Umbrella Double Stroller
An umbrella double stroller is the most compact and lightest stroller that is available for parents. They are designed to be convenient for daily use as their light weight makes them the most maneuverable and the easiest to fold away for transport in your cars’ trunk or when storing back at home.
Due to their compact size and light weight, this type of double stroller is quite minimalist in its design, think race car rather than Rolls Royce.
Storage space will be at a premium, so you will have to be prepared to carry most of your baby gear in an over the shoulder bag rather than in the stroller itself.
However, if your primary needs are for a double stroller for use on daily errands or short family trips, then the umbrella double stroller is for you.
Featured Models
- Jeep Wrangler Twin Sport All-Weather Umbrella Stroller $99
- Maclaren Twin Triumph Stroller $249
- Joovy Groove 2 Stroller $299
- Maclaren Twin Techno Crimson Stroller $499
Passenger Features
The seating arrangement for the umbrella double stroller is usually side-by-side, offering both passengers a good view of the journey and allowing them to interact with each other. The only downside is that in an effort to keep the double stroller as narrow as possible, the seating may not offer your little ones adequate support on longer treks.
As the umbrella double stroller is a lightweight design they are usually only suitable for children 4 months older and above. To accommodate a younger child a recline option is none existent or very limited on the cheaper models, but the more expensive ones will come with some sort of multi angle adjustment.
To ensure a smooth ride for the occupants, the more expensive models will have some form of simple suspension and bigger wheels. Cheaper models will only give good ride quality on the smoothest of surfaces as they generally lack any sort of suspension at all. Even at the more expensive end of the spectrum, taking a rough off road trail may give your precious cargo an uncomfortable ride that they will not enjoy.
Folding it Down
Although an umbrella double stroller is a bit bigger than a single seat version, it should still fold down quite easily and present no problems for parents after a little practice. Modern models have elegant folding mechanisms that have been developed by the manufacturers ensuring that the stroller folds down to a surprisingly small size. This compact folded size enables you to transport the stroller in your vehicle and store it once you are home.
Price Guide
Even though umbrella double strollers are traditionally seen as the most basic and lightweight models, their prices range from less than $100 to over $350. The large range in price can be attributed to the quality of engineering, luxury of the materials and the number of standard features.
Although the cheaper umbrella double stroller models can seem like an attractive option for the budget conscious buyer, they usually are constructed from less durable materials. This can make them more susceptible to breakages from general wear and tear, leading you to replace it prematurely. This will double the initial cost and may not be economical as buying a more expensive double stroller model in the first place.
The more expensive double stroller models will come with more storage, larger wheels and suspension giving a smoother ride, and have better quality seat materials to give your little ones a comfy environment.