Over and over in my online mom groups, I see moms asking about what gear they should take when travelling by air with their baby. The most common question is whether or not to bring the stroller and car seat and check them at the gate, or leave them behind and wear the baby in a carrier at the airport. Finally, there’s a better solution: the Mountain Buggy Bagrider.
What is the Mountain Buggy Bagrider?
The Bagrider takes “carry-on” to a whole new level. Not only is it a carry-on bag, it also doubles as a seat for your baby or toddler—it literally carries baby on top! This ingenious piece of luggage replaces the need to push a stroller through the airport.
It comes with the bag itself, a cushioned seat liner, and a strap that attaches the seat liner to the bag.
The Bagrider can be used from the time your baby can sit up unassisted until they weigh 33 pounds. Babies generally sit up by themselves around six months, an age that is perfect for them to sit on top of your luggage with an unobstructed view of the airport. Older babies love taking in all the new sights and sounds!
Setting up the Mountain Buggy Bagrider
I don’t consider myself adept at assembling things, but setting up the Bagrider was a piece of cake. The clear visual instructions are attached right to the Bagrider seat. To set it up, simply turn the knob on the back of the bag to the unlock position and pull out the wheels. Then, pull up on the handle one top of the bag until it locks, and slip the seat liner over the handles. Last, attach the seat strap to the loop on the top inside portion of the luggage and pull it through the opening in the seat liner.
Buckling your baby into the Bagrider is as easy as strapping them into a car seat. Just sit them on top of the seat liner and fasten the five-point safety harness, then adjust the straps so they’re snug.
Using the Mountain Buggy Bagrider
The Bagrider works the same as any other piece of carry-on luggage. Just pull out the handle and drag the bag behind you. The extra set of wheels add the option to push the bag, and the stability to ensure your tiny travel buddy is safe and secure while riding on top. If you’re travelling without your baby, just leave the seat behind and use it as a regular carry-on without popping out the extra set of wheels.
The Bagrider is easy to manoeuvre and feels like a smooth ride for baby. It turns well and I like that it can be pulled or pushed.
Pros and cons of the Mountain Buggy Bagrider
The Bagrider is a well-made piece of luggage with lots of great features, and it provides parents with an alternative to the traditional umbrella stroller and regular carry-on bag.
As someone who loves to travel, I was so excited to test out this product. Last time we went through the airport, I was pushing the stroller with one hand and my carry-on bag with the other. Not an easy task! It took forever to get through security lugging all of that stuff. I barely made it to my gate in time for boarding! With the Bagrider, getting through security would be a breeze—no folding up strollers and then opening them up again only to have to re-fold them at the gate.
I love how simple the Bagrider is to assemble, and that the instructions are attached to the seat in case you forget how to set it up. The visuals are clear and easy to understand. The first time I put it together, I had it fully assembled in just a few minutes, including the time it took to read the instructions.
Another feature I like about the Bagrider is its hard shell, meaning the contents of your bag are well-protected in case of turbulence during the flight. It feels durable, so it would likely be a long time before you would have to replace it. At the same time, it’s lightweight, so it’s easy to pick up when you need to take it out of your car, or place it into the overhead compartments in the cabin of the plane.
The luggage itself is spacious, with a 35L capacity, a zippable dividing panel for organization, and elasticized packing straps to help keep the contents of the bag in place. You could easily fit all of your carry-on essentials and more in the Bagrider: a change of clothes, toiletries, laptop or tablet, eReader, medications, phone charger, and valuables. The seat liner also features an additional mesh pocket for easy storage of items you may need quick access to, such as passports, travel documents, phone, or portable snacks like granola bars.
One feature I would love to see added to the Bagrider is a front pocket to store the seat and strap when not in use. This would be much more convenient than re-opening the bag—it could get awkward if the person sitting across from you at the gate caught a glimpse of your undergarments when cracking it open to stow away the seat before boarding your flight!
Although the Bagrider comes in an attractive light black colour, it might be nice to have different colours to choose from, as with other luggage sets.
As much as I love the Bagrider, I do wish there was an option to use it with younger babies. It can only be used with babies who are nine months old or sitting up unassisted. It would be great if the company created some sort of infant seat or insert so that younger babies could use it too.
Overall, the Mountain Buggy Bagrider is an awesome invention that reduces the amount of gear parents need to take when travelling. If you’re a parent, you know how hard it is to travel light with a baby, so being able to leave bulky items behind, like strollers and car seats, is a huge plus.
As a mom who loves to travel, I can honestly say that the Bagrider is a must-have. Now that I know it exists, I refuse to push a stroller through the airport ever again. Anything that makes travelling with a baby or toddler less daunting is totally worth it!
Head over to Best Buy Canada to pick up the Mountain Buggy Bagrider in time for your next travel adventure.
I was wondering how wide the bagrider actually is and if it have any give. The website has it at 10inches and Air Canada carry on restriction only allows for 9inches.
The bag doesn’t have much give, so it sounds like it probably wouldn’t fit with Air Canada’s carry-on requirements.
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