GB Evoq Review

I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Influence Central for GB. 

I received a GB stroller to facilitate my review as well as thank me for my participation.

Now that Ruby is almost a year old I've been looking more closely into tandem stroller systems. There's tons on the market but the designs seem to be limited to either the seats side by side ("2 wide"), "sit and stand," and strollers with glider board options.  I was excited to try out the glider board style stroller because it offers a little of flexibility for the older child, which is what I need at this stage!

So when I got the opportunity to try out the GB Evoq travel system, I jumped on it! The GB Evoq is a 4 in 1 stoller system. You can use the stroller frame with the Asana35 car seat, rear facing with the stroller seat, forward facing and finally the option of having a toddler "glide" along on the back. 

This stroller system appealed to me because I have an almost 3 year old and an almost 1 year old. We go on walks regularly and my toddler wants to walk most of the time, but there are times where she gets tired, is stopping a little too often to smell the roses or I need to keep her close for safety sake. I was intrigued by the glide on board as an alternative to those bulky "sit and stand" style stroller systems. I have a different stroller that also has the option of purchasing a separate glider board, but that's an additional $50, which is mainly what's discouraged me from even trying it out. I was pleased to see that the glide on board was already built into the GB Evoq. Because of this, the GB Evoq system is well equipped for the family that has two children fairly close to each other in age, because it can be easily adapted for a newborn, infant or toddler and can be used in tandem. 

When I first received my stroller I tested myself to see if I can put it all together without having to read the instruction manual. I was happy to see that I was able to assemble the stroller within a few minutes and it was fairly intuitive on how it works.  My husband has a degree in plastics manufacturing so his attention to the details on commercial products has rubbed off on me and I like that all the parts feel sturdy and I don't see very many pieces that would break or wear quickly. The materials are quality and quite a bit of thought went into the design. Switching between having the car seat or the stroller seat on the stroller frame was simple and easy. Nothing feels too heavy or cumbersome. As a mom with an infant and a toddler, you can guarantee that my main requirement for any child-gear is that it does not take a lot of time for me to put together or adapt. At any given moment either child needs to be held, isn't happy with something or just wants a closer look. It was a big relief to me that I could switch between the 3 different seat options without too much fumbling or adjusting.

 
The Asana35 infant car seat's quality matches the stroller. Ruby looked comfortable in it and enjoyed riding in the car in it. My husband installed this seat into his commuter for me and he reported that the Firm Fit Arm and Harness features are really helpful. This feature makes sure that the car seat is installed safely into the car. Even though car seats are an integral part of childhood, unfortunately there are so many incorrect ways of installing a car seat or putting a child into a car seat, so additional safety features that "take the dummy" out of installation are much appreciated. Again, picture the parent who has 2+ kids battling for their attention while they are trying to install a car seat. Any little bit of extra engineering goes a long way in my book!

Now that you know what I like about this stroller system, if someone were to ask me what I didn't like about it, I would have two areas of improvement:

• Unfortunately no matter how we adjusted the stroller seat (as you are able to switch between forward and rear facing as well as height up and down) there just wasn't a good way for my toddler or her much taller friend to be able to ride on the glide board and not have her face be completely obstructed. 
• I also wish that the hood on car seat were larger. In comparison to the 2 other infant car seats that I've used, the Asana35's hood is very small and doesn't do much to block out light from any direction except for directly above. 

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Disclosure: I received product in exchange for my honest review.

The #Urbini Touri Travel System #mc #sponsored

"I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting (#MC) for Urbini. I received a product sample to facilitate my review and as a thank you for participating”

When Penny was 8 weeks old, we traveled to Birmingham Alabama for my brother's graduation in Tuscaloosa from 'Bama. Being a new mom, I took a blind shot and packed our big heavy stroller and car seat because I wanted to be prepared for anything. As it turned out, it was more of a hassle than anything else. Getting through security, making sure that it wouldn't be broken during transport and then there was transferring it into the back of the rental car.. OY. 

Now as a seasoned mom I know where to cut out the extra heavy weight, so to speak. Though we haven't flown with Ruby yet, I know that any upcoming trip with include a soft carrier and our Urbini Touri Travel system. 

I have a cheapie umbrella stroller and it's exactly that - cheap. It's so cheap it might as well be disposable! It has zero storage, is difficult to collapse and isn't adjustable. I love the Urbini Touri  as a baby stroller travel system because it combines the ease of an umbrella stroller but also allows you to click in the Petal carseat (which is approved for air travel) and also adjust the recline of the main child seat.

I like this travel system because I've been able to use it for both of my kids. I can have the option of keeping Ruby in the carseat and having Penny walk next to me (if she has some energy to expend) or I can have Penny sit in the stroller and I can have Ruby in a carrier.  The storage under the stroller is OK, but I couldn't ask for much more since this stroller is meant to be more of a travel stroller versus a "hauling" stroller. The front wheels have a really easy lock mechanism to allow you to set the wheels to lock or swivel, they also remove easily for travel.

We put the Petal infant car seat into our Saab 9-3 and it fits really well too - our other infant car seat made it a really tight squeeze.  The car seat fits Ruby well (at 9 1/2 lbs, 22" and 1 month old). It was easy to install into the backseat of our Saab and didn't require us to move either of our front seats forward (as is the problem with many rear facing car seats and smaller sedans). There are a couple areas of improvement that I can see with this car seat. The adjusting strap to tighten / loosen the straps is difficult to use. I had to pull really hard to get it to tighten, whereas with our other car seats it doesn't take that much strength to pull the strap to tighten. I also don't really like the chest buckle, I would have liked the clip button to be more robust and for the chest plate to be a little broader.

I believe that the car seat will do its job in case of an emergency but the two ease of use features could use some revamping. Otherwise it's a very affordable system for parents on a budget or if you're looking for a lightweight secondary system.

The Urbini Touri Travel System features: 
• Includes Petal Infant carseat (holds children up to 35 lbs)
• Lightweight
• Multi-position reclining stroller seat
• 5-point harness for both the car seat and stroller
• Tuck-away sun visor
• Removable cup holder (I wouldn't recommend more than a 16 oz cup in it though)
• Front suspension wheels

You can buy this travel system at Walmart. Connect with Urbini on facebook and twitter

Disclosure: I received a Walmart gift card to purchase an Urbini stroller in order to facilitate this review and all opinions are my own.