Joovy Ergo Caboose Stroller: All Aboard for This Tandem Stroller!

Update: The Joovy Ergo Caboose will be available starting March 1. To reserve yours, click here for Joovy’s reservation form.

Original Review: With the new Joovy Ergo Caboose, Joovy has improved on their already awesome Caboose Tandem stroller (click here to read our review of the Ultralight Caboose).

The biggest change is that the infant car seat can now attach in the rear of the stroller — letting your older child sit in the front seat while the baby is their infant car seat. By the time the baby is old enough to sit in the front seat, the toddler would move to the rear bench seat or have the option to stand on the generously-sized platform. I wish the Ergo Caboose would have been around months ago, when I had a new baby and a son who had recently turned 2 — my daughter could have been snug in her car seat in the rear and my son could have sat in the front seat!  The suspension is also improved, due to rear pneumatic air tires. The front seat is now ergonomically engineered for more comfortable seating — the soft mesh seat distributes the child’s weight evenly and reduces pressure points. I love more comprehensive sunshade — a sitting toddler is now shaded. They also have some terrific accessories available for the Ergo Caboose; a comfy seat cover for the front seat and the rear bench, full coverage rain cover, a sun filter, and a parent organizer.

Putting It Together:
Attach the wheels, back canopy and child tray. If you prefer, you could attach a cup holder (included) on each side where the tray snaps in.

The Ride:
The Ergo Caboose has large pneumatic air tires in the rear and rubber wheels in the front. A tire pump is included and stores easily in the shopping basket. The suspension was terrific and the push was easy. As with any stroller with smaller wheels in front, be careful going over broken pavement and curbs. Since this is a tandem stroller, it may take a few attempts to get used to the longer length. Steering was very easy, just keep the wheels unlocked in swivel mode. You won’t have to worry about fitting through doorways (which is harder in a side by side stroller). The brake was very easy to engage, but make sure you hear it audibly click when you push it down on either wheel.

The Seat:
The seat was a tightly woven mesh, that was pretty comfortable, and easily fit both my baby and 3 year old, when they tried it separately.  The front seat has two positions and a 5 point harness. The rear-facing bench seat has a 3 point harness. The deluxe seat package accessory includes a very padded, fitted cover for the front seat and rear seats, which both my children loved sitting on. The rear standing platform was very sturdy and had two handles on each side of the stroller for your child to hold onto. The canopy will cover your child when they are sitting in the rear bench seat and zip open for more room when your child is standing on the rear platform.

Storage:
The large sized shopping basket is best accessed between the back of the front seat and the rear seat. Grab the red handle under the rear seat to flip it up for more access to the shopping basket. If your older child is sitting on the rear seat, there is still enough room to reach underneath it to pull things out, plus access from the sides. If your older child prefers to ride on the rear platform, the bench seat can stay upright for even more storage room.

Sun Exposure:
The canopy was very large and offered terrific coverage. I was really pleased that the Ergo Caboose’s canopy will now shade the older child, if they are sitting on the rear bench seat. If your child prefers to stand on the rear platform, the canopy can be unzipped on both sides to give them more room, but will not shade them. There is a sun filter accessory available, that attaches to the front part of the canopy, to completely shade the child in the front seat.

The Fold:
This stroller has a long book fold. The smart plastic covers will prevent the frame from being scratched as you fold the stroller down. You can also roll the stroller backwards and forwards, while folded, to move it around. To fold: First, if using the infant car seat, please remove it, you can keep the car seat adapter on while you fold it. Then make sure the canopy is pushed to the front of the stroller, then lock the rear brake. While pushing in the secondary lock button on the side of the right trigger, pull upward on the trigger mechanisms on both sides of the stroller. Then push forward on the stroller using the handlebar, all the way down until the stroller is folded. The left and right folding lock clear plastic tabs should engage the extended rivets automatically. I found the fold to be pretty painless, which is always a good thing. To unfold: The fold is long, so make sure your trunk is wide enough (my Toyota Camry was).

This stroller weighs 28 pounds, which is actually quite a reasonable weight for a double stroller. The rear platform and the rear bench seat cannot be used at the same time. They should be used by a child that is at least 2 1/2 years old, but less than 44 inches tall and less than 45 pounds. If you use the stroller with two children weighing more than 45 pounds each or children totaling more than 90 pounds, it may cause excessive wear and stress on the stroller. Never allow the standing child to hold onto the canopy, they should hold onto the handles. Also make sure that both feet are on the platform at all times. Do not carry more than 2 children on this stroller.

Accessories available for purchase are a full-coverage rain cover, sun filter, parent organizer that attaches to the handlebar and seat covers for the front seat and the rear bench seat.

Pros: This is a great stroller if you have a young child and a child over 2 1/2 who doesn’t always want to ride. My 3 year old son loved sitting on the bench seat and preferred it to riding on the rear platform. The new position of the infant car seat (in the back), would make this attractive to parents of children who still want a seat for their older child, who will be 2 1/2 by the time the baby outgrows the infant car seat.

Cons: A tandem double stroller is harder to steer than a side-by-side double stroller. You’ll need two hands to fold and unfold this stroller.

Final Verdict: Joovy’s Ergo Caboose Stroller is ideal if you have a baby in a car seat and a toddler who still needs a proper stroller seat. As the toddler gets a little bigger and the baby moves into the front seat, this stroller will give you flexibility with letting your older child sit or stand.

– Nancy