With baby #2 on the way, we bit the bullet and got a double trailer for our walking, jogging, biking, and x-c skiing needs.
Our first trailer was a 2007 Chariot Cougar 1 that we bought used on Kijiji in Calgary for about $400, give or take, from what I remember. It's been awesome. I don't know how people use any other stroller in Calgary for getting around in the snow in the winter (actually, I do know: they don't go outside or go to a mall for "exercise"... at least, that's my cynical take on why everyone disappears in the winter!): you need big wheels to plow through the snow. And, the way the Chariot is designed like a pod that envelopes your kid means that you can protect them from the cold better than any other stroller that I can think of. I know of people who even use yellow sleeping pad foam (like this, from MEC), cut up to cover drafty spots in the Chariot (like down the back). We've used down jackets or sleeping bags to stuff the empty spaces, along with a warm hot water bottle and a good snowsuit and have had many a good adventure. Granted, our cut-off point for longer x-c adventures, for example, is below-15C because it just gets really challenging to keep little bodies warm for much longer than an hour at that temp. This winter we were gifted a down MEC stroller bag and it worked out quite nicely (although doesn't attach conveniently to the Chariot, which is odd because MEC sells a bike trailer, too, and I believe that it has a similar harness to the Chariot, but I digress...). The other great thing about Chariots is their capacity to hold all of your crap, the valuable stuff you need to keep toddlers toddling (i.e. snacks, various layers of clothes, change of clothes, and more snacks) and dogs walking - it's pretty great. The pocket in the back holds a significant amount of gear and the mesh pocket down the back is good for softer things.
Of course, the beauty of the Chariot is its versatility: walking, jogging, biking, x-c skiing, hiking, or whatever speed you choose, it's pretty darn capable. We have had the jog wheel, bike, and x-c ski attachments and have used it for walking, biking to destinations then walking or hiking (with or without the jog wheel attached), x-c skiing (we've only tried groomed trails), and both front- and back-country hiking (trail dependent!). So, unless you are committed to getting out all winter and want SUV-type wheels and a cozy pod for your kid, you might not be inclined to shell out for one of these contraptions (although they have a great used market!); but, if you are looking to use any of these types of attachments, then this type of set-up is the way to go. Hands down. Nothing to compare it to, in my humble opinion...
Except possibly the Burley trailers (now that they finally have a x-c ski attachment, too, and now that I don't have to be loyal to Chariot anymore because it is technically no longer a truly Canadian company, having been bought out by Thule in the last year or so... although they still do have offices in Calgary...).
We narrowed down our choices for a double carrier of a similar style to our 2007 Chariot Cougar 1 to:
- Chariot CX2
- Chariot Corsaire
- Burley d'Lite
The thing that I love about the CX2 is the zip-off side windows. Full venting! So important for the summer months, even in cold Canada. The multi-position handle seems like a nice idea but looks a bit hideous and complicated to remove, in my opinion. And, the built in brake would be nice to have, especially with the double and particularly since they've finally upgraded the design to disc brakes, but again, kinda annoying to deal with when collapsing the trailer. Little things. The deluxe padded interior looks comfortable, too. And, the sunshade is much better (i.e. longer) in the CX2 compared to the others (Cougar or Cheetah). The CX2 model is tricky to find used in Calgary, can still be quite pricey as it's essentially an easy grand to buy new (plus the attachments...), and often sells quickly (because it's great). So, we liked it but kept looking.
The Corsaire looks more like a true bike trailer because of the design in the back for gear, etc. It does not have canted wheels, though, so you can still use the other kits with it, of which the x-c one was what we needed to be sure was compatible (and it is). I have yet to see a Corsaire in the flesh, but it looks nice and roomy and tall - great traits for if you plan to use it with your kids until they can ride their own bikes. Or, in our case, it looks like a great palace for a kid to have when bike touring; a space to nap, play, stay dry, and haul a bit of gear with for our upcoming pipe-dream bike tours! But, it doesn't have any bells and whistles, like anything beyond basic padding in the seat (not back) nor full-window venting. Really, it was just the size and style of gear holding that we liked.
And, the d'Lite. This is where we ended up. It worked out to be cheaper than either the Corsaire or CX2 and is somewhere in between with respect to bells and whistles. Actually, from what I can tell online, it's much closer to the CX2 in that regard; the only thing the d'Lite is lacking compared to the CX2, from what I can tell so far, is the full-venting windows (I'm very partial to that idea/feature). I absolutely LOVE the gear box in the back: it can hold litres and litres of stuff to keep us moving on our adventures! The seats are padded, both bum and back, just not as luxuriously as the CX2. It has a little bit more shoulder width than the CX2 and I think 1 cm less than the Corsaire; but, it is more narrow, overall, than either because of the way the wheels are situated on the Burley, which makes it easier for navigating doors, etc. The Burley has a nice feature that extends its use and life beyond kids because you can unclip the back of the seats in order to make them lie flat, ergo you can use it as a cargo trailer! There are great biking features in the Burley: lots of high-vis reflection, the handlebar turns into a roll-bar, and the suspension seems to be as good as the Chariot's. We are not a fan of the way the bike attachment attaches to a bike with a pin system (it's a PITA to get to line up) but we are trying to get used to it; and, worst case scenario, it looks very manageable to switch out the black part on the Chariot bike attachment with the black part on the Burley attachment so that we can go back to using Chariot's awesome ball-and-socket style bike hitch (I'm sure this would void some sort of warranty! Try it at your own risk, of course!!!). Unfortunately, the Chariot ski kit is not going to perfectly fit into the Burley d'Lite although we have two options: a) modify the pin length (because that seems to be the issue) by changing out some washers (much like the CX adaptor kit Chariot sells) or b) buy the Burley ski kit so that we can each pull a kid (because who the heck wants to pull two kids by themselves and the other person pull nothing!). The handlebar turns into a roll bar when biking, like I mentioned, and it is also variable with the flick of a lever; a feature that my husband loves as he is taller than me and because there are only two handlebar heights on the Cougar, he was usually stuck using my preferred height as I'm the primary user. Hmm, what else. Oh the gear pockets inside: the Chariot pockets are practically inaccessible for kids when they are clipped in to the harness; the Burley ones are situated at just the right height, which makes much more sense.
Well, this is a draft review and I plan to add pictures and do some proofreading/clarifying (like adding a table of comparison), but I'm excited that I have finally written it, so I have to share this preliminary version, regardless!
***I am just a mom writing a review and these are my opinions and ideas, take with a grain of salt and use any suggested modification(s) at your own risk. I have no affiliation with either Chariot, Burley, or any of the companies for any links that I have included in this article, or anyone, really. (But, I wouldn't be opposed to having sponsors or testing out gear for you, so please contact me if you are interested!!!)
