The Diono Rainier and Diono Pacifica are two of the four seats with the highest rear-facing limits currently available in the United States (the third and fourth being the Clek Fllo and Clek Foonf). On the outside, both seats look almost identical, with the exception of the deep headwings available on the Rainier.Both seats are great, as I’ve discussed in my reviews of the Pacifica and the Rainier here, but if you’re a new parent, or a parent newly introduced to the wonderful idea of extended rear-facing, you might have a hard time telling the difference between the two seats, and why the Rainier is worth around $40 to $50 more than the Pacifica, depending on which color you’re looking at. Here are my thoughts on the matter, based on my knowledge of both seats and experience with extended rear-facing.

In short, I do think the extra for the Rainier is worth the difference under certain conditions, but not all. The headwings are designed to give extra protection in side impacts, which are among the most dangerous types of impacts relative to their rate of occurrence in vehicles. The primary reason for their severity is because cars don’t offer as much protection from the side as they do from the front, which is simply because there’s much less room for protective materials such as high strength steel and crumple zones.

I can’t prove this, but I’d wager that having the side wings could make a difference in the event of a severe side impact collision. And from reading this blog, you’ll know it doesn’t take very much speed for side impact collisions to become severe. I’m also sure that they’d be helpful in reducing cuts and lacerations from flying glass if you’re in a vehicle that doesn’t include side curtain airbags. So what does this all mean for the seats in question?

I would recommend the Rainier over the Pacifica under the following conditions:

1.) You want the best protection money can buy in a car seat for your children. There is no seat currently available in the US that offers a greater span of protection than the Diono Rainier, with its 50 lb rear-facing, 90 lb front-facing, and 120 lb booster range. Of course, the booster range isn’t going to be very useful for most children once they outgrow the FF range, but that’s the same issue with all Diono seats, so I’m not going to hold that against the Rainier in particular.

2.) You want the extra headwings to offer that slight edge in side impact protection, either for the knowledge that you’ve done your best to protect your child or because you’re driving a vehicle that doesn’t have side curtain airbags, which are essential to keep flying shards of glass out of the passenger compartment during side impact collisions.

3.) You have the extra $40 or $50. I generally don’t feel money should be a deciding factor when looking at ways to keep children from dying in motor vehicle collisions, but everyone’s got a budget, and this is going to be what makes the difference for some folks, and that’s okay.

4.) You want the seat quickly. As of May 2014, very few people have actually picked up Pacificas because they’re back ordered from Diono, who didn’t anticipate selling that many.

If you can satisfy any of those conditions, then the Rainier is for you. If not, the Pacifica will also keep your child safe; at this level, your driving abilities will make much more of a difference. Drive the speed limit and rear-face to the limit in either seat. You can buy the Pacifica here and the Rainier here.

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