The Bumbleride Flite: a fantastic travel stroller

My sister has always been a big proponent of Bumbleride.  I never thought one way or another because I didn’t get a Bumbleride as my ‘main’ stroller and well before now, it’s not like I had tried a bunch of strollers!  (My primary stroller is a running stroller as I’m a bit of a runner…) But… my thoughts certainly changed when I had the chance to review the Bumbleride Flite – Bumbleride’s umbrella stroller.

Even before I had my little girl, people kept telling me that I’ll need another, lighter stroller other than my running stroller to run errands and of course, for travel.  I actually kind of shrugged off that advice cause I figured the stroller I had was just fine.  Well, it was, until I received the Flite, which is a fraction of the weight of my running stroller… I’ve pulled muscles in my back and neck repeatedly lugging my running stroller in and out of my trunk just to run a few errands.  Don’t get me wrong, I love my running stroller but it’s not like I need to use it for all my little errands around town.

The Bumbleride Flite is a whopping 14lbs (compared to my running stroller which is in the mid-to-high 20’s).  It folds up really compactly and has a carry handle which makes it easily portable.  When you receive it, it’s super easy to assemble – all you have to do is click in the wheels and the canopy and voila!  You’re set.

It has impressive features for what I always considered “just” a travel (or umbrella) stroller.  This is not “just” a travel/umbrella stroller…

Main Features:

• It has a great 5-point harness
• an adjustable footrest
• an almost fully reclining seat (awesome for napping on the go!) and
• an SPF 45 canopy (such a bonus… especially if you’re travelling somewhere sunny and warm)
• The exterior fabric is made of 50% recycle PET and the interior fabric is made of 50% bamboo charcoal.
• It has front and rear wheel suspension.
• Includes a universal car seat adaptor

I know these are things that maybe most of us moms don’t really consider or think of… but when you’re pushing around your little one up to the toddler years, it makes a big difference.  The stroller rolls really well.  It feels super durable – not flimsy at all.

Some of my favourite features include the following:

• the weight of the stroller
• the reclining seat
• the big canopy with SPF protection
• thick-padded handles
• good size basket

The Bumbleride Flite folds up easily and was super light to lug around!  I think I napped my baby in the stroller 75% of the time, so the reclining seat was a must.  I’ve seen lots of other travel strollers where the seats don’t recline, I’m really really glad that this one did.

The canopy is amazing, we would just wrap a muslin blanket around to give her full coverage for naps and we were set.  Another thing that a mom or dad may not think of when purchasing a stroller are the handles.  The handles on the Flite are padded really nicely – and you can tell that the foam they are padded with are serious quality.  I don’t expect to see any wear and tear in that department anytime soon.  As a matter of fact, my sister has the same travel stroller from 2010 and her handles are in top shape.

Lastly the basket under the stroller was very helpful – from holding my water bottles, to my sunscreen, so some personal items and even a bag at one point… it was useful to have the basket.

I would recommend the Flite to my friends who are looking for a compact travel stroller. The Flite retails for $269.99. It’s available on the Bumbleride website and at specialty stores across Canada and the US.

To learn more about the Bumbleride Flite check out the Bumbleride website. You can also follow Bumbleride on Facebook and Twitter for the latest information on the entire Bumbleride line.