For Abby's first birthday, Paul and I are planning on getting her a bike trailer so that the whole family can start taking bike trips together. We think Abby will love the ride. As it is, we have had a chance to try out some of these trailers at stores as strollers and she seems to be pretty content just sitting in them! We have done a good amount of research online and today we drove to REI and Hudson Trail Outfitters to take a look at them in person.

The two we were interested in are the Burley D'Lite Double and Chariot Cougar 2. Both of these are multi-function bike trailers, meaning that with conversion kits they can be used as strollers and joggers, hikers, skiers, and probably a slew of others. Although our primary use for them would be as bike trailers, we think the stroller and jogger attachments might come in handy. Both trailers accommodate 1 or 2 kids, up to total of 100 lbs.

We played around with both of these models at REI and felt that the Chariot was far better than the Burley in terms of looks (the Burley looks like a higher quality version of any bike trailer you can find at Target or Walmart in that it's not stylish or sleek), ease-of-use (Paul was able to fold the Chariot down and unfold it without instructions and in seconds vs the Burley, which took a few minutes of fumbling around and turning the whole thing upside-down), comfort for the child (interior cushiness) and parent (handlebars for use as strollers and joggers). The Chariot Cougar 2 is a whopping $600 for the chassis alone! Everything else is sold as individual conversion kits. The Burley D'Lite costs about $100 less than the Chariot, but the Cougar 2 was worth the difference in cost.

Next, we headed to Hudson Trail Outfitters. Their selection was slightly bigger, but what they had on the floor was extremely limited. We asked to see something comparable to the Chariot Cougar 2 and they brought out the Croozer 535 (fits 1 or 2 kids)....First impression was, "Oooh, it looks pretty nice, but does it come with all of THAT?" That being all the accessories that the Burley and Chariot were selling as their individual conversion kits. The answer was "YES!" At $369, it came as a 3-in-1 (trailer, jogger, and stroller). Once Paul was able to get the thing unfolded, it looked pretty neat...not as sleek as the Cougar, but definitely more sporty than the D'Lite. There was a HUGE storage compartment with several large pockets in the back, behind the seats. Rather than the bench style seats of the Burley or Chariot, the Croozer had two bucket seats, which meant that two kids wouldn't be sliding into each others' laps. We did notice that the Croozer seemed to have more plastic parts to it, which could definitely explain the price difference.

We came home and popped online to do some further research. What it comes down to is that the Chariot Cougar 2 is fabulous. We don't think we can find anything better. However, for the cost of $600, plus around $100 for the bike and stroller conversion kits, we think that is outrageous! If we can find the Cougar 2 on ebay or craigslist, we'd definitely consider it, but so far, we've found nothing in the DC area and certainly nothing less than $500 for the lot. (At least that says something about it's resale value and the fact that people seem to like their purchases and want to hang on to them.) We really like the Croozer 535 if we want to buy new. It's certainly not the high-quality of the Cougar 2, but is far, far better than a low-end trailer. Based on user reviews, people seem highly satisfied with the Croozers.

What do you think?


^The Croozer 535

^The Chariot Cougar

Purchase online through Amazon.com:

Comments (19)

On June 26, 2008 at 4:55 AM , Anonymous said...

We've had a Cougar 1 for the past 2 years, and cycled hundreds of miles with it (on holiday, and on our daily 10km commute to child care). We've use it as a stroller/jogger a lot too. Our son started using it at 4 months (with baby sling), and we started using it as a cycle trailer when he was 8 months. He loves it. If it wasn't so expensive (and here in Norway it costs twice as much as in the US) we wouldn't consider anything else now that we want to get a 2-kid trailer.

Here in Norway there is a deal to get a Croozer 535 for about $250, whereas the Cougar 2 is about $800.

 
On June 29, 2008 at 7:20 AM , The Leandreses said...

We bought a used Cougar 1 on Ebay for our first child, and used it extensively for cycling, walking, etc. We liked it so much that we got the Cougar 2 (this time new) when our second child was born. We considered the Croozer as well, especially because of the lower price and the separate seats, but had to decide against it because it was too wide to roll through any of the doors of our apartment! The Cougar 2 is slightly narrower. The width of these trailers should be considered as well, since it will dictate where you can go with it (shopping for example).

I don't think you can go wrong with the Cougar, and if you use it often it is easily worth the money. It's cheaper than a laptop, more durable, and has a higher resale value!

 
On July 8, 2008 at 10:38 AM , Michael said...

My wife and I bought the Cougar 2 off of Craigslist and we were able to find a great deal. Keep searching all over the country and express a willingness to pay for shipping and it is likely you will eventually find someone willing to ship it... and it can easily come in less than the new price. After a number of months considering the options, we chose the Chariot because we felt that it was the safest trailer on the market. Unlike other trailers, this one has a suspension system that is adjusted to the childs weight. Regardless of whether you will use it on right terrian, the suspension gives an extra measure of comfort as you ride over bumps etc. Also, when riding at full speed downhill, I am comforted by the fact that this trailer is very well made. It seems to me, that the savings of a few hundred dollars is not worth the peace of mind which comes with the quality and function of the Chariot product. That is my 2 cents~

 
On July 8, 2008 at 6:45 PM , Anonymous said...

I just stumbled upon your blog while doing a google search on the chariot cougar. I just FINALLY purchased one just two weeks ago after obsessing over it for over a year. I found a "used once" cougar last summer for sale for 330 with two attachments and turned it down. STUPIDLY... so for this one, i paid nearly full price. If you get it online at REI and use a 20% off coupon (do a web search for one) it'll save you a bit. Honestly, the money worried me, but you will never, ever regret buying this. It's fabulous.

 
On July 28, 2008 at 1:59 PM , Cecilia Newell said...

Thanks to everyone who posted! I did not want to spend months waiting for a Cougar to become available on Craigslist and didn't want to pay full price (didn't see Elizabeth's note about REI coupons, darn it!). The weather was so nice in DC that we wanted to hit the trails soon, so we took my husband's bike to Hudson Trail Outfitters and tried out the Croozer 535 a couple of weeks ago. My daughter was THRILLED with it. We rode around the parking lot several times and she was giddy by the time we ended the "test drive," so we bought it!

Sadly, the rain started coming every day after we bought the trailer and hasn't quite eased up so we haven't had a chance to go on a bike ride yet, but we have been using the stroller and jogging attachments with the trailer on pavement and off-trail terrain. My daughter is really enjoying the ride so far, so I don't regret my decision.

I like the leandreses' comment about the Cougar: "It's cheaper than a laptop, more durable, and has a higher resale value!" Indeed, the Cougars are selling well at near full price on Craigslist and in newspaper/magazine ads.

 
On May 26, 2009 at 8:02 PM , todd said...

do you still like the croozer? I am in the market.

 
On June 22, 2009 at 5:48 AM , Unknown said...

We just bought a cougar 2 from craigslist last month. We live in DC area, and had to make a road trip to Pittsburg to get it. The trip was fun, and the cougar 2 was amazing. We love it. Kidarooz, croozers are both designed by Chariot using the model caddie as their base design. Todd, if you are going to use it a lot, I'd suggest to get the cougar, and not a croozer or kidarooz. Both are made in China with many plastic parts, whereas the cougar is handmade in Canada.

My friend has a kidarooz, he uses it sometimes for biking (never off-road, always on paved road), and sometimes uses it in stroller mode. He has it for about a year, and it still looks good. But compare both trailers side-by-side, you can tell, cougar is definitely better. His 4 yrs old looks cramped in Kidarooz, but very comfortable in the cougar.

 
On June 22, 2009 at 5:49 AM , Unknown said...

We just bought a cougar 2 from craigslist last month. We live in DC area, and had to make a road trip to Pittsburg to get it. The trip was fun, and the cougar 2 was amazing. We love it. Kidarooz, croozers are both designed by Chariot using the model caddie as their base design. Todd, if you are going to use it a lot, I'd suggest to get the cougar, and not a croozer or kidarooz. Both are made in China with many plastic parts, whereas the cougar is handmade in Canada.

My friend has a kidarooz, he uses it sometimes for biking (never off-road, always on paved road), and sometimes uses it in stroller mode. He has it for about a year, and it still looks good. But compare both trailers side-by-side, you can tell, cougar is definitely better. His 4 yrs old looks cramped in Kidarooz, but very comfortable in the cougar.

 
On July 5, 2009 at 2:24 AM , Captain Leisure said...

Bought a floor model Cougar 1 at REI for $150 and have never been happier! Made the incremental cost of the jogging stroller add-on and trailer hitch add-on much easier to swallow. Our boy loves the thing, and we love tooling him around in it. Can't recommend it enough.

 
On July 14, 2009 at 8:45 PM , Anonymous said...

The Croozer is made by Chariot, both Kidarooz and Croozer are private Chariot lines. So although it's a less expensive middle of road trailer, it's still put out by a good company and very good quality compared to Instep and the low end trailers. And they push like a dream- great strollers!

 
On July 22, 2009 at 4:48 PM , Cecilia Newell said...

So, we ended up going with the Croozer 535, as mentioned earlier and you can see it in action in a few of my posts. We absolutely LOVE it and have had no issues with it. Mainly used as a bike trailer up until recently when we moved to Colorado. It has been a blessing as a stroller as we enjoy long walks in the evenings, exploring all the trails - paved and unpaved - throughout our new neighborhood. The stroller wheels are a little wobbly for uneven sidewalks and trails, so we use the jogging stroller attachment. My now 2 year old daughter always pick the Croozer for these walks over our jogging stroller and traditional stroller. She likes the sling seats and especially being able to choose between two seats - her blankie and stuffed animals go in the other. She also likes that it's very low to the ground, unlike a stroller, so she can climb in and out of it. I really, really like the individual brakes for the back wheels. They just seem so secure to me. The quick snap-up-and-go design makes it a "stroller" we can even take when we are out shopping. Colorado has an overabundance of outdoor malls, so we have had the chance to use the Croozer. Since we have the double, though, it doesn't quite fit through a single door of most shops, so it can be a pain if you're shopping as the only adult, but I imagine this to be an issue with other double-strollers as well. While out shopping, we have received compliments on the Croozer and a lot of "Ooohs." My comment a year later is that I can't be more happy with this purchase. No regrets at all about not going with the Chariot Cougar. If you can find the Cougar cheap, by all means go for it, but I think anyone wanting to go with the Croozer will be as happy as I have been with it.

 
On July 24, 2009 at 4:42 PM , Melinda said...

I just came across this blog and am very glad that I did!! We have been trying to figure out what is the best route for a convertible bike trailer as I don't want to keep my Phil and Ted's double (which I LOVE!!) and the bike trailer. I want to be able to use one stroller for all my activities, whether it be shopping with the kids or being outside. I think that we are definitely leaning more towards the Chariot (whether it will be Cheetah 2 or Cougar 2 is still to be determined)and I am hoping that I can recover most the cost of the used purchase price of the Chariot through selling my Phil and Ted's. I do wonder though, does everyone find the Chariot to be a good stroller? And does it fit through doorways better than the Croozer? Any other tidbits of advice is greatly appreciated!

 
On July 24, 2009 at 11:49 PM , Michael said...

Hey there Melinda, We have a Cougar 2 and the Phil and Teds double. The Chariot is alot wider than the P and T, and the set up take down of the Cougar is much more complicated. If you have a really large vehicle it might not matter, but dont expect to put the Chariot together as qucik as you do the PandT. We have used the cougar as a jogging stroller, which the PandT is not supposed to be used for, that said, the Chariot as a stroller is great. It is easy to manuever, it rolls much smoother than the the PandT and it has alot of space on the inside for stuff. Truth told, I prefer the cougar and my wife prefers the PandT. They are both great. But you might find the cougar a bit more burdensome to set up and break down, and it wont fit into all the narrow passage ways that the PandT will. The double is pretty big and can be imposing when wheeling around the mall.

 
On July 27, 2009 at 1:05 PM , Cecilia Newell said...

Hi Melinda,

I agree with Michael's comments. Despite how good the convertible bike trailers can be, I don't think they can quite replace a good jogging stroller in many situations because they can be quite cumbersome due to their size and weight. In our sedan, we have to take off all wheels and the handlebar to fit the trailer/jogger/stroller in our trunk. Even though it is easy enough to reassemble, it just isn't quite as hassle-free as a dedicated stroller.

As a matter of fact, I'm looking into the PandT as a possible replacement for our jogging stroller if the price is right, so if you do decide to sell, please let me know. :)

Thanks for visiting the site.

Cecilia

 
On August 9, 2009 at 3:26 PM , Unknown said...

Hi. We are also in the market looking at a Cougar 2. In the running with it is the Burley d'lite.

We took a look Friday at the Burley Encore--I have not been able to find the d'lite anywhere yet, but it has everything the Encore has plus a reclining seat, more cushioning, and dual independent suspension. There are two things I like about Burley that are not on or are different in the Cougar 2. The sun shade on the Burley is moveable and on the outside of the protective cover. On the Cougar the sun shade is really neat in that you can flip it back behind to cover the vented window in cold weather (what do you do if it's both sunny and cold, I wonder?) but it's on the inside under the protective cover where the kids could pull on it, and that didn't make sense to me. The second thing is that the Burleys all come with wheel guards, and the Chariots do not. These are not deal breakers.

The seats on the Chariot are pretty neat and very cushy, and the whole thing is very pristine. I love that you unclip the entire guard that goes over their heads and can move one to the center to carry one child and that each seat has it's own lap belt.

The d'lite is supposed to be comparable to the Chariot with the adjustable suspension and also supposed to have dual reclining seats. Because I have not been able to see one yet or get a response from Craigslist, I do not know if this means that each individual seat reclines on it's own, or if the entire seat reclines back for them both, which would be a drag for the kid who doesn't want to recline. The Chariot seems to have more plastic on it (the brake lever is plastic, the part that you slide the attachments in and out of are plastic where on the Burley these are metal). The plastic seems heavy duty though, and maybe I am not seeing the plastic as the positive that it might well be if metal parts on the Burly might be prone to rust?? The design of the Chariot is very sleek, where the Burley d'lite has 5 extra inches of elbow room for the kids.

Everyone who owns either seem to be very happy, so I don't think I can go wrong either way. My husband felt the Chariot was the best, but like me, looked at the price tag plus the outlay for any attachment at all to make it useable---about double---and that was a big thing that we see as a negative. I use my present carrier 5 days a week with my bike, so it will be getting lots of use, no matter what I buy, which is why I am upgrading from the InStep we have now.

I have found the d'lite online with free shipping for $369 and the Chariot online with free shipping (just chasis) for $509. REI is having a Labor Day sale with a 20% coupon that I could use for this, and I may wait (and FYI, anyone who is still shopping). They have great customer service there when you have a question, a return, or need any kind of help. I worry about online sales with something like this, especially for a return. Any additional comments to help with our decision are very welcome!

 
On October 2, 2009 at 4:32 PM , Unknown said...

Is the Croozer waterproof? I believe the base material of teh Cougar is, and if riding/strolling in rain (I live in vancouver... lots of rain) was wondering if the inside will become wet. Anyinfo is appreciated.

 
On October 21, 2009 at 2:56 PM , Cecilia Newell said...

Zaid - I don't have much experience with the Croozer in the rain, but the child bike trailer is supposedly waterproof. When we recently were caught in rain, we pulled the plastic cover down and it worked very well - a tight cover, securely fastened, and no leakage around the edges. No water seemed to have seeped through the canvas, but we were not caught outside for long. I would imagine that if it were a real concern, waterproof tent/gear spray would work well for added security.

 
On November 18, 2009 at 12:23 PM , Unknown said...

FYI - Croozer and Cougar are both made by the same company: Chartiot Carriers.

 
On June 2, 2010 at 5:47 AM , Anonymous said...

Every one is wrong. Croozer and Chariot are made by a company in China...sure they are imported by Chariot but they are still made on the same equipment in the same factory.
Chariot needs to drop the price to refect the new cheap labor they are using in China.
Sure they use to be handmand in Canada but those days are long gone.