Customer Reviews

Travel Vest Large

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

We are expecting our third child soon and began to experiment with placing a third car seat in the back of our Vibe and Scion xB vehicles. Unfortunately, at about 18 inches width per car seat, the 51/52 inch car seat width is *extremely* borderline. You can get them in snug, but good luck getting your hand in there to buckle the booster seat. I've also never liked where the belts cross my son's neck and stomach.

The RideSafer Travel Vest takes up much less room when used without a booster seat. I like that it routes the shoulder and lap belts to the correct location. Do not expect your child to be able to secure or remove himself, however. The belts must be properly routed through the guides and the tether (in place of or in addition to the shoulder belt) *must* be fastened. The buttons on the vest themselves are too stiff to be pressed by the child as well (safe, but inconvenient). When fastened correctly, I think the vest (even without the booster seat) appears to be safer than using a harness-less booster seat.

If I leave the tether attached, I can secure my son in less than a minute. Except for the vest buttons, he can get himself out of the vest and leave it dangling from the tether ready for his return. I think instead of leaving the vest with the babysitter, I'll buy a second one for the other vehicle. In any case, it's much cheaper than buying a new car!

If anyone can provide more information on the safety issues of using the vest without a booster, please let me know. To me, it feels safer than using a booster without the vest! In the mean time, I'll rate it a "5" for "safety" and a "3" for "ease of use" and a "5" for "space-saving."

This product is perfect for my autistic son. He is to large for a carseat. But cannot stay in a seatbelt. Perfect!!!!!!!!! I love this product. Mom to Alex

We bought a large vest for our 6-year-old to take on a trip to Washington state, where the child safety laws are very strict. We wanted to have something that would fit in the carry-on so that we didn't have to check any baggage. The travel vest does fit those criteria, but it is not easy to use. Our daughter has a hard time threading the seat belt through the shoulder guides, and it often takes a long time for her to get it all done. However, as far as I can tell, this is the only product of this type out there that actually works. It seems expensive for this type of product (about $100) but my expectation is that as it becomes more refined and "mainstream" they will deal with the two issues (difficult to use and price). Overall, it serves its purpose well and we will be using it for years to come.

I had bought a different sort of fold-up seat with 5-point restraints in 2007 for my now 6 year-old to use when we travelled. That product is no longer available, and this is all we could find. I have an Outback wagon, 1 kid in a booster and 1 in a convertible seat. I was looking for that extra "seat" to have when we need to transport a 3rd kid (in lieu of buying a mini-van!).
It does serve that purpose, but my son complained about wearing it in the summer (and on vacation in FL), because it covers his whole chest and is hot. Also, I thought it was overpriced, but it is cheaper than another car (and fits better than any other combination of seats I tried).

My 65 lb., 11 year old son has significant physical disabilities, so I need to be able to keep him from sliding out from under the seat belt. This travel vest does a really good job of positioning the lap & shoulder belt on him properly. He still leans a bit to the side, but the seat belt stays in the correct position at all times. I used to have trouble with him lifting up his butt and sliding forward out of the booster seat; with the crotch strap in place on this vest he does not slide out of the travel vest and stays in place on the regular van seat. He seems comfortable wearing it, too, no fussing or complaining.

I took off one star because it is kind of bulky and might be hot in the summer, so I'm not sure that I would use it on a child who isn't special needs. I haven't tried it over a winter coat yet, I'm hoping it will still fit then because it has a snug fit to it. Also, because my son has limited mobility, it took me a while to figure out how to get his 2nd arm into it (answer: elbow first) because the arm holes are restrictive in spite of appearing large enough. I suppose a non-disabled child would have to put both of their arms straight down and back at the same time while standing up and the parent would have to put the child's hands through at waist level and raise the vest up into position, like with a floatation vest?

Anyway, I'm very pleased with this travel vest so far. It solved the very difficult problem of transporting my disabled son in a safe way that is also comfortable for him.