]

Wow, good job guys! Ok, ok, no new stroller.

 

[hannahdrewmom]

I agree. We love our quest but it's not worth getting over the triumph. The strap is missing as others have stated, the recline is the same (IMO) or very close, and the extend-able leg part is not that extend-able and chances are that your child will outgrow it very soon!