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January 10, 2008 RSS


outdoor gear question
What’s the best convertible bike trailer/stroller on the market?

outdoor gear question
outdoor equipment
Baby Jogger Switchback Stroller/Trailer (courtesy, REI)
I’m a year-round bike commuter and errand runner (this summer I made a tank of gas last four months). However, the arrival of my son has altered my lifestyle. How old does he have to be before he can ride in a trailer? And which trailer do you recommend? I'd like it to convert to a stroller relatively easily. Also, we’d like a double in case we are lucky enough to adopt a second child. Either that or just to accommodate enough groceries.

— Karin
Mountain View, California


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Interesting question. As far as “how old,” in my view it would be the age where the child can support his/or her head while wearing a helmet. And the rub is, helmets don’t fit infants younger than one year. So that’s your cut-off point. When your son is one, you can put him in a trailer. I would absolutely not advocate placing a child carrier in some sort of trailer and trying to make that work. You’ve really seen people try that?

In short, for a while you’ll need to enlarge your carbon footprint to keep your son safe.

There aren’t a zillion “convertible” trailers out there, but some do exist. Maybe the best is the Baby Jogger Switchback stroller/trailer ($579; babyjogger.com), which converts easily from stroller to trailer without a conversion kit or tools. And the front wheel that’s used in stroller mode fits neatly into an on-board pocket. It also will seat two. Burley’s D’Lite ($460; burley.com) is seen by many as the best child bike trailer on the market. It converts to a stroller with the purchase of a $60 kit. Or, Schwinn’s Joyrider ($380; schwinnbike.com) offers trailer/stroller functionality at a bit lower price. Not quite as spiffy as the Baby Jogger or Burley units, but a solid trailer.

The 2008 Winter Outside Buyer’s Guide is now online. From snow sports to trail-running to camping, get reviews of more than 300 new gear must-haves.




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Check out the bio of Douglas Gantenbein, aka the Gear Guy.

Readers' Mailbag: The Gear Guy digs into some of your more bizarre, obscure (and let’s face it, downright weird) posts from years gone by to see if he can make sense of it all, or if it’s just time to run up the white flag. Previous column: Beat the Cost of Gear.

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