Mountain Buggy is a brand with a reputation – wanting to create a buggy suitable for all terrain, they have been developing and innovating for over 20 years a range of products that match the needs of active parents.
Reviewers: Alex, Fay and Leo
We were asked to try out the Mountain Buggy Nano – their travellers buggy of choice – see how Alex, Fay and Leo fared on their recent holiday to Portugal.
Over the course of a week we really tested the buggy’s build quality on different terrains. I honestly expected the wheels to give way at some point as we took many off-road walks over hard bumpy surfaces. To my surprise the buggy excelled on all conditions with no signs of damage.
We had a day of rain while we were away and the rain cover worked well to protect Leo. We actually doubled up and used the rain cover on the beach to shield from the blowing sand as it was quite windy which worked pretty well.
Initially it did take some time for us to work out how to assemble the buggy and use the folding mechanism. But after a few attempts it became second nature.
There is an option to attach a car seat to the buggy which makes life a lot easier when you have a sleeping baby that you don’t want to disturb. Again, it took some time to work out how to properly attach the car seat and it did prove to be a bit fiddly as you have to manually loop two long elastic straps around a toggle.
Our day to day buggy is not travel friendly at all, so I was keen to try something that was easy to use and comfortable for my baby. The Nano certainly delivered on that, Leo never seemed unhappy in the Nano and would often sleep in it too.
We stayed in a hotel that unfortunately had lots of stairs and a lack of lifts – to reach the hotel restaurant we had to tackle 2 sets of 30-plus stairs. Fortunately for us the Nano was lightweight and made the stairs a small inconvenience instead of a big problem. I even managed to navigate easily down some steep stairs that led down from a cliff to the beach.
Whilst it I wouldn’t say the buggy is the most aesthetically pleasing on the market, it’s design is still rather pleasant. For a premium priced product though I would hope for a little more on that front.
I am really impressed with how much the product is suited to travelling with a baby. When you’re not using it, it folds away into a small light space much like a camping chair. It’s a clever design and saves a lot of space. The fact you can also use your car seat on the buggy was a huge plus when transferring from taxi to airport etc.
The storage space underneath the seat was a welcome bonus as it is large enough to store our large changing bag and towels and this proved invaluable for long walks to the beach.
Pros:
- Folding mechanism
- Robustness
- Adaptability
- Lightweight
- Storage space
Cons:
- Car seat attachment is a little fiddly
Rating
Functionality / usability – 9
Aesthetics and design – 8
Value for money – 7
Quality – 9
Innovativeness – 7
The mountain buggy Nano retails at £249.00
Along with their other brands Phil & Ted’s and Mokopuna Merino, Mountain Buggy really focus on allowing parents to live life with no limits. Specialists in travelling with kids in tow, they have been innovators of design since 1992 – all stemming from a father and his dream to tackle the terrains of New Zealand with his baby
You can have a look on their website here: The mountain buggy Nano
