Off road pram

[Hawkeye The Noo]

It is 7 or so weeks untill my son is born and being the typical father, I am in charge of the pram buying. I wonder if there are any bushcraft parents out there that are experienced in off road prams with advice to give on best buys. The only pram that I can find is the Mountain Buggy. It is a three wheeler with pneumatic thornproof tires and a fixed front wheel. When you get the clipon carrycot extention it all costs about £470. Just a bit steep. So if you have any advice on this area please add to the thread.

Cheers

Jamie

 

[richardnhunt]

Ours is due in december and we are currently considering the nipper

http://www.cotswoldoutdoor.com/Cat/112162?history=search results

it got a good write up in Trail the other month and at £200 its not too bad (!!! - relatively speaking)

good luck & let us know what you find

Rich

 

[JonnyP]

We found those backpacks you put the baby/toddler in the best things to use as you can go to places that the prams would be a nuisence (sp?) like stiles, gates, rocks etc. For a new born it would be a strap on the front jobbie, but as they get bigger, they go on your back. Macpac do a good range and there resell value is good too, unlike a pram. Bought ours for about £70 and sold it on ebay, after it was finished with for about £50.
If you do get a backpack type, the only downfall with them can be

down your neck

 

[The Joker]

When my boy was born I looked at Landrover one's.........Did'nt get one in the end but they looked proper off roadish

 

[Toddy]

We couldn't get those backpack types when ours were little so I just tied them on using an old fashioned baby sling. We carried them up for miles of woodland walks and up every hill we climbed, with no problems. I've friends who have been using the modern versions with great success (their babies are now 4, 2 and 18 months) too.
http://www.didymos.de/english/index.htm
http://www.kari-me.com/products.asp

For everyday use I just bought a standard MacLaren buggy and it's bits and pieces; must admit I'd have liked the three wheel go anywhere one though mine used to get bogged down in snow and frozen slush, big, sturdy wheels seem to be the way to go if you need a buggy.

atb,
Toddy

 

[scanker]

Well as the proud owner of a 12 month old and 4 pushchairs, I think I'm qualified to give advice!

For the newborn, they need to lay flat. We started with a Graco travel system. The great advantage of this is that the Autobaby car seat could unclip from the base in the car and clip straight onto the pram. This really is worth a lot. No need to disturb baby if they're asleep and no hassle re-fitting car seats all the time. We then bought a 3-wheeled graco pushchair - bigger pneumatic tyres but fixed wheels for off road. I liked the 3 wheeler, my wife preferred the 4-wheeled stroller.

At the young age, if you want to carry them with a papoose type thing, it'll have to be on your front. I didn't like it, my wife did.

Then, when they're bigger, we wanted a smaller buggy. We bought a cheap one from Kiddicare and it was crap. Handles too short and uncomfortable to push. We've just bought a Maclaren off Ebay and it's great, but it's only for town, not off road.

The best thing we bought was a Vau De rucsac carrier. I asked for advice on here actually, pretty much as you are. The model we've got is Swing. It was comfiest.

So in conclusion. Everyone has a different opinion. Yours will differ to your wife's/girlfriend's probably. Try and read reviews from places like Mumsnet before committing to buy and try them out first. For "outdoors" the rucsac's far better than a buggy IMO.

If you can, think about how soon you'll be out and about and how old your child will be by then. 7 weeks is November I guess - will you be waiting until Spring?

Evan at 6 months.

 

[Big Bad Stu]

We have taken Tom (8 months) all over the place in a Silver Cross off road pram. I was sceptical about it's durability but it has been fine. It's taken all of the abuse I can manage.

It has a two wheeled bogey on the front so it looks like the three wheeled types. It is full suspension and has drum brakes on the rear.

It hasn't required any servicing as yet but I will give it a look over before the winter.

We bought the infant carrier for it but the pram itself is suitable from birth.

www.silvercross.co.uk

Our midwife also recommended Land Rover and Mountain Terrain prams. The Land Rover ones are only available second hand as they were discontinued some time ago.

Hope I was of assistance

Stewey.

 

[Big John]

We have the Bebe Confort Everest 3 wheeler like this one (although it's incorrectly described here as having suspension!). Ours came with a clip in carry cot and first size baby seat as well as the seat shown in the pic. It's very good and has seen us through two kids now, although has suffered a few punctures and needed a couple of other repairs. A quick Google didn't turn up anyone selling them new, so maybe they're not made anymore.

I'd definately agree with the others though at a papoose (carrier) is better for off-road use, we had the Vau De swing as well - very comfortable (for both the carrier and the passenger - ours both used to fall asleep in it) and reasonably priced compared to the MacPac ones. Only thing I think it was missing was a fold-out stand so that you can stand it up when you stop and when you're loading/unloading the little one, I've seen others with them and that would have been very handy, especially if you're out on your own.

We also used the carrier regularly for crowded places - christmas shopping, Outdoors show Etc., much easier than trying to fight through with a buggy.

 

[Toots]

We have one of the older versions of the Nipper described by richarnhunt. Has proved indestructible over the five years and two kids that have been transported many hundreds of happy miles in it and it's still going strong. Good harness system to keep the precious cargo safely secured and an extra head support available to stabilise the little 'uns wobbly noggin until they are up to the job themselves. Definitely worth a look in my opinion.
Happy shopping!

 

[fred gordon]

A friend of mine can't wait for his daughter to give up her 3 wheeled off road pushchair. He thinks it will be ideal for pushing all his camping gear around in to keep it off his bad back!

 

[Greywolf]

Having done a spot of 'offroad pramming' I can recommend getting a second hand one from the local paper.
Seriously, real bargains can be had and you don't mind them getting beat up a bit because you haven't paid top whack for it.
A couple of points as to what to look for:

1) get a fixed front wheel, the turn about ones hit every rock and tree root in the forest.
2) forget the luggage space underneath the pushchair, anything you put in it will get thrown out as you bump along the pathway.Dont hang anything on the pushchair handles, this will overbalance it. Use a Rucksack instead and don't forget the Little'uns stuff too
3)pneumatic tires, makes it more comfy for nipper and you can put a self seal gel in the tires just like mountain bikers do

When walking on the beach, let the tires down a bit so they are soft. They don't dig into wet sand so badly. This also works with mud. Remember to pump them back up again though.

I hope that helps

Greywolf

 

[Tadpole]

My little girl Froggy was pushed about from three months old in the basic budget £70 Mothercare three wheeler jogger. We replaced the front tyre after about 400 miles (ex- half-marathon runner I keep/kept track of the miles) it had a new set of back bearings and two new tyres after 1000 miles. We gave it away after 1300 miles as Froggy was walking and we changed cars (it will not fit in a mini) the new owner used it for both of her kids (she lives on a farm and has to walk down a muddy farm track to get to work/shops) It was passed on recently to a new mum. Down side it’s heavy, awkward in shops, long and didn’t fold down very small. We walked and ran and tramped across fields. Froggy picked blackberries from the seat ate some, wore more. And the juice would wipe of with a little effort. You don’t need to spend a fortune, EBay has several of a similar type listed

This is not the model had (our front wheel was fixed) but it is close enough. Unless you have money to burn, there is no real need to shell out several hundred for something you are only going to use for a couple of years.

 

[rich59]

Well, as a G.P. with a special research interest in bonding and attachment between infant and parent I have a bushcraft axe to grind. (I am also a parent of 2 children)

Throw away the buggies and prams. There is nothing in research to say that babies should be laid flat. There is loads of research to show that close, trunk to trunk contact (no, not the elephant kind) in the first 6 months is important to your child's future psychological health for definitely the next 5 years and probably 15 and likely 25 years.

Queen Victoria was the first public figure to be seen using a pram. Before that all children were carried or walked. She set a trend that we are still reaping in terms of separating physically mother and child except for feeding and when the adult had some spare time.

Carriers - front, or side are best for the early months, but back isn't bad for occasional use. After about 6 months side or back are the most practical.

 

[Tony]

Some good points there Rich, we’ve been conscious of that with our three.

As for prams, we (well my mother in law) got a Land Rover pram 8 ½ years ago and it’s still going strong for our youngest at 2 years old. It was expensive, but at the time there was very little choice in off road prams. I think the manufacturer was Pegasus and they’re no longer trading. It’s done some serious stuff, being hauled up and down cliffs on ropes, rocks, rivers, hills, bogs, sand and sea, stairs, strapped to the top of the car, strapped to my pack etc and it’s still great.

If I was buying a pram for one child, or after I’d had a couple already I’d not get one, it’s too much money, but if it’s the start of a few children then it’s worth the investment. Ours came with a huge guarantee that’s still not run out, or ever been used! A very good buy.

I used to stop people in the street and ask them what they thought of their prams, as well as the advice from here that might be worth a go.

If you do think about a carrier for the baby (it’s a good thing to have before you go to a baby backpack) then I can vouch for the Wilkinet, it’s a great carrier.

 

[Dougster]

Has anyone mentioned the Littlelife backpacks? - they mean that when around town you are far less likely to have pram rage - you would be amazed how much grief we have in Bath for daring to take up space. They also mean you can go almost anywhere. They aren't great for new borns but then get a Babybjorn sling! They go along with what rich59 said.

Save the money on the pram - I always found that with our tandem Phil & Teds the one wheel at the front was a real pain going up and down kerbs or over tree roots and other obstacles. You can have it fixed or twisting so that helps a bit, my wife uses that one when shes out with them on her own. More often than not one goes in a 30 quid pushchair and the other on my back with me.

The best pram we ever had (if you must have one) was a Bebecar 4 wheeler with pneumatic tyres and four wheels - it went everywhere, but with our two only 14 months apart we needed the double decker (lots of narrow footpaths around us).

Still, I would seriously consider carrying the wee ones - up above exhaust pipes and prevents them having to stare at peoples bums when you go shopping at Christmas. We have the packs for both of ours and even though they are both around 25lbs they are still comfy for hours and much better when space is of a premium - or when the surfaces are just not right for a pram/buggy. I spent yesterday evening passing blackberries over my shoulder.

 

[Fluxus]

I found the Wilkinet the most comfortable sling / carrier of all the ones I tried. didn't get on with babybjorn ones at all.
buggy wise - we had one of these: ALURAX
which took a real hammering on the commons, woods, towpaths and festivals as well as round town. It was great while it lasted - only problem was that hinges where it folds fatigued and snapped after 2 years. We stopped using it much when junior could walk enough and he soon refused to get in it - prefering to walk which I thought was great. We last used it as a mobile bed so we could all be out in the evnings at a festival but it was lashed together with hazel splints and duck tape!
If you are after quality second hand baby gear, find the local National Childbirth Trust group and go to one of their sales. We've found them a real treasure trove and saved hundreds of quid.
good luck with impending parenthood.
Flux

 

[Mat]

IMO you can't go wrong with the In-Step models. We've got the single and double versions and both are very well built with some useful features. The single version we have has much bigger wheels than the one in the Costwold Camping link posted by Richard - a good advantage when the terrain gets rough!

We spent a lot of money on a MacPac carrier and my daughter hates it! It may be worth borrowing\trying one before you spalsh out?

Good luck with your impending fatherhood and remember it's not as bad as everyone says (almost, but not quite!)

Mat

 

[Dougster]

Further to the carrying option.

Good deal I think.

http://www.rockrun.com/shop/prod.html?d=5&t=366&p=481&sid=1a00c3c0292e752448fe08d2734acff9