Zoe - Tour V2

Second the Zoe Tour! Better price point and agree with everything said above. I have a new version (bought last Oct), but I didn’t get the all terrain wheels. I may at some point because as @etgetc noted I do have to pop it over some curbs/uneven sidewalks, but it’s so light and easy to maneuver that it really doesn’t bother me. And it comes standard with a parent cup holder as well as child snack and cup holders and belly bar which are extra add-ons for the higher priced strollers.

I also have the Zoe Tour. It’s pretty much taken over as our everyday stroller. Had it almost a year now. Definitely easy to maneuver for public transit.

Yesss! Love my Zoe.

There’s definitely an overwhelming amount of options… You can definitely do a combo one that’s the car seat and stroller like the Doona. I think this is best for people who live in big cities or travel a lot. I personally don’t think they’re worth it.. you gotta buy a new car seat and stroller when they get bigger. You could get a bigger, travel system which is a good deal. Something like an UPPABaby vista or a mockingbird for a more budget friendly option with a car seat adapter is very nice. These also usually have options for a bassinet or an infant insert so you don’t always have to use the car seat! They’re very nice strollers with lots of storage, high weight limits, lots of accessories and can really last you a long time. The downside is they are pricey and often very heavy/take up a lot of trunk space! Another option is a travel stroller. Many people use these for every day!! There’s many options these days.. some top ones are the Zoe line, Buggaboo Butterfly, UPPAbaby Minu.. there’s many more. These sometimes can be used with a car seat, are often under 20 pounds, fold compactly, are great for toddlers, great for travel, more budget friendly! Downsides are often not best for infants unless it’s one with a car seat adapter, have less storage and not as many bells and whistles. So.. I chose 2. I went with the Mockingbird which is so nice and we love it. It’s great for babies with all the attachments. Worked with our Chico Key fit car seat and is a nice push! Adjustable handle bar was nice since my husband is a lot taller than me. But it’s really heavy for my small frame and took up my whole SUV trunk. So I also got the Zoe Tour. It’s also amazing!! It’s 13 pounds, folds flat, takes up a fraction of my trunk, great for travel and my toddler loves the snack tray and being able to sit fully upright. I keep that one in the trunk and the Mockingbird in the garage for walks. Lastly, check out The Stroller Mom on Instagram or YouTube! She does full videos comparing strollers and doing in-depth reviews of the most popular brands! That’s how I picked my two!! Good luck!

I find it’s really hard to find strollers to actually try in person. I have a Mockingbird single for home use and a Zoe Tour for travel. Love them both. I used The Stroller Mom on YouTube. She does very in depth reviews of almost every stroller and even has some spread sheets to show pros and cons. It was so helpful for picking one!! I don’t think you can really go wrong with the ones you’re looking at! It gets very overwhelming though haha

I really like my Zoe tour for what you’re looking for! It drives nicely, folds up small-ish, and doesn’t weigh a ton. I use it as a travel stroller because we have a Cruz at home that I love but don’t want to lug around when we travel.

We got a Peg Perego Ypsi travel system and I can’t understand why they aren’t more popular here. Size of a Vista, but two-kid flexibility. I like the clever fold better (no annoying button in the middle of the handle bar). Big basket, nice suspension, Italian quality; great car seat that just clicks into the stroller, with a European belt path so it’s extra safe in cabs and Ubers without a base (we did this in lieu of a bassinet attachment—yes, you don’t want your baby in a car seat for more than two hours, but they pretty much never are anyway since you take them out to feed them or whenever they cry, and naps typically aren’t that long in the early days anyway). If you go to Albee Baby, the Agio 4 is the same stroller as is in the Ypsi system. I think they still carry it. Most people we know (including us) just got a second, smaller travel stroller and use whichever one was better suited for the day. If I had to take the subway alone, I took the Zoe instead, which I also think is great! But if I had to get just one stroller and wanted something light and was willing to give up basket space, I would do an Uppababy Minu! 

When we found ourselves in a similar predicament, we moved and I admit I never regretted having an elevator and a bit more space for the additional expense. That said, if money is a bit tight right now and you aren't already hugely bothered by the climb, I think you can do this. There will probably be months ahead where it peaks in annoyance and being a bit debilitating, like when you're so pregnant you're easily winded and can't see your feet or early-early postpartum, but you're also already acclimated in general, so the hardest part is behind you. Loving your place and knowing you can save money really tips the balance toward staying put, I think. This is really a logistics problem: think strategically and minimalistically. What you won't be able to do is use your stroller like a walking living room / personal vehicle, which is something lots of families do when they've got an elevator. It would be somewhat easier if you have a place to leave a stroller downstairs on the first floor. But even then, you won't have tons of hands/strength for carrying your baby, their stuff, your stuff, a full stroller basket of groceries, etc etc from the stroller downstairs to the apartment. Invest in a single, very lightweight, easy-to-fold, ACTUALLY one-handed-fold stroller like a Zoe or a Joolz Aer or a Minu. Personally, I wouldn't worry too much about its "infant compatibility" unless it too is compactable -- like, don't worry overmuch about a big bassinet or carry cot or whatever components that don't lend themselves well to that easy fold/carry. Your baby will be strong enough for a regular stroller seat by month 4-6. Instead, put the bassinet money into an extra baby carrier or two and plan to baby wear a lot more, at least in the early days. Get a backpack and maybe also a fanny pack to use as a baby bag. You can have a baby on the front carrier and the bag on your back, or your baby in a ring sling and some baby stuff in the fanny pack, etc etc. And then bet on the fact that you'll probably want to make certain errands separate from walking your baby and stroller upstairs and down (like, with the money saved by not moving, can you get groceries or laundry delivered to your door, tipping that delivery person for the extra walk up?). Later down the line as your baby turns into a toddler, you'll still be carrying them (in your arms or in a toddler carrier) up and down, but there will be days when they're on an independence kick and insist on slowly climbing every stair themselves. But I wouldn't worry too far into the future. In a year or two, you might be in a different position and feeling more/new urgency about moving. Or not.

Tossing another challenger into the ring: look at the Zoe with the upgraded all-terrain wheels.  The challenge of NYC vs travel stroller are the small wheels on uneven pavement; you want something really light and easy to fold down but little wheels just don’t have as good “curb pop.” I love the huge sun canopy and accessories on the Zoe and the fact that it really does have a one-handed fold. We have the bi-fold model, the Tour, not a trifold Traveler. We tried both. They are actually about the same weight, if I recall, and the bi-fold’s fold is so, so easy, I can literally just tug the center strap mid-stride and one-handed to close it. But if that extra level of compactness matters to you, I remember the trifold being decently easy (just not sure it’s compatible with the beefier wheels). My model is too old for the all-terrain wheels, but I have been eyeing them lustfully since they came out—they would solve my one small beef with this stroller and, I think, put it over the edge for other competition, which generally all also have the small wheel, curb pop issue.

We also have a Zoe. Would def recommend, esp the Tour bifold. Agree it is a true one-handed fold you can do mid stride even. I’d probably get the all-terrain wheels; they weren’t a thing when I got my model, but I think they’d solve my one small complaint.

I have a Zoe Tour and have been loving it. Its super lightweight, but feels just as sturdy and the heavier strollers I've used. I can easily fold/unfold and get it in/out of the bed of my truck with one hand. I was sold on this when I borrowed a friends double Zoe and it was soooo smooth even with more than the max weight (two kindergardners in the seats and a toddler on their lap).

Love my Zoe and would scream it from the roof tops if I could. I think the Zoe tour is car seat adaptable now so you’d have to see if it works with yours, but it’s wonderful without the car seat attachment. I’m a fan for life for sure.

We upgraded from a secondhand Evenflo to a secondhand Nuna and the difference is very obvious. The features like the mesh back and sun shade are very useful for the heat, and the ride is so smooth and easy. We chose Nuna over other brands because it accommodates tall babies and we've got a 92% percentiler. I will say that our Zoe travel stroller is just as nice but only cost us $250 compared to the $500 we spent on the used Nuna (though obviously it is much smaller and has limited storage since it's a compact stroller). If you're looking for a very nice stroller that's not 4 figures, Zoe does a travel system with bassinet.

I have the bumbleride indie and we love it! We got it for a deal from rebel or goodbuy gear because it was new but slightly scratched. I live in an area where I can walk to the library, grocery store etc from our house. So we love just strolling out the door with the indie. We also have really bumpy sidewalks around so we needed the air tires and I do some very light jogging with it as well. The cork handlebar is awesome. It has an adapter for a variety of car seats but we never ended up using that because my baby hated the stroller until she was almost 6 months and we just did baby wearing on our walks. Also, the indie and I think the era recline flat so they are safe for less than 6 month olds without any adapter. We ended up with the Chicco keyfit 35 cleartex car seat because I just couldn't justify paying for the fancy Nuna ones even if they are lighter. And it's fine! However the indie is huge and heavy! We ended up getting a small zoe travel stroller (they have one made with recycled fabric!) as well because if we are traveling anywhere the indie takes up a ton of space. We got our zoe from one of those returned/open box websites as well and it was a great deal. I personally really like having two options, one big full size and one super packable travel stroller, but I know that isn't for everyone. I do highly recommend searching all the open box type websites for deals, or of course looking for used strollers if you live in a city or non-rural area. The "greenest" thing is not buying new in my opinion (and it saves $$)

We have the Guava and love it! We had the car seat attachment as well and it worked out great for us. It’s supposedly the smallest of the jogging strollers, and it does fold up nice and neat, but it’s still quite heavy and cumbersome to fold and carry around, so we still ended up getting a compact travel stroller (a Zoe), especially because I don’t think the Guava would be practical for air travel. Just want to point out that you definitely don’t have to get more than 1 stroller to start! You can always get a jogger and see how it works for you, and then add a travel stroller if you feel you need it later. If I had to pick just 1, I’d definitely pick the Guava over our travel stroller for everyday use though.