Mountain Buggy Nano Stroller Review

The Mountain Buggy Nano is the best travel stroller ever made! I’ve tested a lot of different stroller and I can tell you for sure that Nano beats them all when it comes to traveling. It’s super light, super compact, and you can even turn it into a travel system!

I know, it’s hard to believe that this 13 lbs stroller can handle a car seat. But that’s not all. It’s so compact it can even fit into an overhead luggage compartment on a plane. How great is that?

If you’ve been reading my reviews, you probably know that I have a bad back, so for me the ability to place my child from the plane straight into a stroller is a life saver, or I would even say a back saver. LOL. Once you unfold this tiny little package, it turns into a regular size stroller.

This is a great buggy for going to the mall, grocery store, doctor’s office, theme parks and using public transit. While it’s perfect for traveling and running errands around town, I would’t really recommend it for long walks at the park, because of the small wheels.

The seat is very room with plenty of head room, so you can really use this stroller from birth (with the car seat) and through the toddler years. It also features medium size basket, rear-wheel suspension, adjustable leg rest, flip-flop-friendly brake, adjustable 3-point harness, nice recline and easy fold.

I gave it 5 out of 5 star because I absolutely love the compactness, light weight, travel system ability, and reasonable price. Of course there are some drawbacks like no cover for the rear mesh window, small canopy, and low handle bar position, but I think that the pros definitely outweigh the cons in this case.

Overall this is a great option for parents who travel a lot. It retails for around $299 on Amazon (free shipping/free returns and no sales tax) and comes with a storage bag.

Buy Mountain Buggy Nano Stroller »

Features

-Mediocre canopy. The canopy is definitely on the smaller side, but I guess it’s ok for an umbrella type of stroller. We really got spoiled with all the huge oversized canopies that go all the way down the bumper bar, so this one could definitely use some improvement. It also does not have a “follow-the-sun” option and is attached to the frame. There is a small pop-out sunvisor that is very small and doesn’t help much. There is no peekaboo window, but there is a mesh window in the back between the seat and the canopy that you can use to see your child.

-Runaway strap. There is a safety strap attached to the handle bar of the stroller that will prevent your stroller from running away from you in case you let go of the handle bar.

-Roomy seat. The seat is 13″ wide with 18″ seat back and a measurement of 26″ from the back of the seat to the top of the canopy. This is a VERY tall canopy that offers plenty of head room even for the tallest child. My friend’s 4.5 year old daughter was able to fit in just fine. Of course, you wouldn’t be able to recline the seat with a taller child on board because of the mesh in the back. The seat can accommodate a child from 6 months and up to 44 lbs. It has a strap recline that is doesn’t go all the way to the flat position, but is pretty deep.

-Adjustable leg rest. It has an adjustable leg rest that provides plenty of room for a little baby to stretch his/her tiny legs.

-3 point harness. It has an adjustable padded 3 point harness with a center release buckle. The buck is AWESOME because you have to press the middle button and the sides at the same time for it to unlock. You smart toddler will never be able to figure it out. The down side of this is that you need to use both hands to release it.

-Non-adjustable handle bar. The handle bar is located 38.5″ from the ground which is a little on a lower side, so it might be a problem from taller parents.

-Large mesh window. There is a large mesh window in the back between the canopy and the seat back which provides great air circulation on a hot summer day. Unfortunately, there is no cover for it so your child will be exposed to cold wind on a chilly day. This is particularly incontinent for when the seat is fully reclined. I think a simple thin Velcro closure could fix this problem without adding too much weight.

-Wheels. It rolls on four single 6″ EVA wheels with front swivel wheels that can be locked straight for rougher terrain. You can easily remove the rear wheels for even more compact fold. The size of the is pretty average for a lightweight umbrella-like stroller so no complaints there. The stroller also felt very sturdy and stable when I was pushing it. It is also very quite. The maneuverability is really great on a flat surfaces. Now, since this buggy is designed for flat surfaces, it’s not going to be the best for long walks at the park. You will get tired of pushing it after 15 min.

-Rear-wheel suspension. While the suspension is always a great feature, I can’t say that it helped a lot. LOL.

-Flip-flop friendly brake. The brake is flip-flop-friendly! Love it! The red part locks both rear wheels in place while the blue one releases them.

-Medium size basket. The basket is really great for a lightweight stroller. It’s really huge if you compare it to umbrella models that have almost non-existing baskets. Because of how the frame designed you can only access if from the front.

-Super compact fold. This buggy is ALL about the compact fold. It fold into a tiny little package that you can even fit into an overhead luggage compartment on a plane. There will be plenty of room left in your trunk for other stuff even if you have a very small car. This features makes this buggy great for traveling. The fold is very easy, but takes two steps and requires both hands. The good news is that you can unfold it with just one hand. It has an automatic lock and a standing fold. The folded dimensions are 20″L x 12″H x 22″W.

-Travel system option. Despite weighing only 13 lbs, it can be turned into a travel system. I really like that all adapters for the travel system are included and are kept on the stroller underneath the seat. To attach the car seat you will use two seat belts on each sides that are attached to the area underneath the seat. There is also two elasticated cords with a red ball on them that you’ll use for additional security. It works with most popular car seats like:

• Mountain Buggy Protect
• Phil&Teds Alpha
• Graco Snugride Click Connnect 22 + 35
• Peg Perego Primo Viaggio
• Maxi-Cosi Pebble
• Maxi-Cosi Cabriofix
• Maxi-Cosi Mico
• Safe ‘n’ Sound Unity
• Chicco Keyfit (love this car seat!)

-Car seat adapter. INCLUDED! There are built in safety belts to safely secure an infant car seat  to nano so no additional adapters needed.

-Storage bag. INCLUDED! This is great for traveling.

-Riding board option. You can attach a Mountain Buggy Freerider board to the stroller for an older toddler.

Cons

-Small canopy. The canopy is on the smaller side and does not offer a lot of sun protection. I would like to see a lightweight pop-out sunvisor or the “follow-the-sun” option.

-Canopy rubs on hands. I’ve never seen this problem before, but if you bring the canopy all the way back, it will be touching your hands. I even grabbed the rim of the hood a few times when I went to grab the handle bar. I think this happens because while the canopy is very tall, the handle bar located lower than average. I think that bringing the handle bar 2″ up to 40″ from the ground could solve this problem.

-No cover for mesh window. There is a large mesh window in the back that has no cover which exposes a child to wind or sun. This is great on a hot summer day, but if it’s cold and windy your child might get cold. I used a blanket to cover it, but I don’t think this is a great solution. I would like to see a simple Velcro cover.

Video Review

While I think Baby Gizmo has a great detailed video review, I think they didn’t cover the canopy completely. There also has been some updates in 2013 that are not covered in this video.

Specs

Stroller weight: 13 lbs
Weight limit: 6 months – 44 lbs
Folded dimensions: 20″L x 12″H x 22″W
Handle bar height: 38.5″
Seat to canopy height: 26″
Wheels: 6″
Overall length: 32″
Overall width: 22″

Warranty

Mountain Buggy gives 1 year warranty from the date of purchase. Here is more information on the warranty.

Available colors

The Mountain Buggy Nano is available in three colors: black, nautica, and ruby.  All strollers come with a black frame.

 

Where to buy it

My favorite place to buy strollers and a lot of other baby items is Amazon. It usually has the lowest prices, free shipping, free returns and no sales tax. How great is that? You can get Mountain Buggy Terrain in one of the three beautiful colors for around $299 on Amazon (FREE shipping/FREE returns and NO sales tax).

Buy Mountain Buggy Nano Stroller »

~Susan Brian

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