Stroller Review: Phil & Teds Voyager 2019+
A good mix of flexibility, maneuverability and capacity
The Phil & Teds Voyager 2019+ is a new convertible stroller with a unique offer
Living in the US, the stroller brand Phil & Teds occasionally pops up in my research. From the local playgrounds, to airport in the Mid-west and the street of Paris, I have occasionally caught glimpses of their distinctive strollers. They are a New Zealand-based company with a long history of producing great three-wheeled all-terrain strollers and stroller with Inline convertible capacity. During our most recent quest to find the perfect double stroller, their latest stroller lineup released in Feb 2019 peaked our interest. Amongst those, is the revamped four-wheeled Voyager 2019+.
After 6 months of use, our experience with the Phil & Teds Voyager 2019+ has been positive.
Our primary reason for choosing this stroller over the other more popular brands is that, when used as a double, this stroller offers both Stadium AND Inline seating arrangement. This is a unique feature I have not seen on any other strollers.
As of now, I have only one child but the feature is already showing its benefit.
On a shopping day, I load the kid in the regular middle position and enjoy stuffing the spacious under basket with my groceries.
On all the other days, I put my child over the back wheels, shifting the weight lower and closer to the pusher. This makes maneuvering broken sidewalks (of which we have plenty in Philadelphia) and popping curbs a simple one-handed task. Before the baby becomes a toddler, it never occur to me that being able to steer the stroller one-handed is such an important thing. Can you imagine needing to hold a toddler in tantrum and push a fully loaded stroller home with one hand? Sidewalks so rough that spill all your coffee unless you hold the drink in one hand? Pouring rain and needing to hold an umbrella on one hand and maneuver around puddles with the other? You get what I mean.
Onto the other positive attributes, the Voyager 2019+ mounts its primary seat pretty high up, leaving storage space underneath ample and accessible. It is so high that my daughter can joint us at the table in cafes without a highchair. It also offers an additional upper adapter to elevate the seat even higher. With this, the bottom child will have a much better view out compared to other Inline strollers on the market. In addition, you can also let the children sit face-to-face, allowing them to entertain themselves, which is great when the kids are close in age or twin. In addition, all three seat positions accepts car seat with an additional adapter. Living the car-free lifestyle means we often rely on ride-share for the odd trips to the pediatrician. The car seat-compatible stroller allows us to take the car seat with us on and off the rides easily.
I also love their adjustable handle, dual-facing seats, one-hand full recline, large sun hood with mesh window, self-standing fold, 8” & 12” puncture-proof tyres, front wheel suspension and front wheel lock, all the hallmarks of a good full-size stroller. Not to mention that, with a universal car seat adapter, the Voyager 2019+ supports a wide range of car seats, including Graco which many higher-end strollers do not support. The full list of technical specification can be found on Phil & Teds website.
Some improvement I’d like to see on the Voyager 2019+ are:
- Child food tray. There is no official one available at the moment
- Bigger front wheels, because bigger is always better in this regard
- All-wheel suspension, will definitely make this stroller perfect!
If you are looking for a lightweight, travel-friendly stroller then you are looking at the wrong place. At a whopping 33 lb as a single stroller, I will not be lifting or hand-carrying this stroller anywhere. (Nor is any other brand of full-size stroller made for lifting, to be completely fair). What the Phil & Teds Voyager 2019+ is, however, it’s a sturdy, robust and stylish urban stroller that can handle some pretty rough terrain, as well as having a multitude of seating arrangement that actually work. It’s a great stroller that I would gladly push around all day on foot and run errands with. On top of that, with all the required accessories combined, the double-seated Voyager 2019+ is just a little over HALF THE COST of an Uppababy Vista. (Albeebaby often has 20% off on the Voyager 2019+, too!) Not to mention it supports more affordable car seat brands. It should definitely be considered by parents that value quality AND economy.
Accessories
In order to utilise the stroller’s double-carrying capacity, there are a few accessories needed, in addition to the basic single-seated stroller. We have purchased a few so far:
- Extender clip set. These extension poles lift the top seat up to provide more space between two seats. They are essential for any double-seated arrangement. However, I found that I also love using them with my single child. When placed over the back wheels for better maneuverability, the seat tends to be quite low. The extender clip set lifts the child up to a more conventional level for a better view.
- Universal car seat adapter. The universal car seat here fits most popular models of infant car seat on the market. However, it also means that the insertion of the car seat will not be as smooth as using a brand-specific adapter. It will require some practising to operate efficiently. The adapter comes with a pair of frame brackets so you are ready to transport two children with the existing primary setup without a second seat.
- Universal stroller bag. We plan to take our Voyager+ to the snow this winter which small compact stroller just cannot handle. The bight red expandable travel bag from Phil & Teds is padded to protect its content from rough handling and has wheels to facilitate transport. It is so spacious that it will hold ALL of the baby’s supplies for the week, making it an ideal luggage piece for travelling with kids.
Other parts that we’d like to explore later are:
- “Lazy Ted” seat/bassinet stand. Out 13-month daughter has been taking long nap in her cozy stroller during walks. As weather gets cooler and not ideal for staying out for hours, we often detach the stroller seat with her sleeping in it and take her to her upstair bedroom for a quieter environment. Having the “Lazy Ted” stand would allow the seat to remain in reclined or any position you desire. I can also see that it’ll be useful for transporting younger babies when they’re sleeping.
- Double kit. Unless you purchased the stroller as a double package, you’ll need an extra seat for the second kiddo. The secondary seat of Voyager 2019+ has a lower weight limit of 33 lb but it has the same full recline and adjustable leg rest as the primary seat.
There are plenty more accessories available from their website.
Customer Service
With regards to customer service experience, I would strongly recommend contacting them via their Facebook page. We purchased our stroller from a US reseller and have had the misfortune of a missing part in our package on arrival. We contacted the reseller immediately and, although they were fast to reply, there was still no sight of the replacement part after almost two months! I have been following Phil & Teds’ Facebook for a while and thought I’ll reach out for help. They replied within 24 hours and my missing part was at my door step three days later!
What do you think of the Phil & Teds Voyager 2019+? Share you experience if you have one!
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