Unless you live in an urban space where stores, coffee shops, etc. are within easy walking distance, you’ll need to use your car to get around. That means using a car seat if you want to take your little one along too.
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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
These days, many stroller manufacturers produce a range of convertible strollers and travel systems that make taking your child out and about much easier. Strollers of this design allow you to move your sleeping infant to and from your car and strap them in safely without waking them.
In this guide, we look at two of the market’s most popular baby product manufacturers, Peg Perego and UPPAbaby, and we compare two of each company’s best-selling, comparable travel-friendly strollers.
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Peg Perego: Italian style and one big, worldwide family
For over 60 years now, Italian company Peg Perego has created stylish, chic, and practical products, including ride-on toys, high chairs, strollers, and car seats.
All Peg Perego products are designed to be user-friendly for parents while offering safety and comfort for your child. And everything made by Peg Perego looks beautiful! All the fabrics used to create this stylish brand’s products are modern, chic, and colorful. And, the frame designs for Peg Perego strollers are sturdy and durable too.
When it comes to taking a road trip with your child, Peg Perego has you covered!
UPPAbaby: Stylish, practical, and intuitive
Born in the U.S. in 2006, UPPAbaby is a well-established manufacturer of top-end baby products, including a wide range of different stroller styles.
Everything produced by UPPAbaby is well-designed and extremely stylish, and all their strollers have a reputation for safety, comfort, and practicality. Although typically more pricey than Peg Perego, an UPPAbaby stroller will give you all the appealing, practical features you would expect for your money and should last you a lifetime too.
Well-made and durable, an UPPAbaby stroller will keep on rolling for many years, which is essential if you’re planning on growing your family.
And like Peg Perego, UPPAbaby is at the top of the tree when it comes to catering for parents who like to travel with their child.
Peg Perego vs. UPPAbaby: Traveling Light
So, let’s take a look at two of each of these internationally recognized stroller manufacturers’ travel-friendly products.
The Peg Perego Booklet
- Made In Italy. Travel System compatible with the Primo Viaggio 4/35 car seat; The car seat can be attached directly to the stroller's retractable anchors, without adapters
- Innovative design allows for quick and easy fold that closes inward, always keeping upholstery clean
- Wheels with ball bearings and suspension allow for 360 degree agility and less effort in pushing; Lockable front swivel wheels with independent one-step rear wheel brakes
The Booklet by Peg Perego is a travel system stroller that’s designed to be system compatible with the Peg Perego Primo Viaggio 4/35 car seat. The car seat attaches directly to the stroller via a set of retractable anchors without the need for adapters. That’s a big plus when you want to relocate the seat from your car to the stroller and vice versa without the hassle of fiddling with adapters.
The Booklet’s innovative design gives you a simple fold that closes inward like a book so that the seat stays clean.
Pushing the Booklet is a dream thanks to the stroller’s suspension, ball bearing-fitted wheels, lockable front swivel wheels, and one-step rear brakes. The stroller has an ergonomic, height-adjustable handlebar that makes one-handed steering easy and comfortable too.
The stroller’s seat doesn’t reverse, but it does recline fully, making the Booklet suitable for a newborn. The frame is made from super-lightweight aluminum. Yet it will comfortably carry a child weighing up to 50 pounds without compromising on stability or ride quality. Thanks to the design and materials used in its construction, the Booklet is incredibly light, weighing in at a little over 18 pounds.
The Booklet’s generous canopy can be further enhanced through the use of extendable panels and a mesh section that provides good air circulation, which is essential if you live in a hot climate. Underneath the seat is a storage basket that’s plenty big enough to carry your baby essentials and a small amount of grocery shopping too.
Users love the Peg Perego Booklet for its ease of use, safety, and maneuverability.
To see a manufacturer’s promotional video of the Booklet in action, click this link:
The UPPAbaby Mesa
- Includes: 1 MESA Infant Car seat and 1 MESA base
- Suitable for infants 4–35 lbs and up to 32” in height
- SMARTSecure system installs in seconds, Adjustable headrest with Side Impact Protection
The UPPAbaby Mesa is a high-end car seat that is designed to be compatible with both the UPPAbaby Cruz and UPPAbaby Vista stroller. If you want a car seat that gives you more compatibility options, you might want to check out the Peg Perego Primo Viaggio.
The beautifully designed Mesa has a reclining base. And the bottom of the seat has a smooth, snag-free finish to prevent damage to your car’s upholstery. This rear-facing car seat also offers some very appealing safety features. For example, there’s extra support for your infant’s head to provide increased protection from side impacts in the event of an accident. As is the case with all retail car seats, the Mesa meets all federal crash testing specifications.
You can use the Mesa with a cushion insert for newborns as light as four pounds. The seat can be used until your child weighs 35 pounds, which equates to the size of an average 15 to 21-month-old child.
The Mesa has a one-button release for quick and straightforward detachment from your stroller. Also, the stylish, plush seat cushions are machine washable.
Unfortunately, this car seat is considerably heavier than the Peg Perego option, weighing in at 11 pounds. Also, the canopy stains in the rain, which is a serious flaw, considering that price of the product. Although your child won’t get wet, a stained canopy is not aesthetically pleasing.
Installation of the Mesa is simple via LATCH connectors, and there’s a level indicator, making it easy to choose the correct recline. However, if you want to use a seat belt, the installation process is trickier with extra locks and loops for installing the seat without its base.
UPPAbaby gives you a two-year warranty with the Mesa. There are plenty of downloadable user manuals and a handy local retailer locator on the company website. And their responsive, helpful customer support agents are available by phone, live chat, and email.
To check out a company promo video of the Mesa, click this link:
The Peg Perego Duette Piroet
- Made In Italy. The folded dimensions are 44.5 x 15.75 inches ; Premium Chassis Aluminum chassis with G-Matic system
- Versatile chassis is able to hold reversible seats, Primo Viaggio car seats and Pop-Up bassinets in many different configurations.
- Travel system compatible with Primo Viaggio car seats; accepts two car seats directly on to chassis without the need for adapters.
The second Peg Perego travel system stroller we’re going to look at here is the Duette Piroet. This stroller is designed to take two infants, riding in tandem, so it’s perfect for twins or for two siblings who are close in age. However, it can also work with larger age gaps.
The Duette Piroet is compatible with two Primo Viaggio car seats without the need for adapters. Also, it has a super-large underseat storage basket that will easily take all the essentials you need for two, plus a little shopping. You can use the stroller for newborns right through to two children weighing 50 pounds each.
One feature that makes the Duette Piroet especially popular with parents is the versatility of the seat configuration. You can adjust the seats to allow parent-facing riding or a world view. If you’re expecting twins, you might want to consider using two Pop-Up bassinets. An adapter is available (as a separate accessory), allowing both bassinets to fit onto the stroller’s chassis.
The Duette Piroet is supremely maneuverable thanks to its two front swivel wheels and single handle. Also, most moms find an in-line, tandem stroller much easier to handle than a side-by-side double stroller, especially in crowded streets or stores and cafés where space is limited.
Intuitive suspension and ball bearing wheels also enhance the smooth push of the Duette Piroet. The stroller has a centrally-controlled braking system that’s fitted to the rear wheels, making parking and stopping in an emergency easy.
Like many of Peg Perego’s strollers, the Duette Piroet has a vast, adjustable canopy with mesh ventilation panels. For each child’s comfort, you can adjust the seats’ footrests and backrests.
For a promotional demonstration video of the Peg Perego Duette Piroet, click this link:
The UPPAbaby Vista
- Includes bassinet, full size front or rear facing toddler seat with multi-position recline, toddler seat rain and bug shields, and bassinet bug shield and storage bag
- Compatible with MESA Infant Car Seat - direct attachment, no adapters necessary; Compatible with select Chicco and Maxi-Cosi infant car seats when using adaptors (car seats and adaptors sold...
- Longer bassinet mattress pad with ventilation for added breathability
UPPAbaby launched a new version of their hugely successful Vista lightweight stroller in 2018. The Vista comes as a single or double, side-by-side stroller.
Here, we focus on the double version of the Vista compared with the Peg Perego Duette Piroet. The primary difference between the two strollers is that the Peg Perego is designed as an in-line, tandem stroller, whereas the UPPAbaby product has two children riding side-by-side.
That said, UPPAbaby’s double stroller does offer plenty of flexibility. Furthermore, the toddler seats on the Vista can be independently adjusted to face front or rear, depending on your child’s mood and preference. The seats also have a multi-position recline feature.
When it comes to travel options, the Vista is compatible with the UPPAbaby Mesa infant car seat. And it comes with a direct attachment, saving you some cash by removing the need for a separately purchased adapter. Interestingly, the entire Vista stroller is lighter than the Mesa car seat on its own, weighing just 27.5 pounds.
And you get a feature-rich bassinet, which you don’t with the Duette Piroet. Also, the bassinet means you’re buying an elegant pram that you can use for your babies’ first six months. As a nice finishing touch, you get a special storage bag too. So you can keep your bassinets clean and fresh when they’re not in use.
One area where both manufacturers are outstanding is providing excellent storage on all their stroller styles. Both these strollers have huge storage baskets that will take all your baby essentials and a small grocery shop too. Like the Duette Piroet, the Vista has a single, height-adjustable handlebar, saving taller parents from the agony of backache and stubbed toes.
The Vista and the Duette Piroet both have solid rubber tires. So, there’s no need to worry about picking up a puncture while you’re out and about. Also, solid rubber tires are combined with an intuitive suspension system. That means the Vista gives a super-smooth ride for your children on uneven, bumpy ground, and over sidewalk curbs. Also, with the Vista, you get a rain shield and bug shield for both seats included in the package.
To check out a manufacturer’s promotional video of the UPPAbaby Vista, click this link:
Wrapping it up
When it comes to buying a travel-friendly stroller, both Peg Perego and UPPAbaby have many different designs and styles of strollers to offer parents.
Convertible strollers and travel systems tend to be the most popular options for many parents, rather than purchasing a separate infant car seat and stroller or pram, especially if they’re working to a budget.
As well as saving you money, using a travel system means that you won’t have the hassle of moving a sleepy child from your stroller to your car, adjusting and re-adjusting straps and harnesses, and then trying to get your little one settled again before you begin your journey.
So, both manufacturers make top-quality, safe, durable products with comfort and practicality in mind. Although Peg Perego tend to come out slightly cheaper than UPPAbaby, either brand is a great choice that will repay you many times over with reliability and longevity.
