Combi Travel System

You may be like many families entering parenthood who balk at the thought of owning a travel system; visions of enormous strollers taking up too much room, difficulty steering and being heavy as tanks seem more of a nightmare than a convenience.

No more nightmares! Combi makes lightweight strollers that are well made and highly rated, and pairs a color-coordinated Combi Shuttle 33 car seat with it to create a stylish, yet sensible and safe travel system for your baby.

Three Travel System Choices

You get to create your own Combi travel system, meaning you have to purchase the seat and stroller separately. Combi offers three travel systems in co-ordinated colors: 

• Flare Travel System - Single, basic stroller with the Shuttle 33 seat
• Cosmo Travel System - Single stroller with upgrades with the Shuttle 33 seat
• Twin Sport Travel System - Double stroller with upgrades that accommodates ONE Shuttle 33 seat

Combi Strollers Common Features

The Combi Flare, Cosmo and Twin Sport all have these features in common:

• Easy 3-Second Fold® and compact folded size
• 5-point child restraint safety harness
• Multi-position reclining seat
• Removable child cup holder
• Padded children's arm bar
• Storage baskets under the seat
• Adjustable canopy

Combi Shuttle 33 Car Seat Features

• Accommodates infants from birth to 33 pounds and 33 inches
• Weighs only 9 ¼ pounds, without the base
• Easy 3-Second Fold® and compact folded size
• Padded 5-point child restraint safety harness with 2 height positions
• 2 harness height positions
• Side impact protection
• Tru-safe anti rebound bar
• Removable, washable seat fabric
• Adjustable canopy

Reviews for the Combi Shuttle 33 car seat have been positive overall. Moms like the softer, more breathable fabric than previous Shuttle models and the fact that this car seat can accommodate a baby up to 33 inches and 33 pounds. This upgrade extends the usefulness of this car seat for many more months, thereby reducing your cost in getting a larger car seat for your growing child.

Parents also appreciate the height adjustable straps in the harness. Other car seat harnesses are more cumbersome to adjust as your baby grows, but the Combi Shuttle 33 has an EZ Harness™ Height Adjustment System, making the change easier.

Combi Shuttle owners make positive comments on the lovely color schemes offered and how easy it is to install into their car. Most had no problems attaching the car seat onto their Combi strollers.

Most reviewers on Buzzillions and Amazon give the Combi Shuttle 33 car seat 4 and 5-star ratings.

Now let's take a look at the different strollers you can purchase with this car seat and turn this into a Combi Travel System.

Flare Combi Travel System

See Car Seat | See Stroller

The more basic model in the series of lightweight strollers, the Combi Flare stroller still has the features moms want like a washable seat cushion and removable child's cup holder.

This stroller can hold a child up to 55 pounds, which means you can use it for years to come.

This stroller is a light weight 11.7 pounds and comes in two attractive color schemes. The one pictured is called 'Violet'. Use the built-in carrying strap for convenient on the go transport; getting onto the bus or subway is easy.

Tall parents give the Flare Combi travel system a thumbs-up. A mom standing at 5'8" wrote a review saying she could easily push her Flare with ease without kicking the back of it while walking. Many owners compare the Flare with Maclaren strollers, and they prefer the Combi for the less expensive price tag, yet they don't sacrifice on quality.

However there have been some negative reviews, many of which says the Flare has a seat that is too narrow. Despite the 55-pound carrying capacity, many parents say their 2 ½ year old kids were uncomfortable in the (reported) 8-inch seat width. The Cosmo, below, has a wider seat.

Some owners have reported that the maneuverability of the Flare isn't that great and most wish that this stroller came with a parent cup holder, too. Inadequate storage basket is another issue that was repeated throughout the reviews. If you want a more complete review of the Flare, then click here.

Cosmo Combi Travel System

See Car Seat | See Stroller

The Cosmo Combi stroller is just like the Flare but with a few more features such as a peek-a-boo window in the sun canopy and an infant safety boot, which is a flap of fabric that extends out from the seat and attaches to the arm bar, creating a cozy, enclosed bed.

This lightweight stroller is 13.4 pounds and the seat is a bit wider than the Flare, making it roomier and more comfortable for your big kid.

Reviewers are giving this Combi stroller nearly 5 stars overall, citing lightweight convenience, easy to fold and store and the handle is high enough for tall adults to use comfortably. Parents seem to prefer this model slightly over the Flare for the added features and feel that this model is worth the extra few dollars.

Some negative reviews cite cheap wheels that wear out too fast and that the Cosmo is also difficult to maneuver at times. Smooth surfaces such as sidewalks and shopping malls are the best for the wheels as it is reported not to go over grass or even some cracks in the pavement very well.

Cosmo owners also recommend a more expensive stroller if you plan to use it daily. For light use, this Combi stroller should work out fine, but the wheels wear out too quickly for long walks every day.

Twin Sport Combi Travel System

See Car Seat | See Stroller

Weighing only 22 pounds, this Combi double stroller is light weight and folds easily and quickly, and in addition it has a self standing feature making it easier to lift and carry with the carry strap.

Not only does the Combi Twin Sport have wide, reclinable seats with breathable air-mesh fabric, but the seats are also well-padded, providing cushiony comfort for your little ones. The Twin Sport is just like the Cosmo stroller, but built for two.

This Combi double stroller earns positive reviews, averaging 4 out of 5 stars AND it has earned the only Consumer Reports Best Buy rating in the double side-by-side category. Read a full review of the Twin Sport Combi Double Stroller.

The most important issue to take note on is that this stroller only takes one car seat. See photo above right. This is not a suitable travel system for parents of twins.

Negative reviews are mostly about the lack of parent cup holders and limited storage space under the seats. The other most cited disadvantage is about inadequate sun canopies - parents remark that they wish the canopies were larger to provide more sun protection.

The positives heavily outweigh the negative reviews for the Twin Sport and it's earned a 4-star rating.