Convenient little travel stroller; poorly named
April 11, 2020
I received this for the purpose of writing a review.
The Pockit is the most compact stroller on the market as of April 2020, folding neatly into a rectangle that fits easily in the overhead bin or under the seat on most planes. That being said, it is important to consider that its size comes at the expense of convenient features available on other strollers.
The Pockit Air All-Terrain is poorly named. GoodBaby's own description of its "all-terrain" capability claims that its double wheels not getting stuck between cobblestones makes it all-terrain. You can also lock the wheels in place to make the stroller move on grass and rougher surfaces. But that does not mean it is ideal to use on all terrains. If you're going to place "all-terrain" in the name of a product, the product should excel on all terrains. And this does not. I pushed it on gravel and had to lock the wheels for it to move. It was still a struggle. The Pockit Air feels flimsy on uneven pavement and level grass.
Now: as a travel stroller? This is the appeal of the Pockit Air. This is a lightweight, secondary travel stroller for temporary use, to contain a baby/toddler while traversing the airport or visiting away from home. I presume that a travel stroller will not be the sturdiest, cushiest, roomiest, or with the largest storage. This is indeed, lightweight at just over 10 pounds, and very compact when folded. It excels as a "just in case" spare stroller, too, if dealing with an older sibling who may not exclusively walk. Maximum weight load is graded to 55 pounds.
The best part of this stroller is its super-compact fold. One particular video demo comparing the strollers in the the 2019 Pockit collection show amazingly quick folds and unfolds. However, I found the joints to be a bit too stiff to replicate the quick actions. Perhaps some silicone spray on the joints will do the trick. Due to the acquisition and review time of this stroller being at the height of COVID-19 in the U.S., I unfortunately did not get to test this at the airport or on a plane. However, it is smaller than my global carry-on luggage (see photo), which definitely fits in the overhead bin of the Embraer 190 aircraft. What I was able to do was place the Pockit Air in the large basket of my heavy duty double stroller (see photo). The Pockit Air is very handy when pushing my twin babies and my first born toddler decides she's not walking anymore. It is extremely compact, even in comparison (see photo) to the tri-fold travel stroller that served as my main stroller when my toddler had no siblings. As a flight attendant, I can confidently say that once folded, this should fit into the overhead bins of most aircrafts that seat 100+ people. This should easily fit underneath the seat in front of you. It should be noted that there are two options to fold. The super-compact fold, which involves tucking in the rear wheels before folding, is ideal for storage in the overhead bin or under the plane seat in front of you. If you don't need to secure it on the plane, you can save a step and fold without tucking the rear wheels for what is a slightly larger, but still compact, fold. Both folds stand on the ground.
The mesh seat, while untested in warm weather, should prove cooler than your standard nylon seat. My daughter is about 3'8", 35 pounds, almost skinny, not chubby, and solid. She looks squished wearing a light winter jacket in the Pockit Air, but didn't complain. The seat does not recline- something to keep in mind if you need a napping stroller. Apparently not a problem for my kiddo (see photo). Three-point harness does the job.
The basket is tiny (see photo). Again, this is a tiny travel stroller, intended for temporary, use. Lack of features is the tradeoff for lightweight portability.Â
The canopy is useless unless it is noon and the sun is directly over your head. Make sure your kid has a hat if you're worried about sun protection, and reapply sunscreen every two hours.Â
The umbrella handles are annoying, but they really need to be there for the sake of folding so compactly. As a frequent traveler, I need a stroller that only requires one hand to push so I can manage luggage with the other hand. In theory you could steer by holding onto the bar in between the handles to steer. Handlebar height is stationary. Would be nice to adjust to higher heights. Handlebar height
One foot brake locks both rear wheels. Hooray! Could be flip-flop friendly, though, since it's a travel stroller and many travel to warmer destinations.
A carry bag and a rain cover are the only official add-on accessories for the Pockit Air. It would have been nice to have them bundled in a single package with the Pockit, as retailers may not have the accessories available to purchase. Third party accessories may not fit as nicely.
Ultimately, this is a very basic travel stroller intended for infrequent use. It's an outstanding option if you need a stroller that you must bring on the plane with you to contain your child. It's also great as a "spare donut" stroller if you have another child who may or may not ride.
This product review was collected by the manufacturer.