Oh, the Places He Will Go in his Urbini Touri Travel System {Review}

I have this love affair with strollers and travel systems.  Really, I do.  Maybe it’s the fact that I’m a 3rd time mom or that I’m always on the go, but I’m slightly obsessed with them.  I not-so-secretly want to try them all…and I have quite a few stored in my house to show for it.  So when I saw the brand new Urbini Travel Systems released earlier this year, I knew I wanted had to try it.

What stuck out for me when I researched the Urbini was the weight and the price point.  I’ve never seen a lightweight, umbrella stroller design used in conjunction with a car seat.  Plus, you rarely see travel systems priced in the $100-$150 category, as they all seem to retail for $200+.  The Urbini Touri not only combined the umbrella stroller design, but is also priced at just under $150 (their slightly more expensive model called the Omni still retails for under $200).  And the colors – oh, the colors!  Bright blues, greens, reds, pinks…gorgeous, vibrant colors that you normally don’t find in strollers, let alone travel systems.  The Urbini looked like the perfect mix of function, price, and style.   And lucky for me, Urbini gave me the chance to try out their Touri Travel System for myself.

When I first received the Touri I was stunned at just how easy it was to put together.  My husband wasn’t home at the time and I was expecting to need his help…but then I got impatient.  Who can sit in their house with a brand new travel system in the box and not want to put it together?  Not this girl.  Instead, I decided to open the box and give it a try (girls can build things too, right?).  Turns out, there were no tools required and other than snapping in the lap bar and popping on the front wheels it was already completely assembled.  I had the entire stroller built, the car seat out of it’s packaging, and the car seat base installed in the car within minutes and wayyy before my husband got home.  Actually, the hardest part of putting the entire system together was trying to open the stroller since the directions were in the stroller basket and not accessible with the stroller closed (FYI: if you’re in this situation, press on the storage lock – which is the light grey bar with a hole in it just left of center in the photo above – to release it; that’s what’s keeping the stroller closed/collapsed).The Touri features a the Urbini Petal Infant Car Seat which is designed to hold children from 4-35 pounds and up to 32 inches, both of which are on the higher side for infant seat maximums.  And since babies tend to outgrow the length of their infant seats before the height, those couple extra inches will no doubt extend the life of your seat.  Since the car seat itself weighs only 8 pounds, I was shocked to find that this car seat was well padded and included not only an infant insert, but also a preemie insert option.

Because it’s an infant seat, it’s intended for rear-facing use only and can be installed pretty quickly if your car has the LATCH system, which most cars do.    And there’s a level indicator on the base to ensure that it’s installed correctly.From there you can loosen the straps of the car seat’s 5 point harness by lifting up on the lever towards the foot of the car seat.  Place the seat in the base or on the stroller and it snaps right in!

I will tell you of all the car seats that I’ve ever used (and I have quite a few between infant and convertible seats) the Urbini Petal Infant Car Seat is by far the lightest.  No doubt about it.

Once everything was installed it was off to the park and to school and to the mall and to dance class and the grocery store and…well, everywhere – I’m a pretty busy mom!  I took this travel system “on the road” with me for about two weeks just to see how it would handle.  Now, 2 weeks later, it’s probably my favorite travel system.First, it’s no doubt the most user friendly stroller that I own.  It’s light weight and a breeze to collapse and unfold.  There’s a handle on the side of the stroller for easy lifting and carrying.  It fits perfectly in the back of my SUV and my husband’s sedan.  The car seat is also easy to use.  The red mechanisms on the side of the car seat adjust the handle and release it from the stroller.  The shoulder straps are easy to adjust up and down to accommodate a growing baby.

Second, it has the comforts of a larger travel system – padded handles, roomy storage basket, cup holder (removable), front suspension wheels – without the bulk and weight of the larger travel systems.  It even has options that I’ve never seen on those bigger travel systems, like the amazing extended sunshade which makes it perfect for the summer sun.  Typical umbrella strollers lack an adequate sunshade – I’m not sure it it’s a concession that stroller companies make to keep the stroller lightweight or what, but I’ve never seen an umbrella stroller with a large canopy.  Until now.

Check. It. Out.  And if you don’t live in a climate that’s hotter than the face of the sun during the summer months (like I do) or you just don’t like canopies, you don’t have to use the canopy because it tucks away.  That’s right, the red extended sunshade tucks completely under the black sunshade.  There if you need it, gone if you’re canopy averse.

Finally, it’s designed to be safe and comfortable for the child using it.  The stroller’s multi-position reclining seat and 5 point harness ensure that my son to look out at the world around him safety.  The car seat is padded, the straps are padded, and if you have a preemie, there’s special padding you can add.  All of that padding ensures that your baby is not only comfortable, but safe too.  The Urbini Petal Infant Seat has been through rigorous crash and side-impact testing, and meets or exceeds all requirements.  That’s comfort for my baby and peace of mind for me. 

So no matter where we’re going this summer – whether it be a theme park or just a quick stroll around the neighborhood – our Touri will be coming with us!

If you want to learn more about Urbini travel systems and strollers, be sure to check out their website and follow them on Facebook.  If you’re ready to purchase an Urbini Travel System, you can find them exclusively at Walmart for $149.99 (Touri) to $199.99 (Omni).