Phil & Teds Voyager review
B Loves: Lovely narrow footprint and so easy to convert from single to double and back again
Phil & Teds is perhaps the best-known company for producing narrow, versatile three wheelers. This is a slight departure for them – a four wheeled single-to-double pushchairs that can take the weight of a baby and toddler or two toddlers, spreading the additional weight across the four wheels whilst maintaining the narrow profile that makes it easy to get through shop doors. What that means for you is that you will have a pushchair that will keep on going for longer and transport your children in style! It is also a good price for a single-to-double, so good value for money.
Seat: The main seat on this pushchair is a really good size, with a very generous 61cm seat height wipe so that even quite a large toddler will still be comfortable – and when you’re collecting a child from those first days at school, you can always pop your baby in a carrier and then put the older child in the pushchair for the ride home, even if you haven’t put the second seat on. It will take a child right up to five years. The fabrics are soft and comfortable with an almost tweed-like effect and are also wipe clean, which is a bonus when they are eating snacks on the go. There is a seat liner to match the seat colour in each of the two seats and these can be removed for washing. The five-point harness with three height positions is easy enough to put on through each strap should be put in separately and it has a one-touch button release in the middle of the clip. We really like the Phil & Teds label that is just below the clip, as it makes it easy to see even in dim light.
The seat can start life as a bassinet, suitable for a newborn baby. It will allow the baby to lie flat and it can be used on the pushchair, facing the parent, or can be taken off when you’re going into the house, visiting a friend, popping into a café and so on. It is free standing though you shouldn’t use it for overnight sleeping as you would a hard-bodied carrycot.
Once your child is old enough to sit, you can transform the bassinet into a seat with just a few very simple movements. The seat can be used in parent-facing or world-facing mode, so you have great flexibility depending on your child’s preferences. It has several recline positions so you can get a good and comfortable position for your little one and it can ever be tilted when in the basinet positon, which is ideal for a baby with reflux or colic.
When you have a second child, you can quickly and easily add the second seat to the chassis. Sitting below the main seat, the second seat clips to the chassis under the main seat and it still allows you to use the shopping basket – albeit with slightly more restricted access once a larger child is in the seat.
Either seat can be used as a bassinet, as a forward-facing seat or as a rearward facing seat, so the options are multiple and work just as well for twins as for children of different ages.
The 50+ UPV hood is very large and will protect against most elements, though we’d advise adding rain covers too. It has good storage pockets in the sides, one of which has a headphone jack, so you can listen to your favourite tunes whilst keeping your phone safe inside the pocket.
Chassis: The handle can be adjusted to suit your height and you might find it easier to use in a lower position, as with two heavy children in the pushchair, getting up curbs can be rather a strain on the arms. The chassis is strong yet relatively light for the job it has to do and it is also quite easy to fold. What’s great is that you can fold with the seats on, which some prams don’t allow you to do. Place the wheels facing forward and the handle in its neutral position. You do have to fold each seat almost in half – tricky at first but once you have managed to master this, you’ll soon be a pro. Then fold each inwards to the centre of the chassis. A button at the side releases the chassis lock and when you pull up on a strap, it simply folds down. Try it out a few times at home before venturing out, as you wouldn’t want to have to remember how to do it the first time when trying to get it into the boot on a rainy day. Then the chassis folds own and stands on its own. The shopping basket is very roomy and can take 10kg of shopping. There is a bumper bar that can be opened from either side or removed, to let you get your child in and out easily.
The brake is a visible red lever on the handle bar and it is a very positive, strong brake when it’s on – just as well, as you wouldn’t want it rolling off with two children in it.
Wheels: The front wheels can be locked in place or left to swivel, which is easily the best way to use around town. Sometimes, if you’re pushing straight over bumpy ground, being able to lock the wheels is a bonus. The rear wheels are 12 inches wide and have ‘aeromaxx’ puncture-proof tyres while the front wheels are 8 inches wide.
It comes in four colours which are Grey Marl (shown, Blue Marl, Black and Red.
Extras:
- The Small Print
- Weight: 13.3 kg
- Suitable: Birth to 20 kg (main seat) 15 kg (double kit on rear)
- Seat reclines? Several and can be tilted when in bassinet mode too
- Folded size: 33 x 60 x 89 cm