The BOB Wayfinder Stroller Is a Pleasure to Jog Behind and Tackle Lengthy Strolls

There are a number of cool issues on the market that make us marvel — do they actually work? In our I Tried It sequence, we got down to use them in the true world and have decided that, in reality, they actually do.

The Product on Trial

The BOB Wayfinder Jogging Stroller

The Tester

Cat Bowen, runner, mother, aunt and godmother to we predict an infinite variety of kids.

The Transient

I’m a mother and a long-distance runner, and also you’d assume with the plenty of jogging strollers available on the market, it could be straightforward to seek out the proper match. That is merely not the case. Nonetheless, BOB strollers have lengthy made great, high-quality jogging strollers, so once I heard that this perennial favourite was releasing a brand new stroller — the BOB Wayfinder— I knew I needed to try it out.

After I first had kids, the BOB Revolution was actually the one stroller within the recreation for critical runners, so I eagerly purchased one, able to get the heck out of the home. It was an incredible stoller. The glide was spectacular, the journey straightforward, pushing a breeze. But it surely did lack a couple of issues, corresponding to a hand brake, an easy-locking entrance wheel, and a easy folding mechanism. The BOB Wayfinder has all of these issues and extra.

Jogging strollers aren’t only for jogging anymore. Many dad and mom who like a extra streamlined stroller that’s straightforward to push selected to seize a jogging stroller now that the majority have car-seat adaptability together with the BOB Wayfinder. They’re additionally extraordinarily helpful when you stay in a really hilly space, the place you desire a handbrake to decelerate the stroller whenever you’re headed downhill. They’re bulkier than many different strollers, however not by that a lot, and so they usually have a better weight restrict. The entrance wheel in most of them, together with the BOB Wayfinder, has two positions for the entrance wheel, both locked or unlocked for working or strolling. Locked is for working, giving stability to the wheel and maintaining it on-track, and unlocked for strolling and simple turning.

Specs

• Top and weight restrict: As much as 44 inches and 75 kilos
• Simple hand brake
• 3 harness positions
  
• Automobile seat adapter matches most toddler seats (bought individually)
  
• Wheels: Air-filled tires with locking entrance wheel
  
• Simple fold fashion
• Stroller weight: 31 kilos

After I first opened the stroller, one factor popped out quicker than every other, and that was the softness of the handlebar, and the plain method it could alter. Handlebars are difficult issues — the mistaken wrap can actually wreck your run, and the mistaken peak can harm your again and screw up your stride. The handlebar adjusts with the press of a button, and the wrap on the deal with is grippy and squishy, and would not get spongy when your palms begin to get heat and sweaty.

The following factor I seen was the massive undercarriage basket. It was considerably bigger than the Revolution I ran with, and far bigger than many different jogging strollers that I’ve examined. The quantity of issues that may be saved underneath there’s spectacular. Only a few days in the past I loaded it up with a 12-pack of Food regimen Coke, a half gallon of soy milk, three baggage of salt and vinegar chips (household measurement), and a giant field of matzoh. The basket did not precisely zip up all the best way because it occurred to get overfilled after a visit to Goal (my working observe runs proper previous a Goal, and I wanted to refuel after clocking 15 miles whereas pushing a toddler.)

The cover is simply as outsized because the detachable zip-up basket, manufactured from UPF 50+ material with peekaboo window and a number of positions. It feels prefer it hugs the stroller, giving child a ton of solar protection.

The journey isn’t even the very best half concerning the stroller, although. Pushing it’s a dream. I’ve executed runs with youngsters of a number of completely different weights and heights starting from a 20-pound 8-month-old all the best way as much as darn close to the utmost weight and peak. It isn’t that rather more troublesome to push the heavier youngster than the lighter one on flat surfaces. Uphill is one other matter, however that’s the case with each stroller available on the market.

I run it totally on blacktop and sidewalks, however I’ve examined it on boardwalk planks, cobblestones, and a path, and it carried out properly on all of the completely different surfaces. It does get a bit more durable on the path, however once more, I problem you to discover a jogging stroller that isn’t laborious to handle on a path. Not like many jogging strollers, locking the entrance wheel to run, and unlocking the wheel to stroll with the BOB Wayfinder is straightforward to do, and the mechanism on the wheel is straightforward to find. The wheel feels safe when it’s locked, with out the “jiggle” I’ve felt generally in a two-position wheel.

And sure, I did take a look at it on a protracted stroll with a child in a automobile seat, and it is easy to do. The adapter is intuitive, and it clicks in steady and able to go. My child goddaughter fell asleep nearly instantly, and her mother and I had a stunning time strolling by way of Coney Island with an outsized lemonade within the cup holder and a bottle of water within the undercarriage basket.

A number of issues I’ll say is first, even when it’s folded, it’s nonetheless form of cumbersome. It’s slimmer than many jogging strollers, and simpler to fold than most of them, however there’s merely no method to make the massive wheels any much less cumbersome. They do tuck in, which provides a bit extra space, however it’s by no means going to be a compact mannequin. And second, BOB strollers are spot-clean solely. The materials will not be machine-washable. They are fairly waterproof and stain-resistant, so it’s not an enormous concern, however there have been occasions once I’ve simply wished to toss it within the machine.

The Ultimate Verdict

The BOB Wayfinder is the proper midrange jogging stroller. It has rather a lot to supply for the value, together with among the best rides round. It lacks a few of the sophistication and finishes that higher-end fashions have, however I can nearly assure you that you simply will not miss them. It is an incredible jogging stroller, an incredible on a regular basis stroller, and a beautiful present for the working mum or dad in your life.

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Parenting Editor

Cat Bowen has been writing about all issues parenting for properly over a decade. She spends her days researching, reviewing, and testing every thing from strollers to breast pumps to altering tables. Her work has been featured in Romper, Bustle, and franchised throughout dozens of media retailers. In her spare time she loves volunteering at her youngsters’ faculties, studying every thing she will be able to get her palms on, working, and cooking for her household.