Phil and Teds is the parent company of three brands: Phil and Teds, Mountain Buggy, and Mokopuna. The main brand line focuses on creating exciting alternatives to the traditional parent child care gear. Mountain Buggy makes awesome all terrain products, including strollers, and Mokopuna designs ecologically friendly clothing for newborns and older children. Mountain Buggy, of course, makes the Duet, one of our favorite all terrain strollers on the market right now. However, the parent company Phil and Teds makes a number of impressive strollers too, which is why we were happy to borrow the Navigator for a week when offered one by a friend.
Although we typically favor side by side double strollers, there’s something about a well-designed tandem or inline stroller that gets us every time. The Phil and Teds Navigator is an example of a well thought out, sleek, stylish, and functional tandem double stroller that should be on every parents’ list if they don’t want the width and weight of the typical high end side by side double stroller. Furthermore, the Navigator is an all terrain stroller, which makes it more interesting for us since our favorite strollers tend to be this sort.
Here is a thorough and detailed review of the Phil and Teds Navigator. If you want the short version, here it is: It’s great, and you can buy the Phil and Teds Navigator with the second seat here. If you want the longer version, keep reading.
Buy the Phil and Teds Navigator on Sale at Amazon here.
How much does the Phil and Teds Navigator weigh?The Navigator weighs 27.5 pounds as a single stroller and 31 pounds as a double stroller, which easily makes it one of the lightest double tandem strollers on the market. As a double stroller in general, its 31 pound weight is in the average range.
What’s the narrowest door you can fit a Phil and Teds Navigator through?
You can fit a Navigator through a door 24″ wide, as it is 23.22″ in width. This is narrower than the width of any side by side double stroller currently on the market; the closest competitor is the Mountain Buggy Duet, which is 25″ in width. Most side by side double strollers are at least 30″ wide.
What are the length, width, and height of the Phil and Teds Navigator?
The Navigator is 41.7″ long, 23.22″ wide, and 40.5″ tall when unfolded. When folded with the wheels on, it is 11.8″ long, 23.22″ wide, and 29.9″ tall. The wheels can be removed to reduce its size a bit more.
Using the Phil and Teds Navigator with Children
Can you use infant seat adapters with the Phil and Teds Navigator?
Yes! You can use a wide range of infant seats with the Navigator through the adapter system, including a bassinet by Phil and Teds. Per Phil and Ted, there are 26 riding options that make it possible to transport every combination of children from a pair of newborns to a pair of toddlers. You can even transport a pair of infant car seats in the Navigator, something quite rare in the double stroller world, as long as you have two seats that will fit the Navigator car seat adapters.
What are the recommended height, weight, and age limits for children you can fit in the Phil and Teds Navigator?
When used as a single stroller, the Navigator has a 44 pound weight limit in the front seat. When used as a double stroller, the child in the rear seat can weigh up to 33 pounds, bringing total seat load limit to 77 pounds. If you have the rear child facing you via the parent facing double kit, the weight limit in the seat drops to 26 pounds, dropping the total maximum weight to 70 pounds.
This is significantly less than the weight limits of a number of comparable double tandem or double side by side strollers, such as the City Select, a double tandem stroller with a combined weight limit of 90 pounds, or the City Mini GT double, a double side by side stroller with a combined weight limit of 100 pounds. The recommended age range is from birth to 5 years. There aren’t recommended height limits.
What are the seats, sun canopies, and seat support like in the Phil and Teds Navigator?
Seats, canopies, and seat support in the Navigator are delightful. The canopy is quite large and can be adjusted easily, although it is not quite as large as the canopy in the BOB SE Duallie. Five point harnesses are included in the seats for additional safety. The seat liner is removable for washing. You can also buy a separate stormy weather cover to keep kids dry in rain and snow.
Can you recline the seats in the Phil and Teds Navigator?
Yes, the seats in the Navigator may be reclined completely flat, which makes it a very infant-friendly stroller. There are 4 recline positions to choose from. If you’re looking for a flat recline for an infant and don’t want to use the default setup, you can buy the Carrycot sold by Phil and Teds; it’s just like having a miniature bassinet to take everywhere with you. If that seems like overkill, they sell a simpler version called the Cocoon that also works well, and is designed to be inserted into the stroller’s main seat directly when it’s fully reclined. To be honest, after trying both, we preferred the Cocoon.
Buy the Phil and Teds Navigator on Sale at Amazon here.
Moving, Using, and Storing the Phil and Teds Navigator
What is it like to push the Phil and Teds Navigator, and is the handlebar adjustable?
What are the brakes, tires, suspension, and wheels like on the Phil and Teds Navigator?
The tires in the Navigator are 12″ in diameter and filled with air, and you can use them on just about any terrain, including in the city, on trails, on sidewalks, and on gravel. An auto-brake system is present on the Navigator, which is something you’re not going to find from just about any other manufacturer of double strollers on the market today. It’s essentially a safety release, similar to the kind you’d find on a lawn mower. If you let go of the red handlebar, the stroller automatically activates a brake in the front wheel and stops the stroller. It’s not something you want to rely on in the sense of just letting go of the handlebars and running off, but it’s great to know that it’s there in case you need it.
How easy is it to pack up, assemble, or disassemble the Phil and Teds Navigator?
Keep in mind that the rear seat will need to be removed in order for the Navigator to be folded. When folded, the wheels can be removed to make the Navigator take up even less space. This is a good idea, since it’s a bit more bulky, even when contracted, than several other double strollers we’ve come across.
What are the cargo storage and weight limits of the Phil and Teds Navigator?
The storage compartment for the Navigator is quite impressive when used in the single stroller mode, but it is much smaller when the double stroller mode is activated. There are additional pockets built into the sun canopy, which is an ingenious way of squeezing a bit more cargo room in the Navigator.
Concluding thoughts on the Phil and Teds Navigator
Is the Phil and Teds Navigator worth it?
For a double tandem stroller, the Phil and Teds navigator has a lot to offer, whether in the multitude of configurations for transporting infants and toddlers or in the exceptionally narrow frame and all terrain flexibility. It’s an attractive and agile stroller that will certainly turn heads while keeping your little ones comfortable and safe. I’d recommend it heartily. You can buy the Phil and Teds Navigator with the second seat here in Black, Cherry, Graphite, and Midnight Blue.
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