When I was first looking into stroller systems, I absolutely fell for the UPPAbaby Vista. It checked all my boxes: high quality, bassinet and toddler seat options, a car seat that clicks in as well, the ability to expand for a second child, and even a ride-on board option for a third. We went for it and it’s an absolute luxury to push around our walkable neighborhood. I do not regret buying it.
But if I didn’t live somewhere that I could just push the stroller out the door, I would invest the money elsewhere. What I’ve learned since is that the Vista is a pain to fold up and store. It’s a two-handed process that’s awkward and never quite results in my feeling that it’s stable enough to stand up on it’s own. The handle needs to be extended for the stroller to stand up, and even then it’s never quite sturdy, but is quite heavy and can take itself down. We never fold it up for this reason, and instead tuck it into a corner fully set up. And because of this awkward fold setup, it’s an absolute hassle to bring in the car. There’s no easy way to carry it, and after a few times out, we ended up just keeping it for home use.
Here are the two things I would invest in instead:
First, I would choose the Doona (read about my specific Doona stance here). It’s a combo car seat and stroller that’s so easy to transport and is air-travel friendly.
Second, once my child sized out of the Doona and into a stand-alone car seat (we love the Nuna Rava!), I would upgrade to the UPPAbaby Minu, a lightweight and far easier to carry stroller that can collapse with one hand, tuck away, throw in the car, or carry down the stairs.
