Britax Chaperone Travel System

Britax, a company that has long been known for its excellent car seats, recently ventured back into the strollers market with the new Chaperone travel system. Their take on the classic travel system features the cushy Chaperone infant car seat and a full-size, 55-lb capacity stroller packaged together for about $530. Both the car seat and stroller have some nice features, but is that enough to make it worth the fairly steep price tag?

The car seat that is included is the Britax Chaperone infant car seat. Check out my Britax Chaperone car seat review for more in-depth information about the installation and fit of the car seat itself. The Chaperone infant car seat is rated for babies from 4-30 lbs. It has an anti-rebound bar on the base that is designed to reduce the rotational forces on the car seat and therefore on baby, during a crash.

Chaperone Travel System Stroller Features

• One-hand fold.
• Multiple recline positions.
• Large, drop-down basket.
• Height-adjustable handle
• Parent tray with storage and cupholders.
• Child tray with snack compartments.
• Full canopy with window.
• Adjustable leg rest.
• Locking front wheels.

The Chaperone car seat that comes with this travel system is one of the better ones available. It's easy to install and use, and provides a good fit for a wide range of babies.

The infant car seat locks into the Chaperone stroller very securely. There is no wobble at all once you click the seat onto the stroller.

The stroller feels sturdy and well-made. The one-hand fold is very easy. You lift up the child tray and pull on the strap in the seat. The stroller folds itself while you're lifting the strap. I like that the Chaperone stroller stands when it's folded.

The handle is padded and comfy, and the height adjusts, so it's good for parents of various heights. The steering is very smooth on average suburban sidewalks and passable on rougher trails, about average for a standard stroller. On gravel, it managed admirably, though I'd say it's not really made for that sort of abuse. The steering is also a little harder when the stroller is fully loaded, but still manageable.

The basket is fairly big. I can fit my very large bag in there with room to spare. The basket is relatively accessible even with the seat reclined, but the basket drops down in case you need that extra bit of access. There's storage in the parent tray, too. The flip-top section is the perfect size for my cell phone, and there are two cupholders nearby, too.

I love that you don't have to put your toes underneath the brake on the Chaperone stroller to release it. You push down once to set the brake, and the indicator turns red. Push it again to disengage, and the indicator returns to green.

As I've discussed in the Britax Chaperone infant car seat review, the car seat itself is quite long, and could be a poor fit in some vehicles. Try it out before you buy, if possible.

The security of the connection between the car seat and stroller comes with a minor inconvenience. You have to fold up part of the seat cushion to expose the metal posts that hold the car seat before you can use the stroller as a travel system. Then, when you want to use the stroller's seat again, you'll need to fold those posts down and replace the seat cushion. It's not very time consuming, but it's more work than simply removing the infant car seat and plopping a toddler in the stroller.

The unfolding is awkward. I hit myself in the shin a few times until I figured out how to stand and pull in the right way to unfold the stroller properly.

The drop-down basket may be a little too drop-down if you carry a big diaper bag. When I tried to put a big Timi & Leslie in the basket, it hung over the edge a bit, which caused the basket to drop down. There was no way to lay the bag on top or wiggle it inside without it touching the basket in such a way that made the basket drop down repeatedly.

Like most travel system strollers, the Chaperone is big and heavy. It's about 17X34x22 when folded, which will take up a hefty amount of trunk space. The stroller weighs about 25 lbs., which is average for this type, but not fun when you're lifting it.

The Britax Chaperone travel system stroller steers well, has some great convenience features, and is far more durable than many of the other travel system strollers available today. Plus, it comes with a good infant car seat.

The cons of this travel system are that it's expensive compared to other travel systems, the stroller is quite large when folded, and you have to do a little conversion from travel system to regular stroller.

Cons aside, though, the Britax Chaperone travel system is one of the better travel systems available right now. It's not a budget travel system and it's not meant to be. While the stroller itself doesn't offer a lot of bells and whistles, it does feel far sturdier than many budget-priced travel system strollers. The locking mechanism that holds the car seat onto the stroller is leaps and bounds ahead of some of the others in terms of solidity. If your budget allows it, and the car seat works in your vehicle, the Britax Chaperone travel system might be the perfect one for you.