Why I love my Mountain Buggy Duet

It took us a long time to decide which double buggy to buy and we decided finally on the Mountain Buggy Duet. I walk a lot and our local town is a three mile round trip so I knew Winston wouldn’t manage it for a while. I decided against a tiered one almost straight away – I hated the thought of the little one underneath looking at a blank space, and if our second baby was going to be anything like Winston they would just scream!

After a lot of research and visits to Kiddicare we decided on three options, and chances are if you are double buggy searching you’ve come across all of them:

– Baby Jogger City Mini Double – side by side

– Baby Jogger City Select – can be single or double

– Mountain Buggy Duet – side by side

The main reason we decided on the Mountain Buggy Duet is due to the width. Despite looking robust (which it is) and bulky it is only 63cm wide, 13cm slimmer than the City Mini. It fits through single doors, which is key for me as I like popping in and out of shops. The main reason we decided against the City Select is although it’s versatile (16 different combinations), it seemed to have lots of attachments and the seats are in set positions. I know lots of people that have the City Select and the City Mini who absolutely love them. It is really a question of lifestyle.

I didn’t know Mountain Buggy existed until  one of my sister in laws told me about them. She does huge amounts of walking and is quite the pram expert. Apparently they are huge in Australia and America. Who knew? I really try to avoid keeping small babies in car seats so we haven’t experimented with the car seat attachment. We also didn’t buy a bassinet because the seat can already recline flat. I really love my Mountain Buggy Duet and this is why.

What I love…

– The foot rest. Win is petite for his age and always has been. This really helps him climb in and out. It is fantastic for muddy boots and excellent when we’re having days out as we can give tired cousins a ride too.

– The straps and the ease of adjusting the recline. Both are perfect.

– The adjustable bar. This is really good for when you are going up and down hills. Sometimes my wrists can feel weak and being able to adjust the angle really helps.

– The massive basket. For my Home Bargain hauls.

– The wheels. They are so easy to remove, fill up with air (if you have the right pump) and there are different sizes. We have the largest size wheels – they are brilliant in mud and on hills, which seems to happen a lot.

– The wrist strap. I love this. Reassuring in snow and when going down hill.

– The rain cover. It is really well made and accommodates all the recline positions.

– The hoods. These are huge and have an extra sun shield section. They operate independently.

What you may want to consider…

– Folding it is easy but I always find it awkward to put in the car. We have a lip on our boot and sometimes it is tricky to get it over. If you are petite or have a small car it’s not going to be ideal. The back wheels are very quick to remove though. The City Mini is more compact and easier to fold.

– It’s heavy when lifting, but I think this is the case for most double buggies.

– When we first got it Winston used to ask if he could sit up. It’s not as upright as a single buggy but again I think this is the case for most double buggies. Now he’s a bit older I don’t tend to strap him in so he can sit upright and pop in and out when we’re out and about.

…and that’s it. They retail between £500-£600, but we managed to get ours from eBay for around £250.

If you’re thinking of buying a Mountain Buggy Duet and have any questions, please feel free to email me. Buying any buggy is such a minefield.

E xx