All Terrain Stroller vs Jogging Stroller: Contending with Terrain or Cardio

We hope you love the products we recommend! FYI -if you click on a product below and decide to buy it, we may earn a small commission.
If you’re an active family, you may be wondering which design is best: an all-terrain stroller or a jogging stroller. That’s a reasonable question to ask, given that many stroller manufacturers use the terms interchangeably. Unfortunately, that can make it very confusing for you to pick a stroller that works well for your family. Buying a stroller for your little one can be one of the most expensive purchases you’ll make as a new parent. So, it’s important to get it right the first time. In this article, we compare all-terrain strollers vs. jogging strollers to help you make the best decision before you splash your cash. So, what are the similarities and, more importantly, the differences, between all-terrain and jogging strollers?

Table of Contents

Jogging strollers

Jogging strollers are designed for use when you’re exercising and taking your child on adventures off the beaten trail. These strollers can go just about anywhere, from flat surfaces to bumpy trails and even over grass and snow. Joggers will cope with uneven sidewalks and beaches too. As the name suggests, they’re a perfect choice if you like to keep fit. So, you can go out jogging, running, or power-walking and take your youngster with you. For a smooth ride and an easy push, jogging strollers usually have air-filled wheels in a pyramid, tripod, or triangular configuration. That gives you superior maneuverability and excellent steering, even with just one hand. Joggers tend to be lighter in weight than all-terrain strollers. Therefore, they’re not too heavy for you to push while you’re running over uneven surfaces or following an uphill trail. You can lock the front wheel of a jogging stroller for extra stability and easy steering. Additionally, the air-filled tires are inflatable, giving excellent cushioning for your passenger over all but the roughest trails. Like an all-terrain model, a good jogging stroller will have a decent canopy. This feature shelters your child from rain, wind, and strong sunlight. There should also be enough storage pockets available for you to carry your keys, cell phone, and a few baby essentials. Many jogging strollers have cup holders on the handlebars to take your drink or a baby’s bottle.

Disadvantages

There are a couple of downsides to jogging strollers. Firstly, air-filled tires can get punctured. And, they require you to regularly check that the tire pressures are inflated as per the manufacturer’s guidelines. To be on the safe side, you’ll need to carry a puncture repair kit with you (and know how to use it!). Unfortunately, that can take up valuable space. Secondly, jogging strollers’ design don’t work well for light traveling. If you’re a family who moves around a lot by public transport or in your car, you might want to consider buying an umbrella stroller or a convertible, travel system stroller instead or in addition to a jogging stroller.

A Note on Doubles

If you’re the lucky parent of twins or have two young children, you’ll need a double jogging stroller. Depending on the brand and design, some double joggers have two bigger wheels at the rear and a slightly smaller wheel in the front. A good example of this is the BOB Revolution SE Duallie double jogging stroller. Other double joggers have three wheels of equal sizes, such as the Baby Jogger Summit X3 Double.

All-terrain strollers

All-terrain strollers are built and designed specifically for off-road use. If you enjoy regular trail-walking, beach trips, and hiking an all-terrain stroller could be what you need. They also work for those who live in a rural area without many flat sidewalks. An all-terrain stroller is essentially a hybrid of a regular stroller such as the Peg Perego Book Plus stroller and a jogging stroller. All-terrain strollers typically have more storage space than jogging stroller, which need to keep the weight down as much as possible. But, you should bear in mind that their design is geared to be compatible with exercising. Most all-terrain strollers tend to come with four-wheel configurations, although they have air-filled tires like a jogging stroller. However, you can also find three-wheelers. This configuration is most common in in-line or tandem designs where one child sits behind the other. These all-terrain strollers will likely be your best bet if you have two children to transport and some of your regular trails are narrow. Some double all-terrain strollers have large rear wheels and smaller ones at the front. An excellent example of a tandem all-terrain stroller is the Baby Jogger City Select. Alternatively, a design with four wheels that are identical can be used. The Bumbleride Indie Twin is a good example of a high-quality all-terrain stroller with that specification. An all-terrain stroller will work well for you if you need a baby vehicle with more off-road capability than a jogging stroller or a regular stroller. All-terrain strollers are designed with thick, beefy tires. This feature enables them to handle the roughest of terrain, including woodland trails, uneven, stony tracks, deep snow, and sand.

In summary

So, what’s the best choice for you; an all-terrain stroller or a jogging stroller? Regarding functionality, if you enjoy outings in the countryside as well as in the town, you’re probably best with an all-terrain stroller. Also, all-terrain strollers look more like regular strollers than joggers do. So, if you don’t want your stroller to stick out like a sore thumb when you’re taking your child to the mall or for a walk around your neighborhood, an all-terrain stroller will blend in best. A jogging stroller is your definite best buy if you want a lightweight, easy-to-handle stroller that you can use when running or exercising. An all-terrain model is your go-to if you regularly take hikes off-road through rough, challenging terrain. As far as disadvantages go, you’ll need to maintain the air-filled tires and the tire pressure on both an all-terrain and jogger stroller. And both will be susceptible to punctures. One area where the all-terrain model beats the jogger is storage space. A typical all-terrain stroller gives you much more storage than a jogger, which could be a deal-breaker if you want to use your stroller for general grocery shopping trips as well as outings to the park or the beach.

Why Trust Us?

Because my full-time job is being mom to 2 precious daughters, and I know a thing or two about strollers. Besides personal experience, I get feedback from other moms who use these strollers every day and put all that research into our unbiased stroller buying guides

- Kyli

Share with your friends:

Photo of author

Alison Page