After 3 years we are still using our Phil & Ted Explorer stroller. It seems like eons ago, only because my sons went from ages 1 and 3 to 3 and 5. If you have not seen this stroller, here is a link to a picture of the stroller. What makes a Phil & Ted unique are a couple things such as the kids ride almost on top of each other. We still get some people who see it and are shocked there is a smaller one in the back. If you are researching and considering getting your hands on one, trust me it will be worth it, especially if you have 2, even 3 kids, since it has an adapter for babies.
The other unique aspects about the Phil & Ted are that it seems to have lasted for a long time for us and we were able to use it for many places, many purposes. So it can be used till your kids are as old as 6 or 7 or longer! The stroller has the ability to fold up so tightly it fits in most backseats and in the back of our SUV, and of course there is the signature capability of holding two relatively large kids without it being a side to side stroller, which we still see people using. Phil & Teds can through any door practically and are easy to use. We don’t live in NYC, but if we did, this stroller would be important. We have had to clean, wash, replace all the tires and tubes one time and have had to rebuild a few areas, which are relatively easy to do. No need to toss this stroller, it has a metal frame and will put up with tons of abuse.
When we first purchased the stroller, made in New Zealand, it was the a bit of an oddity. Now I see them out and about from other people who have purchased a Phil & Ted. I had posted a blog article about 2 years ago, which describes how to open and close the Phil & Ted, and I actually had some people email me (some Kiwis) and ask me to explain the open and close process again, because there is a technique where you have to pop it open and pop it closed with one quick motion.
Where have we gone with our Phil & Ted? We have actually taken it to most places in Florida, including Miami, Tampa, St. Augustine, Key West, Cocoa Beach, Orlando and The Villages. But we have also gone with it on cruises to Mexico, Puerta de Playa and Tulum, to Seattle, in Canada (Victoria, Vancouver) and Alaska (Ketchikan, Sitka and Juneau). We even took Phil & Ted inside a gold mine in Juneau. We have take it all over Georgia, all over North Carolina and we also took a cruise from New Jersey, New York City to Nova Scotia, with stops in Boston, Portland, Maine, Saint John and Halifax. So we have gone a long way with that one stroller.
Sadly enough we hit a point this past year where we had to take a break from the traveling. Some of this was financial, but some of it was the age of my sons. They are in a period where they just can’t get along on the road. Trips just turn ugly for us as the two of them scream and fight half the time. Hopefully this period will end soon.
But we are actually at a point where the need for a stroller will be ending. My older son still actually gets in the Phil & Ted and will take the ride, but he is coming up on 6 and is a big kid. The only reason I have him get in is to keep the weight level between the two. One of the best uses of this stroller is having the kids just sit in it in restaurants. I have had them stay in the stroller playing their electronic riddilen (ipads), while we wait for food.