Customer Reviews

InStep Safari Swivel Jogging Stroller (Yellow/Grey/Black)

5 star:		(38)
4 star:		(33)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

About a year ago, we looked at front swivel wheel jogging strollers. We wanted one with a supportive seat that would allow our son to sit more upright than most jogging strollers allowed. We also wanted one with a child tray. We opted to get the Instep Safari TT Single Stroller (which I think is the same as the Schwinn Safari TT Swivel Stroller) over one of the Jeep® Liberty® Limited Urban Terrain Strollers. We were able to buy the Instep much cheaper than the Jeep. Also, the Jeep we saw had speakers for a cd player which we had no interest in using. We have just recently purchased a used 2003 Jeep stroller. For our current off-road, non-jogging purposes, this is working out better.

I would like to offer our comparison of the Instep/Schwinn Safari and the Jeep. There seems to be a few choices in Jeep models. Ours is used and I don't know which we have. Therefore, these are just basic guidelines.

We've taken both strollers around a neighborhood with sporadic sidewalks and no curb cutouts and both have handled the mixed/rough terrain well. We've also walked on the university campus where there are small (2') hills and both strollers go up and down them fine.

My main complaints with the Instep, and what I like about the Jeep, are little things. The cupholders are so shallow that bottles of water fall over. The child tray is not removable. When our son falls asleep we have to lift him out over the tray. The sunshade is beyond stupid. We live in Arizona and the Instep shade provides no protection from the sun. It actually curves upwards. We bought a Kiddopotamus sunshade. Although it provides ample sun protection, our son must essentially look out a tube. I don't know if the Jeep sunshade will be better, we haven't used it for daytime walks yet. However, it seems bigger and does not curve up and let the sun in. I will address the bad Instep brakes later.

The Instep is bigger and the seat for the child is roomier. However, there is more head clearance space under the Jeep Canopy. I wonder if the foot rest on the Jeep will be outgrown faster than the footrest on the Instep.

The seat on the Jeep seems better padded. The one we bought was FILTHY when we got it and it cleaned up easily. I had been certain it would be covered in stains, but it looks brand new. The Instep has a thin seat cover that can be removed for washing. However, it is velcroed in place. When our son sits down, we have to hold the pad in place or it slips and wads up underneath him.

There are reflectors attached all over the Jeep. The Instep has no reflectors that I've ever noticed.

The handle on the Instep is adjustable, so you can make it taller. You can also position it facing backwards and be further back from the stroller. This is probably advantageous for joggers. The Jeep is okay height for me 5'7" and I think my 6' husband is okay, but much taller and the Jeep handle might be too short.

The back wheels on our Instep are bigger than the rear wheels on the Jeep. That might make a difference for someone who jogs. I haven't jogged with either stroller.

Our Instep has a locking front wheel as does our Jeep. I don't know if all models of each brand lock or not.

The brake system on the Jeep is better. Although they both have foot brakes that interact with the rear wheels, the Instep partially falls into place when you go over bumps. You then get a bump-bump-bump rhythm in the stroller. My husband actually stretched a bungie cord between the handle bar and the foot bar to prevent this. I haven't noticed the Jeep brake falling into place.

I like the cargo basket better on the Jeep because it is bigger and much more accessible. Another advantage of the Jeep is for our son. He loves to push the stroller like he does shopping carts. He grabs the horizontal bar at the back of the stroller and pushes. On the Instep, this is the brake so he sets the brake. On the Jeep, he grabs and pushes with the cargo basket so he does not set the brake. The cargo basket on the Instep is very inconvenient. It's small and it is hard to get stuff in and out. I suspect for someone jogging, they would collide with the Jeep basket but not with the Instep basket.

We've never used the Instep as a jogger, but rather as an off-road stroller. Now that I have used both, I think the Jeep is better for off-road general stroller, but the Instep is probably better for jogging. I still like the cup holders, sunshade, brakes, and removable tray of the Jeep MUCH better and think the Instep would be a superior stroller if it had those. Although I like the jeep cargo basket for my purpose, I think the Instep cargo basket that doesn't stick back, the handle that folds backwards, and the large rear wheels could possibly make a difference for a jogger.

As of this writing, amazon does not offer the front swivel Jeep. However, it can be ordered from other sites. Some models are as cheap as $100 at some retailers.

At first I was very happy with this stroller. I love the big wheels, the front one which swivels. The cup holders are convenient for both parent and baby. And the adjustable handle is awesome because I'm short and I can push the stroller at a comfortable height. Also it maneuvers very easily up and down curbs, steers easily even with one hand everywhere from the mall, museum, park, or on city streets.

One of the biggest drawbacks for me has been the reclining seat back. There is a drawstring that you must adjust. This requires two hands and can be difficult at times if the child is fussy or uncooperative. Despite this, I still loved the stroller until recently.

However, after only two months of use, my stroller will not lock. It has actually folded up on my son while pushing it. I now cannot even seem to lock it into the open position for use. I have not found any levers to snap in place to hold it open. And because the stroller folds outward, not inwards like an umbrella stroller, it actually pulls the childs body backwards when the locks give out. This is very dangerous. I am contacting the manufacturer about this defect.

I've been using this stroller for sidewalks, trails and roads and I'd buy it all over again.

Pro:
- It works wonderfully on all types of surfaces. The swivel is excellent.
- Though its not exactly lightweight to lift up and down a cartrunk, its featherweight once it gets moving.
- My 1 year old is very comfortable in it and goes to sleep almost always.
- Folds compact enough, though I've only used it in my CRV and I dont really take all the time to go to the most compact level.


If I had to be really really picky about things I don't like.
- the parent cup holder holds a coffee cup great, but is too small for a water bottle. The cup holder in the babytray surprisingly holds a sippy cup and an adult water bottle perfectly.

- the sunshade canopy is not enough to provide shade, but then I guess every stroller has the same issue when the sun comes in at an angle like in the mornings or evenings. I use an extra shade from kiddopotamos a few $$ more and it works instead of having to spend a lot more $$ for a model with the swivel canopy.

We wanted to get a jogging style stroller to take our 6 month old on walks in our neighborhood, and wanted the swivel wheel so we wouldn't have to worry about the recurring jogging stroller problem of perpetual left or right turns in the locked wheel models. When I saw this model, and the favorable reviews InStep received at Consumer Reports, and the price at Amazon (~$100), I jumped at it, and we love it so far.

Pros: The jogging-style strollers move with such ease, it feels like you are hardly pushinngh anything.
The swivel wheel locks in case you want to try to run with it -- a nice plus
The price -- most brands are $200 and up, but the model's quality (so far) is great for the price.

Cons: The biggest gripe I have with it is the shade cover/ bonnet is too small for anything but noon sun.

InStep does offer attachments and covers that would address my gripe, and since it was a very reasonably priced stroller, I cannot complain that much. One last note: Thes strollers move fast and tip pretty easily , so make sure the five point harness is fine tuned for your baby before you head out on the sidewalks, and all will be well.

If only the cover extended a bit farther over the seat....oh well.

This stroller interested me because I was looking for something with off-road capabilities. It maneuvers easily over gravel roads and seems to have a smoother ride than a conventional stroller. The stroller is well built, with a metal frame, low-friction bearings, bicycle-like tires, and a large canopy. Also, the handle adjusts in height. I found this feature to be especially useful, as my husband is 6'7" and would otherwise have to hunch over to push a conventional stroller. He also gets compliments from his buddies while pushing it, making it stylish and husband-approved.

I'm currently using it for my 3-month-old daughter. I just added car seat head supports. The stroller has a 50-pound weight limit, which will make it useful for a long time.

One downfall is that it is large and heavy. It fits into my Buick Lucerne's trunk with little room to spare (and it's a big car with a big trunk). I can't see how it would fit into a smaller car.

We got one of these five months ago. At first it seemed fine. After a couple months the frame loosened up. It's all rivets in plastic and aluminum, so there's no way to tighten anything. Now it's wobbly. With all the wheels locked it sways back and forth due to the flex in the frame. The front swivel wheel is worthless, because it shimmies and shakes the whole stroller like a paint shaker if it's not in the locked (non-swivelling) position. What a waste of money...

Here's an update. After a week InStep answered my e-mail, and they advised me that I should tighten the steering/swivel head. Remove the foot rest (four Phillips screws), and there's a nut on top of the bolt that holds the front wheel's swivel head. It's just a nylon "locking" nut. Too tight, and the front wheel won't turn. Too loose, and the front wheel wobbles like mad. Why they didn't spend 10˘ more for a castle nut and cotter pin, or why they don't mention this in the "troubleshooting" section of the owner's manual, I don't know.

Even without the front wheel shimmying like nuts, the stroller is still wobbly and excessively flexy. We've got a $600 Hartan that put up with a lot of hard use and it's still as solid as a vault. The InStep is simply cheap.

After trying similarly priced single jogging strollers, this one seemed to have the best maneuverability. I previously owned an InStep double jogging stroller that I was happy with except for a few features that were missing, but decided to give the Safari a try after reading the product description. This stroller has all the features that my previous stroller lacked; child and parent tray, the canopy is large enough to keep the sun and rain from bothering my son, adjustable handle (my older son can push the stroller too), and the seat adjusts to an upright position. I'm very pleased with my purchase. Like my other InStep stoller, this one can take a lot of abuse.

I got this stroller to walk with my 21 month old and my dog, and I'm very pleased with my purchase, the stroller is incredible easy to maneuver with one hand (the swivel option is great) while I hold the leash with the other. Even though it looks huge compared to a regular stroller, it's so much better if you want to walk faster and in an uneven terrain. My son seems very comfortable, the canopy protects him very well from the sun and he loved the tray with the water bottle section. The stroller was easy to assemble even when the instructions are not that good (the pictures are awful). My only complain as some other people have mentioned is that the parent's tray drink holder is too shallow and the water bottle kept falling.

I bought this stroller after much research and deliberation. It is comfortable for my [...]as well as my [...]daughter. It handles wonderfully. It folds pretty well too. The front swivel wheel makes a huge difference with manuverability and the adjustable handle bar is a great feature. I am tall and it helps to have the handle where I need it. I have used this for both walking, shopping and jogging and think it is perfect! From purchase to delivery it took maybe 5 days. I am extremely happy with all aspects of this purchase. I love this stroller!!

I love our new stroller. It is very easy to push and control. We have a very tall daughter and her feet do not drag like they did in our other stroller. She easily falls asleep in the reclining seat and the stoller fits in the back of my Plymoth Breeze better than any other standard stroller we have owned. Very compact and easy to use.