UPPAbaby's Vista Stroller with RumbleSeat: Change Your One Seater to Two!

UPPAbaby 2009 Vista Stroller with RumbleSeat

We were big fans of the 2007 UPPAbaby Vista stroller system (see our review here), so we were excited test the 2009 version ($670).

It’s just as great, but I’m more excited about the debut of the RumbleSeat ($130).

This cool accessory makes turning this single stroller into a double as easy as 1-2-3.

The 2009 Vista plus RumbleSeat maneuvers beautifully, even with both my kids (60 pounds total) on board. It turns well and feels solid and stable. One brake pedal stops both wheels easily and the enormous basket is fantastic for errands. It handles bumps with ease and can even go up and down curbs with two kids in it.

I love that the frame has a compact feel, even with the RumbleSeat installed. It doesn’t feel too long or too wide. The handle has a bit of “give” in the mechanism, which sort of “ticks” as it moves up and down. It’s a small, but ignorable nuisance.

The RumbleSeat accommodates children 6 months and older because it is quite vertical and does not recline, so the child must have good head control. The RumbleSeat clips securely onto the front of the stroller under the main seat. It does not work with the bassinet, but does work with an infant car seat.

The best configuration for an infant is to put the larger child in the RumbleSeat and the infant in the car seat. It also works with the stroller seat fully reclined, but only if the passenger in the RumbleSeat is little. Reclining the stroller’s seat compromises the RumbleSeat’s room. For two children ages 6 months and 2 ½ or 3 years, having the larger child in the stroller seat and the baby in the RumbleSeat would work well.

My 4-year-old son, Finn is average sized at 41″ tall and 37 pounds. He is too heavy for the RumbleSeat and too tall for both seats. His head rubs the metal frame of the stroller seat and pokes out of the top of the sun shade. Though the stroller seat is rated to hold a child who weighs 50 pounds, a 50-pounder would be much too tall to sit comfortably in it. So, regardless of the addition of the RumbleSeat, the Vista probably only comfortably accommodates a child younger than 4, which is probably fine for many families.

The RumbleSeat has its own sun shade that pulls up to meet the front seat, but seems to leave its passenger exposed on the sides, so arms and legs aren’t as covered as I’d like. The seat is padded with a cushy five-point harness. Plus, your little one can let his/her feet hang down into the basket, which is so large that there’s still room for a big diaper bag. Just remember to remove the RumbleSeat before you fold the system up. It’s a cinch! Just unclip it from the frame.

The RumbleSeat only works on the 2009 Vista out of the box, but older models can be retrofitted to take the second seat. UPPAbaby, a company with a reputation for strong customer service, offers several packages for the retrofit, but in each case the stroller must be sent or hand delivered to the company. Unless you live near the San Bruno, California or Rockland, Massachusetts drop-off locations, the best option is an $85 package that includes the retrofit, a box and shipping charges.

Pros: RumbleSeat is easy to attach and the stroller maneuvers beautifully with two kids on board.

Cons: RumbleSeat must be removed to fold the stroller. Both seats are too short for my son, who just turned 4.

Recommended For: Parents with two children between 6 months and 3 ½.

– Kristen

Comments

I was so happy to read this review. I found that on this site a lot of the reviews seemed to be sucking up to the companies. It seemed like they were right off the companies brocure. This tells the good and the bad. It helped me get a better idea of the stroller. If the handle thing was not mentioned I am the type of person who would think am I the only one? is this a defect. I love to hear truthful reviews and make a decision knowing all the facts good and bad and see if it fits what my family needs. This stuff is too expensive to be buying over and over again.
Thanks CBB this was a very usesful review for me!

- Elisabeth on October 2nd, 2009

Thank you for this review! I have been HOPING that you would review this stroller, as it is the one we are most interested in (mainly because of the rumble attachment – as well as the piggyback that is also available) We will definitely be getting this one now!

- Niki on October 2nd, 2009

We bought this stroller 3 months ago for our first child, knowing that our “plan” is to have our 2nd child within a few years. We absolutely LOVE everything about it. I am short and my husband is tall so the adjustable handle is awesome! The fact that the bassinet is included has been another plus, something we thought we might not get much use out of but we have been really surprised at how handy this piece has been. Thanks for the review, great to hear details on how the Rumble functions since that is the main reason we chose this stroller over a few others.

- Lacey on October 2nd, 2009

We bought an UPPAbaby when my son was born (he’s now 2), and got the RumbleSeat attachment when my daughter was born in April of this year (she’ll be 6 months next week). Love, love, love the seat attachment!

I was so worried that we were going to have to buy a new stroller when I became pregnant with my daughter. I looked into getting a Phil&Teds Sport or Vibe, but I loved my UPPAbaby so much I was sad at the thought of having to sell it in order to afford a new stroller. When I heard rumours of the RumbleSeat coming out, I e-mailed UPPAbaby right away. They treated me lovely (great service!), let me knew of the release date, and sent one out when they were available. It’s easy to snap in & out, and both children are comfortable. There are only a couple negatives (RumbleSeat not able to recline when child is sleeping, or face outwards; not a lot of room between RumbleSeat passenger and primary seat), but the positives definitely outweigh them. Totally recommend!

- Risa on October 2nd, 2009

Elisabeth, here is my honest review I wrote for my 2008 Jake Uppababy Vista System for Epinions:

I bought this stroller after falling in love with it in the store.Once we got it home and set it up, things seemed ok. It was definitely a lot bigger and bulkier than I expected.

Then we started to use it. The first outing was to Ikea and boy was that difficult. We kept hitting into things and the wheels kept getting caught on everything.

I wish it had some sort of head support for the baby in the bassinet and in the seat. The seat reclines into a perfect sleeping position but there is no head support at all for the baby. I found myself taking the one out from my car seat everytime we used it and I would use a little pillow or folded blanket or something to keep the baby’s head tilted a little higher.

The basket is very big and spacious, but don’t cram too much in there, it cannot handle the weight. After a trip to the zoo, my baby’s diaper bag, blanket and spare clothes had weighed it down so much that it doesn’t click properly back into place and it just hangs.

They market this as an easy folding stroller..definitely not !! It is very temperamental. You cannot fold it with the bassinet on and you can only fold it properly with the seat facing forward and the foot rest at a certain level. There are no handles or anything,so you really have to hold the bottom and top bars to lift it into anywhere and don’t fold it on a hard ground surface (like the outside) because it will scratch the top push bar.

I really wish the stroller had a 4th seat position to position the baby a little more upright. My baby is always leaning forward trying to see things, because the seat is in a very reclined position for being at the #1′st upright setting (the third setting lays the baby down).

The worst thing about this stroller (and many of these types of strollers) is that a cupholder is not included ( for you or baby). If you would like to buy the cupholder that is for the Vista, you spend 30 something dollars on a plastic thing with chain links that only holds ONE cup. I saved that money and ended up buying the Jolly Jumper cup tray for 12 dollars that fits keys,cellphone, 2 cups, and a few more little things.

All in all, I really wanted to love this stroller, but I was so disappointed. And after having everyone tease me for how much I spent on it, it is quite heartbreaking to proove them right that it was a waste of money. I am considering selling it and buying something more functional for the next baby.

- Rach on October 3rd, 2009