We recently took Phil & Ted’s Explorer stroller on an Alaskan cruise. This is the one that can used for jogging and specifically it can be used with 2 children, top and bottom. Lots of people gawked at us as we flew through Sea-Tac and on the cruise ship as well, because, as many of you Phil & Ted users know, this one has the babies top and bottom and not side by side.
So, typically I write articles about business on this blog, but this is entry is about the one big issue everybody wants to know about Phil & Teds, and this is about how to fold up the Phil & Ted Explorer.
We were kind of freaking out prior to this trip, because the big questions like will it fit in the doors of buildings, how will it be folded up, is it too heavy… The first question is easy, yes it fits nicely, even in the small doors of cruise ships! As far as weight, it is not too bad. Not as light as one of those $30 fold ups you get at Target, but not as heavy as some of those crazy looking ones.
Folding It Up
I am going to add pictures to this blog entry, but I will best describe how we did this maneuver, which occurred each time we got on and off a bus in Gold Country Alaska. This means we had to “break it down” before getting on the bus and put it together after the bus. The only saving grace here is we had 4 adults with us, which made this easier. But here were the steps, and it is important that it is done in this order, lest a baby falls back, out, etc.
Getting on the bus:
Step 1: Put On The Brake!
Step 2: Remove bottom child first (a must)
Step 3: Remove top child (we kept a small baby leach, sounds crazy, but in outback alaska, it is a must for a 2 or 3 year old)
Step 4: Remove bottom by pushing the small steel buttons (This means there will be 2 parts, but I will get to what to do with them)
Step 5: Presh the small buttons on the left and right in the front to start the fold up process.
Step 6: As it folds down, identify the front wheel.
Step 7: Make sure the front wheel is right beneath your foot, not under the stroller.
Step 8: Make sure the bottom bag is not in the way.
Step 9: Make sure the front wheel is bent flat (if you have locked it to not swivel, there is an easy way to fix this, it has to swivel to fold)
Step 10: Push down with your foot to feel a click sound and it is now locked!
Step 11: Put either both parts under the bus, in the front, or take the bottom with you (in the case of an airplane)
Took me a couple days to figure this all out, but it works.