When you have young children and do a lot of walking finding the perfect stroller becomes a necessity. I have tested various side by sides and tandems and can honestly say that the Valco Snap Duo ~ Tailor made was one of the best pushes of them all. Valco Baby is an Australian company that has been in the business of making strollers for over 30 years. This family run company is the #1 leading stroller company in Australia.
The stroller weighs less than 24 pounds and has some amazing features that makes it the top of its class. The versatility of this stroller will replace at least three different strollers. It is a compact stroller with truly full sized features that can be used from birth to toddlerhood. The stroller becomes the lightest side by side stroller on the market that can also tackle all terrain. With the purchase of an added sports pack the new air tires gives you the ability to tackle snow, sand and light walking trails. This makes Valco baby the only stroller on the North American market that is both light weight and can go off the beaten track.
The seats of the duo lay flat so you can easily put a newborn in the seat without having to purchase a bassinet. This is great for those of us that do not have the storage space to keep additional pieces once our little ones have out grown them. The canopy of the duo is huge it features an additional zipper that can be undone to give you full coverage from wow to amazing.
I put on the sports pack and went out during a snow storm. The ground was covered in 3” of new fallen snow and the stroller was so easy to push through. Mind you with my 40 pound toddler in it, the push was heavier than when my daughter rode in it alone weighing in at 24 pounds. However because the stroller itself weighed in at under 24 pounds the push was a lot easier than had it been a heavier stroller.
It features a great sized basket that can hold a lot of groceries and is accessible from 3 sids. The adjust foot rest is also a huge bonus it can be set for a very small baby who and a very tall toddler avoiding any dangling feet. The material itself on the stroller is amazing, easy to clean and wicks away rain. The colour options are gorgeous and hide the dirt well. The folding design of this stroller makes it the only one in it’s class to fold in on itself protecting the seat material from dirt and grim. It also features a compact stand alone fold which makes it easy to store. Valco is coming out with leatherette covers for the handlebars (they are BEAUTIFUL!) which is a big bonus as the foam gets dirty during the fold.
What I would love to see for the upgrades in 2017 is an adjustable handlebar for those under 5’ this stroller may seem too tall but with an adjustable bar that would fix this. I am 5’4” and pushed it with no problems but I can see where others may want the option to lower the bar or raise it for those taller parents. The low weight limit of 44pounds seems too low. I tested this twice with a 24 and 40 pound toddler and then again with a 24 pound toddler and a 60 pound sand bag and the material handled well to both. I was still able to push it with ease and the material seemed to handle the higher weight with no issues or compromise. Mom to mom this stroller wouldn’t have any issues with a child on the higher end of the curve. I’d also like to see the words ethically made in China since the stroller is made in China. As well maybe some suspensions but that would then affect the overall weight.
This stroller gets a full 9 out of 10 from me. It retails now for $720 Canadian and comes in Grey and Black.
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| Valco Snap Duo |
I have been waiting for a long time to say this but there is now a stroller on the North American Market that has taken three strollers and melded them into one almost perfect stroller. I was able to test out the Valco Snap Ultra~ Tailormade recently by a company called Valco Baby. They are an Australian company that has been in the business of making strollers for over 30 years. This family run company is the #1 leading stroller company in Australia. Let me tell you I fell in love with the Snap Ultra it is a lightweight, has a reversible seat, can be used from birth to toddlerhood, and goes from an everyday stroller to an all terrain stroller (with added sports pack) without needing to buy a whole new system.
Lets talk about all the features this baby has. It weighs in at a mere 19 pounds with the regular wheels attached. One of the best features of this stroller is that you don’t have to remove the seat or change the direction to fold it. You simply click and fold. Its stand alone compact fold feature is a true bonus.
The seat can be adjusted so baby can face you or out without any compromise to the seat function. You can opt to buy a bassinet (at this time available in the USA only) for this stroller however the seat itself lays flat enough for a new born and as well they include a foot muff that gives this stroller the appearance of having a bassinet without the added hardware. For those with limited space this means no additional parts to store after your finished that stage. 
The stroller has a very high seat back so my very tall 3.5 year old fits as well as my tiny 1.5 year old. It also has an adjustable foot rest which is a big bonus. The canopy is high enough that when my son is in it his head does not touch the canopy. The canopy has 2 zippered panels so it goes from great shade protection to amazing shade protection simply by unzipping one or both of the panels. The 5 point harness is adjustable for those that don’t want to be strapped in you can remove the shoulder harness and just use the three point harness for the older kids. It also features a very generous basket that is easy to access from all sides.
What I would love to see for the upgrades in 2017 is an adjustable handlebar for those under 5’ this stroller may seem too tall but with an adjustable bar that would fix this. I am 5’4” and pushed it with no problems but I can see where others may want the option to lower the bar or raise it for those taller parents. The other thing that is upsetting is the fact that the weight limit is only 44pds. I tested this with a 40 pound toddler and then a 60 pound sand bag and the material handled well to both. I was still able to push it with ease and the material seemed to handle the higher weight with no issues or compromise. Mom to mom this stroller wouldn’t have any issues with a child on the higher end of the curve. I would also like to see the words ethically made in China on the stroller. As well maybe some suspensions but not sure how that would then affect the overall weight.
