RECARO Easylife Ultra-Lightweight Stroller, Onyx

For the past few months, I have been in pursuit of the ultimate travel stroller. I wanted something that is lightweight with a compact fold, and I also wanted it to have a roomy seat, to recline, to provide good sun coverage, and to push smoothly and comfortably. This is admittedly a pretty tall order, but I was confident that my perfect stroller was out there- somewhere. I’ve tried three models of Maclarens, the Joovy Groove Ultralight, the Valco Baby Zee, and three varieties of Baby Jogger City Mini’s (including the Zip which is probably the most comparable feature-wise to the Easylife). While my search continues for the perfect travel stroller (if it even exists), I’d have to say that the Easylife seems pretty close to being “the one.”Assembly: Piece of cake. You open the box. You remove the stroller frame. You pop the front two wheels on. Done.Aesthetics: This is one attractive stroller. I purchased the Easylife in “granite,” and it’s quite a bit darker and much nicer looking than in the website’s photos. It’s a very modern, sleek design that will look nice in pretty much any environment.Seat: The seat is very generously sized such that even my five year old fits comfortably in it. One feature that I particularly like about the seat is that it sits very upright, and it’s not quite as recessed into the frame as the City Mini stroller line. This is great because it allows the child to see in all directions and be part of the action. The seat itself rests fairly high off of the ground which is great for long legged children (no dragging of feet on the ground as with Maclaren strollers), and the foot rest is positioned slightly in front of the seat, meaning the child doesn’t have to bend his legs at a backward angle to rest his feet (an issue I had with several umbrella strollers). My only complaint is that the seat back itself is only about 16.5 inches tall. This isn’t really a problem while the seat is in the upright position, but it could mean insufficient head support for very tall children when reclined for a nap (although your older children typically aren’t napping much in their strollers anyway).The seat also sports mesh side panels which I think are a great feature for a travel stroller, especially if you plan to take it to a hot/humid location (various theme parks, the beach, etc.). The extra ventilation should really help to keep your little ones cool while out and about. Now, if you live in a famously cold city like Chicago, as I do, and you want to use this as your everyday stroller, you might not be too thrilled about mesh side panels allowing frosty winter air even more access to your child. But since I plan to use this primarily as a travel stroller, I think the mesh panels are a nice feature.Harness: The Easylife offers a five point harness with three height positions for the shoulder straps. The buckle itself is your run of the mill “push to open” type, and it seems neither overly difficult nor easy to open. So if you have an escape artist, you might be in trouble with this buckle, but otherwise, it seems secure enough.Recline: The seat has a fairly deep recline, certainly deep enough for a comfortable nap. It’s the “infinite recline” type which allows you to stop at any point along the length of the recline straps. Baby Jogger’s strollers have a much deeper recline which might be a selling point if you think your baby will be napping a lot on the go. But the Easylife’s recline seems sufficient, and I like the strap system which is much less fussy than Maclaren’s various buckles, straps, and lever systems.Handlebar: The handlebar isn’t adjustable, but it’s high enough to be comfortable even for taller parents. It’s foam covered, except for the center where the folding mechanism is. I personally find foam covered handlebars to be more comfortable than rubber coated ones, although foam is more prone to tears, so you have to be a little more careful with them. I love that the Easylife has one continuous handlebar because it allows you to push it with one hand which is really convenient when you’re trying to open doors or holding something in your other hand. Having the folding mechanism in the center of the handlebar isn’t ideal since it makes one handed pushing/steering a slightly more awkward than if it wasn’t there, but you’re probably not pushing it one handed for very long distances, and it’s still heck of a lot easier to push one handed than an umbrella stroller (which is virtually impossible).Fold: We’ve gotten to the best part- the fold. The Easylife folds down into an incredibly compact little package. You could throw it in your trunk with plenty of room spare. Because it folds down so tiny, it’s a great option for travel or for using public transportation. You could easily carry your baby in one arm while carrying this stroller in the other down subway stairs, through revolving doors, and onto buses. The fact that it has a standing fold is really great because it stores quite nicely in tight spaces (like city apartments), and it also means that the fabric isn’t getting all dirty when folded on sidewalks, shopping mall floors, etc. I also really like that the seat folds in on itself, meaning the seat fabric isn’t exposed when folded (as opposed to the Baby Jogger models which fold outward, exposing the seat fabric and making it susceptible to dirt, germs, and who knows what else).To fold the stroller, you place your hand on the top of the handlebar, slide a lever over, twist the handlebar piece forward, and the stroller collapses down. To open it, you place your hand on handlebar mechanism, slide the level over, twist the handlebar piece forward, and pull upwards. The stroller pops open in a pretty impressive fashion. I will admit that it takes some practice to get the hang of opening and closing it, and my wrist was a little sore after spending about half an hour trying to perfect my stroller opening/closing “moves.” But once you get the hang of it, it’s pretty easy, and the one handed fold is really convenient, especially when you’re holding your baby in the other arm. I found that it works particularly well to stand to the side of the stroller when popping it open because then you don’t run the risk of banging your shins with the stroller frame (as you do if you try to open it directly in front of you).Weight: At only 13 lbs., the Easylife is truly a lightweight stroller. A lot of strollers are billed as being lightweight (typically those under 20 lbs.), but when it comes to hauling around a stroller, every pound counts. A 13 lb. stroller feels noticeably lighter than a 17 lb. stroller, especially when you’re carrying it with one hand. You can easily gate check this stroller with any airline, including American Airlines which has a strict 20 lb. weight limit for gate checking.Push: The Easylife has a comfortable, smooth push. Its four wheel suspension means it absorbs many of the shocks you might encounter on a sidewalk or playground. Is it going to glide around like a full featured stroller with air-filled tires? No, of course not. Might it get hung up on a few uneven cracks in the pavement? Perhaps. It’s the nature of lightweight strollers that to cut some of the weight, manufacturers tend to make the wheels smaller which affects how smooth the ride is. I have noticed that the frame does give a bit (side to side) when pushing it, but it feels sturdy nonetheless. All in all, it’s a pretty smooth ride considering how lightweight it is.Canopy: We travel a lot to sunny locations, so having a large canopy is a deal breaker for me. I’m pretty happy with the size of the Easylife’s canopy. There’s a flap that pops out to give extra protection from the sun, and the fact that it has UV SPF 50+ protection was as major selling point for me. It’s definitely large enough to keep the sun out of my son’s eyes and to provide decent protection on his upper torso. I would imagine if you’re pushing a really tiny baby in it, the canopy might be located a little too high to provide the same level of coverage. But in comparison to the Mountain Buggy Nano and Maclaren strollers, both of which fall into the same category as the Easylife but provide very little in terms of sun coverage, the canopy is very generously sized. If you’re really concerned with sun coverage, Baby Joggers take the prize in that category, and Valco Baby strollers also have nice, large canopies, although they aren’t advertised as having any UV SPF protection.The Easylife’s canopy also features a small peek-a-boo window on top which allows you to check in on your little one mid stroll. Recaro decided to use magnetic closures to keep the window flap shut which is a nice touch. Most strollers in this price range use Velcro on the window flaps which could potentially wake a sleeping baby when you’re trying to take a peek. I wouldn’t say that the magnetic closures are a huge selling point, but discovering them was a nice little surprise.Brakes: The Easylife brake system is comprised of a button on each back wheel. Step on the right one to engage the brake. Step on the left one to disengage it. It’s nice and flip flop friendly. It also seems to hold the stroller firmly in place, which is the most important aspect of a brake system.Basket: The basket on the Easylife isn’t huge, but it’s a decent size for a lightweight stroller. What I like is that it’s easily accessible from the back. The opening is quite large, so it’s much less of a struggle to get things in and out of it than in the ridiculously tiny baskets on umbrella strollers, or the inexplicably hard to access baskets on the City Mini stroller series.Extras: Recaro equips the Easylife with a little cup holder. Hold a Big Gulp, it will not. But for a standard size water bottle, it’ll do the trick. Other than that, Recaro doesn’t offer any accessories for the Easylife, not even for purchase in the United States. No child tray, no bumper bar, no footmuff, nothing. I think that’s because Recaro is new to the stroller business and currently only has two models (the Easylife and Performance Denali). At the time of this review, it doesn’t even offer a rain cover which is kind of a necessity for travel. I’m crossing my fingers that I’ll either be able to find another rain cover that fits, or that as Recaro expands its stroller business, it starts making some fun accessories.Bottom Line: Recaro has done a really nice job with the Easylife. The super compact, one handed fold combined with its ultralight weight makes it excellent for traveling and for using on public transportation. It offers a nice, roomy seat, and enough features that your child will be comfortable while out and about, and you will be comfortable pushing it. For now, my quest for the ultimate travel stroller ends with the Easylife. It may not be perfect, but it’s the best I’ve found so far.

I just got the stroller today after preordering and waiting about a month for recaro to release the stroller. I did read the other 2 reviews and to address some of those issues I have to say the wheels are par for the course. They are far from plastic kolcraft stroller. I recently purchased the mountain buggy nano and they have the same wheels (I ended up returning that one because I felt my sons head was restricted from the safety fabric). So no issue here for the wheels it is after all a light weight stroller along the lines of an umbrella stroller level. On to the fold I had no difficulty folding it closed I had some difficulty opening but it is more of a practice thing than a mechanical thing. You have to "flick" it open. It comes with time. Oh the basket. Very similar to any other umbrella stroller basket it is pleanty high off the ground and I do not foresee any dragging possibility. I will incestigate further but well over 1cm (I think someone said) off the ground. I am including photos comparing with maclaren volo and the city mini. So far just in taking it out of the box, if I HAD TO CHOOSE one thing I would say the seat height could be a bit higher. My almost 5 year old fits fine in it but he has to tilt his head a bit and when in recline mode his head hits the fabric behind (which has a Velcro attachment so it is movable/removable just FYI. But maybe I am looking at it as what it is...... A higher end umbrella stroller that is light and has a nice recline for my 1.5 year old for naps. Rather than dragging out the city mini which compared to this is cumbersome. Also one more thing the frame is very sturdy made out of a strong metal unlike the typical umbrella stroller. I hope this helps some more. I've included photos and will probably keep it. Will update at a later date.UPDATE 9/12/15: We ended up returning it.... as we tried it more one of the other reviewers said the wheels randomly lock..... 100% accurate and I will not keep stopping to fix the wheels.... I also did an online chat with Recaro and they had zero clue if or when the rain cover would be available... so that was another factor living in NYC you NEED a rain cover.... My husband tried it and he said although it is a strong frame it felt unsteady when he would maneuver the stroller (rock side to side) he felt over time it would break. SO.... back it went.... I am still searching.....