Review: Mountain Buggy bagrider

Any parent knows that travelling with a toddler is challenging. You have to juggle your stuff, the toddler, and all the toddler’s things — and a toddler comes with many, many things. The even bigger challenge comes when you’re travelling alone with the little one, and you’re wheeling both cabin luggage and a stroller, and your stroller can be taken away at any time and end up at the over-sized baggage reclaim counter. And that’s the story of the Mountain Buggy bagrider… it was designed by a couple who both work as air crew, and have two young children. The bagrider is essentially a cabin suitcase that can be transformed into a pram! So that means you can push it (and your child) all the way to the gate — and to your seat! Here’s the instruction video from the brand:

 

Let’s take a look at the bagrider:

Left: The front of the bagrider / Right: Standard suitcase handlebar

 

I’m glad they designed it in black. I mean, who doesn’t love black luggage? And if you only want to use it as a suitcase, you can just extend the handlebar and pull it along two wheels.

On its side, there’s a handle for easy picking up. I wish there was a handle on the top of the case as well. Maybe that’ll come along in version 2. The bagrider measures 52cm (h) x 38cm (w) x 26cm (d), which just makes the limit of Singapore Airlines’ and most other carrier’s cabin luggage requirements.

Sideview

 

It has a pretty standard interior, with one zippered side, and the other with straps. The total volume is 35L — also quite standard.

bagrider interior

 

Here’s the special part; as you know, it transforms into a pram, and this is done very easily. Just turn the knob on the back of the suitcase to release the “legs” and “click” it in place.

The back of the bagrider with the release lock

 

A cushioned chair is included and slips over the handlebars and hooks onto the top of the suitcase — a surprisingly simple execution. You put the child on top and click in the shoulder straps (similar to the straps on a pram or infant car seat). This is what it looks like with my two-year-old on it:

She seems quite comfortable 

 

Close up of the child strap

 

After a few minutes, my kid realised she was strapped in and tried to get out of her seat. She couldn’t do it.

Attempting to get out of the straps (not happening)

 

The bagrider does do what it promises, and I look forward to actually using it on my next trip with the kids. But just some things to note: it’s not for small babies or infants who cannot hold their heads up themselves. There’s also a maximum weight limit of 15kg, so if your bigger kid insists on jumping on, it might break and someone’s gonna get hurt real bad. Also, the wheels are small, so I don’t know how well they’ll fare on the carpeted floor at Changi Airport — I even have trouble wheeling my Rimowa Pilot along some parts of the carpet! (Maybe pull the bagrider instead of push?) And watch the sides! Because your kid isn’t cocooned in a stroller chair; so it does feel like the child is out in the open and exposed to people swinging their bags around, or things sticking out from shelves.

Anyhow, the bagrider is still going to be safer than one of those seat attachments for suitcases (I feel stressed just looking at the pictures of those in action). And even more surprisingly, the bagrider is very competitively priced.

Get it from First Few Years online at $219.