When my Nano arrived, I was surprised by how compact the box was. A complete departure from what we have seen from Mountain Buggy in the past, the Nano($199) is a great option for parents who travel a lot but don’t have a lot of space to store additional gear. At just 13 lbs, and just 22 x 12.2 x 20″ when folded, this stroller is the ultimate on-the-go stroller!
Out of the box I was excited to see that the Nano was packaged in a travel bag. Perfect. To get started all I needed to do was unfold the stroller and pop on the wheels. Literally a 60-second install.
From birth, the stroller can be used as a travel system. The Nano frame has two straps that connect through the infant seat’s pass-through that lock the infant seat in place.
To ensure it stays in place Mountain Buggy has also included two bungee cords that wrap around each side of the handles, securing it to the seat. This system is great because, not only is it universal, it can be done quickly.
From 6 months+ the stroller seat on the Nano can be used for children up to 4 years or 44lbs. Our testers fell within a variety of weights and sizes, and all fit in the seat very well. Initially, I was concerned that a stroller that was so compact would have a small seat but that wasn’t an issue. In fact, both my boys, who are at the end of the weight limit, fit in it just fine.
The seat features a five-point 3-position harness, which can be re-threaded easily if you are switching between two children. I am very fond of the harness locking mechanism Mountain Buggy uses on their strollers. It is a two-part system which means kids can’t figure out how to unlatch themselves. Mom and dads, however, must remember to press the red buttons at the same time as the black ones at the side or they’ll run into the same problem.
There is also an infinite recline on the seat and an adjustable footrest that can be locked in the up position for smaller kids, and down for toddlers and preschoolers.
The Nano has a double-panel canopy with a mesh flip-out visor. This isn’t the biggest one we’ve seen but it is rugged. The whole stroller is designed with hard-wearing denier polyester fabric, and this includes the canopy.
During our test, we didn’t have any issues with it flying back during windy days. I do recommend that parents who are looking to use this stroller everyday purchase the rain cover as the back of the stroller is mesh, which is good for sunny days, but not so good if it rains.
Underneath the stroller, there is a pretty good shopping basket that Mountain Buggy says holds 11 lbs. I have used this stroller for my mall runs while preparing for Easter and running errands and haven’t had any issues with the basket dragging on the ground if you fill it up. It is accessible from the front and is reinforced along the bottom to give it a bit of extra strength.
Another plus I found, which I show in the video below, is how stable the stroller is when your child is not in it. Often when I travel I hang my beach bag over the handle of the stroller. What tends to happen, however, is that the buggy tips over when my son gets out because of the extra weight on the back. We tested the stroller with about 10 lbs of gear in my beach bag and the stroller was able to stay stable without a child in the seat.
Bells and whistles aside, the most important feature of a stroller is the push. We had the opportunity to test this stroller at the end of Winter and the beginning of Spring. Because it rides on four 6″ EVO tires, it will go over the snow, but no through it. This stroller did ok if we got just a couple of inches of snow, but it wouldn’t be my first choice during a snowstorm. It is perfect over the sidewalk, at the mall and at the park. It goes over grass nicely, but wouldn’t be good for the beach. The wheels are just too small to go through the sand.
The front wheels lock for uneven terrain and it is designed with inbuilt rear wheel suspension to absorb bumps on the road. There is also an easy push pedal brake with ‘color definition’ to indicate when the stroller is locked or ready to roll.
One of the best elements of this stroller is the fold. It is not one-handed, but is easy to do. All you have to do is press the two buttons on the side by the handle, which will flip the handle back. From there you squish that the canopy to the frame and the rest of the stroller will start to fold down. It is a two step process, but necessary to give the stroller its small footprint. And once you’ve done it a couple of times, it becomes second nature. Mountain Buggy has also included a frame latch to ensure it stays closed once you have folded it down.
We have created a video review to show you some of the features we have described above. Please check it out.
hi my name is christin. i was wondering where do you get mountain buggy nano for $199. im lookng for a travel buggy for my travelling overseas soon. thanks =) please reply to my email
This stroller is amazing..I travel everywhere with this stroller..It is lovely that it went through the airport well, but equally great that it took up little room in the trunk of the rental car.