gb - Pockit Air All-Terrain

We bought a Numa stroller to go with our car seat, and recently a GB pocket air. We really regret the numa since it was expensive, is massive, and we never use it. Whenever we go places or on neighborhood walks, I always just carry our son in the carrier. The Numa has been used once, so we’re trying to sell it. We’re hoping to travel more with the little guy this year, so that’s what prompted the much cheaper GB pocket purchase. Folds up really small so you don’t need to check it on the plane. Will probably be our main stroller if we ever need one when not traveling too.

We got this one - folds up so small. Really convenient [fold up stroller](https://a.co/d/8LKqpFj)

We loved the Uppababy Cruz. It isn't as big as the Vista (which I see very petite parents pushing around). We also ended up with a GB pocket micro foldable for travel and a hiking stroller. At the end of the day you can sell them and get a lot of your investment back if you treat them right.

Hi I just wanted to share lessons learned while travelling to Japan with a 2.5 yr old. My spouse and I went to Yokohama, Hakone and Tokyo for 2 weeks. Trip report in a separate post. **Things to bring** \- Esim: we used mobimatter as they were much cheaper than others and we’ve used them before. I'd say it worked well during our trip for navigation, youtube and google but the connection could be faster.  However, for the price, I'd use them again. I bought 20gb for myself as the main navigator and google researcher and a 10gb package for my wife as entertainment for kiddo. For two weeks of as needed usage, I ended up using 6.5 gb and she used 3 gb so I’d  buy less next time. Social media waited till we were back using hotel wifi. \- foldable compact travel stroller: we used a gb pockit all terrain stroller. It worked well in that it easily fit through train turnstiles, light enough to carry on stairs, one button release for quick folding and unfolding, can recline for naps and most importantly, has the hood to keep light out (and hang numerous items over it). An umbrella stroller would have been terrible for us since our LO needs darkness to sleep. \- webcam and travel router: we wanted to connect the hotel wifi to the camera to watch our LO if we ducked out after he fell asleep at night but we never used it. We felt more tired coming home at 7pm with our LO than when we used to stay out past midnight before kids. Like any kids outing, once you’ve settled in and got them ready for bed, you will be too tired to go out again. \- portable blackout curtains: we didn't end up using as everywhere we stayed had something to keep the room dark.  \- noise-cancelling headphones: used mainly for plane take off and landing noise. LO is ok watching screens without sound so didn’t bring this out too often. \- plane seat extender: we hoped this would help LO sleep more comfortably but he would only sleep with his legs across us. At least the extender could keep his toys off the floor. The extender we chose looped around the arms of the dining tray and the seat belt so the plane belt could still be used.  \- toys, books and a tablet with downloaded shows for the flight, dining times and long train rides: for toys. We brought bath toys so they could be used in the tub as well as toys we were ok discarding if space doesn’t permit bringing them back. \- sound machine and fave stuffy: if LO sleeps more comfortably, so will you. \- restoralax and/or metamucil: your rhythm may be off while on vacation so you can’t expect your kid to be regular. Our LO has some constipation struggles so this definitely helped to make everyone more comfortable.  We did not bring these in original packaging but in clear containers with labels. \- diapers, wipes, creams, changing pad and liners in a cheap mini backpack. We brought 1.5 packages of Kirkland diapers and 1.5  packages of Kirkland baby wipes.  We needed to buy more with several days to go. I recommend a mini backpack strictly for changes as it’s easier to go to a washroom and not fidget with other items. Also, a wet/dry bag will help with the dirty clothes. We went to family bathrooms where possible and found changing rooms to be very clean. \- laundry strips: easier to transport than liquid detergent.  Familiar strips are also useful in case your LO or you develop a reaction to the other detergents. \- empty foldable duffle bag in checked baggage: to hold all the baby clothes you’ll be buying (and to take home the extra diapers and wipes you may end up buying) \- bags: ziploc bags for all the wet garbage you’ll need to keep on you while out and big garbage bags to put all dirty clothes in to take to laundry and another garbage bag to grab the clean, “dry” clothes if laundry isn’t in-room.  Your clothes will still be damp after numerous dry cycles if you put in a whole load so definitely limit the dryer to a few clothes at a time which will be frustrating. We used the rack and clothes hangers in the room to hang clothes during the day. \- extra clothes in your carry-on for you and your kid: if your kid pukes on you, you’ll appreciate having clean clothes following your flight. We decided not to bring: \- Car seat or harness for the flight since we weren’t driving and isn’t required on ANA.  \- Portable booster seat since we didn’t want to carry around another bulky item and decided to only eat at places that were family friendly.  To our delight, LO was fine sitting on stools without a chair backing \- Rain/wind guard for stroller as it felt bulky and the weather forecast for the trip was good so we decided if it rained, we’d buy a cheap one to discard after.  **Hotels** We included our son on reservations but being under 3, he is still considered an infant so no extra charge. Our requirements were a bathtub and a large sofa bed or tatami room to ensure our LO could safely sleep without rolling off. *Yokohama* (4 nights)  - Sotetsu Hotels the Splaisir Yokohama. We picked this due to its proximity to Yokohama Station, the spacious room for LO to roam and the king bed in case the sofa bed didn’t work out. They provided a child's amenity kit and our son loved that the view was of the passing trains which helped occupy him during mornings. There were blackout curtains, a heated bidet and coin laundry on two floors (one of the TV channels tells you which machines are free and how much time is left!). Lots of food options below including a bakery in the lobby and they help with luggage forwarding. It’s on the 4th floor of the building so no storefront but can’t miss the signage. For negatives, the beds are extra firm which makes it tough for side sleepers. Their site advertises the hotel being a 5 min walk from the station but that isn’t advantageous when the station is huge and you aren’t familiar with station exits. Also, that same advertised path is not stroller friendly as it requires use of a steep escalator. *Hakone* (1 night) - Hotel Indigo Hakone Gora. We preferred Gora over Hakone Yumoto to save 40 mins in commuting to do the Hakone Loop. This hotel stood out for us in providing 1) an in room onsen using actual onsen water, 2) a family friendly experience opposed to a traditional ryokan, 3) a shuttle van that takes you back and forth to Gora Station, and 4) a shuttle bus that transports you to and from Odawara Station. The in room onsen was essential as it allowed us more flexibility with LO than places that offered reservable times at a shared onsen. The bath also had a cold water faucet to adjust for our LO when we shared the bath with him. It was only one night but sleeping on a medium mattress felt great after Yokohama. There was a transforming sofa bed and roller blinds to keep the room dark. The view was facing the river (and some businesses) but there were privacy blinds. The hotel does not offer a kaiseki experience and we were ok with that. Kaiseki with a toddler didn’t seem worthwhile to do and we didn’t want him watching TV for two hours while we ate. Since we didn’t opt for kaiseki, nearby food options include the on-site restaurant, pizza, sushi, Chinese and 7-11. I did walk along the road at night to grab food (7 mins) and it was not as worrisome as I thought. I would not walk along the narrow path with a toddler in hand but in a stroller would be OK.  The Odawara shuttle departs at set times while the Gora shuttle can be contacted via whatsapp if you don’t have a Japanese number. No negatives unless you want more of a traditional ryokan experience with kaiseki. We did not make use of the public onsen baths but one positive is that they allow co-ed with bathing suits so this may appeal to families with older kids. *Tokyo* (8 nights) - Minn Nihonbashi. Located 5-8 min walk from Ningyocho, Higashi-Nihonbashi and Bakuroyokoyama stations with access to 3 lines (Asakusa, Hibiya and Shinjuku), The nearby stations had elevator access and were never overly busy or confusing (we did avoid morning rush hour). We mainly used Ningyocho as it had the most connections and nearby restaurants. It was never busy during the day in the neighbourhood and very quiet at night so felt more relaxing. We booked a large room that had a tatami room with sliding doors for our son to sleep and play in. Mattresses were medium and comfortable and LO slept comfortably on the futon. The room had a bathtub, in room laundry with detergent, blackout blinds (still lets in light on the sides though) and a kitchenette which worked perfectly in that directly across the hotel was an OK discount supermarket where we grabbed food and drinks. There is also a small playground with a sandbox a minute away. The quiet neighbourhood and lack of flashing lights made this a nice way to ground LO after a stimulating day. That being said, not much shopping or things to see in the immediate area so it’s a boring area for those looking for more stimulation.  For negatives, the accommodation is self serve so it won’t work if you like having an actual front desk or daily housekeeping. Due to the lack of reception staff, there is no true luggage storage or forwarding before check in and after checkout. For storage, they have a closet to hide luggage but it’s not monitored by staff so we never used it. For forwarding, we had to forward our luggage from Yokohama to a Yamato Transport Centre (10 min walk from the hotel). The couch cushions around the dining table were saggy but we ate on the floor in the tatami room. Housekeeping only comes once a week to clear garbage or refill toiletries. Hot water is slow to come out of the bathroom and kitchen sinks which is annoying when washing dishes but it’s instant in the bathtub and shower which is more important. For any help, you need to call service through the front desk tablet. Despite all this, I’d still recommend this place for families with toddlers as the positives outweigh the negatives and the location was central for our needs. **Flight experience** We flew YVR to HND on ANA economy departing at 3pm and arriving 7pm the next day. I overthought the flight too much in trying to determine the best seats to reduce turbulence, which side the sun was on and which side to see Mount Fuji. With a toddler, you’ll forget about all this but for the record, we sat near the wing front, left side (we got the sun but we could control the shade) and it was dark upon approach anyway. We gatechecked our stroller and preboarding is always a nice perk when flying with kids. The flight was taking off after his usual nap time and we thought we would be OK arriving early at the airport to relax at the lounge in hopes that LO would sleep but he was too excited. Halfway through the flight is when things started to suck due to fighting sleep. The staff were great and gave him a toy plane which brought him (and everyone else) much joy. If possible, I would never pick a flight that would delay/prevent their nap because an overtired toddler that doesn’t want to sleep makes for a terrible flight, On descent, our son puked and we were late with the barf bag. We probably disembarked 15 minutes after everyone else cleaning up the mess. I'm sure ANA staff felt bad seeing how stressed we were and they provided exceptional service post flight. One of their staff met us with the stroller outside the plane and walked (and waited) for us while we cleaned LO in the bathroom. She then took us to immigration & customs (having a QR code for visit japan helped speed things up), took us to a bank ATM, helped us get a pasmo, helped us buy airport limo tickets, walked us to the airport limo stop and waited with us to ensure we got on the right bus while pushing our luggage in a cart all within 30 minutes. This was all so appreciated after a rough flight and Hina has convinced me to fly with ANA always after this. Truly a saint. Flight back home with ANA was thankfully less eventful as it departed HND at 10pm so LO was already very tired and willing to sleep. He ended up missing all flight meals due to sleep so an extra child meal went to us. I also got to finish my one and only movie from the first flight. On descent, he puked again but luckily, we had the bags ready. I missed the beyond exceptional customer service from the first flight but I’ll take a clean, well-rested toddler anytime. **Final thoughts** For 13 full days, we spent $3,200 CAD and roughly the same amount on flights and on hotels so shy of $10K for two adults and a toddler. Of the $3,200 spent in Japan, $1,200 was cash and most cash went to PASMO reloads for transit and small spend. Yokohama, Hakone and Tokyo were great cities for us to explore with LO.  I loved Yokohama as the first city since it was so open and not as crowded so we could calmly take in Japan. Hakone was a bit rushed so two nights with a toddler would’ve been more leisurely but we were mainly there for the loop and onsen. Tokyo only feels busy in certain areas and it was wonderful visiting places in Tokyo we’d normally not go to without kids.  For trains, there were some struggles getting to where we needed to go with the stroller at train stations as well as waiting for elevators. At times, we just folded up the stroller and took the stairs as it was more convenient. We used google maps to hop on train cars closer to an elevator or we’d look for the train car that specifically sets aside extra room for the stroller. We’d fold up the stroller when it got busy and when exiting, we’d step off to the side to let everyone go first and then put LO back in the stroller to find the elevator at our own pace which made training more enjoyable. Specifically for Tokyo, our home base allowed us to get everywhere we needed to go without using the JR Yamanote line and the unlimited subway passes weren’t worth it for us as we’d be lucky to go to multiple areas in a day, much less several days in a row. For food, while we filtered for “children welcome” on tabelog, we also googled the restaurant to check the “vibe” to see if seating works for us. We had no issue being welcomed or seated at any restaurant we went to. We either went at opening, off-peak hours or found a quieter place. Before entering, we would ask if a baby was OK, and if LO was sleeping, we’d ask if a stroller was OK. We’d also fold up our stroller when not in use. We didn’t order a separate meal for LO and most restaurants had children’s cutlery, bowls and cups so rarely did we need to use ours.  For attractions, since we’ve visited before, we chose children-centric activities but I think adults can have just as much fun at these places. Experiencing the attractions as parents through your kids really makes it better.  This was a trip that my wife and I needed to do before returning back to work. We considered going somewhere with a shorter flight but we love Japan and wanted to experience it with our LO. Travelling with a toddler is pretty much just parenting in another country but more stressful and expensive. Money comes and goes but being present with your children and exploring the world is something you’ll always remember. Some wondered if our LO would even remember the trip but the trip was just as much about us making memories for our parenthood as it was for his childhood. Two months later, LO still wants to look back at our Japan photos and videos. He remembers going on planes and trains, seeing capybaras and zoo animals, and when people ask where he went, he says Japan with glee. Totally worth it. I'm already thinking about our next trip to Japan but maybe when he doesn't need a stroller anymore.

We have the GB Pockit All Terrain. It is 8 pounds (why I chose it) and it has a drop-down back, so it lets my now 3yo take naps in it. It’s our travel stroller, but that also means we take it on the subway etc. (They have the All City model too, but if you want to take it to the park, the extra wheels on the All Terrain help.) PS it folds up tiny; again, we travel a lot with it, and I like that it fits in the overhead bin in airplanes.

Upvoting this one. We’ve had ours for 3 years and have taken it with us for so many travels and around the city and it’s still going strong. Super compact and lightweight. We also have the Uppababy Vista but haven’t been using that for a while now as our little one is 3.

Live in Eastern Queens. Have a Vista and it’s a beast/huge. It’s like the SUV of strollers, used it through different neighborhoods in all 5 boroughs and different terrains outside the city during pumpkin and apple picking times/easy trails. When our kid was around 20 months we got a hand down GB Pockit stroller for the times she didn’t want to walk or for city/travel use. The smaller Cruz/Minu may be better for a one fits all solution.

A 5.5 yr and 4 yr old with one more on the way. - City Select with 2 seats is my full stroller/all terrain - Thule Chariot 2 bike stroller/also a hiking stroller - Valco Duo Snap for side by side stroller - GB pockit that's a bit wonky so lives at grandparents as a spare - Babyzen Yoyo got as second hand travel stroller I am planning to use mainly for my new one - All purpose wagon that never intended to be a stroller but they all pile in

We love our gb pockit. Folds up easily, fit in the bin, and we still use it 3 years later for zoo trips! And it magically fits in our car seat with the cover bag on, if we check the car seat.

I got the go pocket travel stroller especially for Italy.  We travel there frequently and it is great on the cobblestone/ narrow streets. It's so great, we keep it in the car so we don't have to pack our big stroller. We now only use our big stroller around the burb.  I would pack ONE stroller and make it a good one. Traveling with Littles means you pack a ton of stuff. Never travel with two strollers.