Shyft DualRide with Carryall Storage Toddler Automotive Seat and Stroller Combo (Boone Grey)

Very thankful from a toddler mom, comparison with a Doona
I looked into upgrading my car seat when baby #2 was on the way which led to menu hours comparing the two main options (Doona = D, and this shyft dual Ride= SDR to not make this review an entire book). I am writing this review in hopes to summarize my experiences with both and so you can have all the info in one place. I bought the SDR with my own money and borrowed a D from a friend to compare the two, so there is no outside influence in my review!My situation: at the time baby #2 arrived, my toddler was very busy, mobile and almost 2. I previously used a Graco infant carrier for #1. We have multiple cars in the family but only drive one when we have both children (can be a deciding factor if you have to install car seat itself without a pre installed base). I am not a car seat tech or in the trade by any means.Pros- The big pro for me is that the wheels and seat detach from each other (ONLY WHEN IN THE BASE IN THE CAR- this in itself if a con). In other words, you can leave the wheel part in the car seat base and carry in only an infant carrier. This is a major plus when grocery shopping, there are many carts (Target most definitely) that the whole folded up seat+wheels either don’t fit or take up the entire cart. So if I need a cart when shopping, I detach the seat and leave the wheels in the car seat base. It is NOT easy to push a cart and the car seat when in stroller mode at the same time so this was a make or break decision for me! (The D wheels do NOT detach)- when searching for information comparing the two main options (D vs SDR) one thing I saw a lot was that the people fumbled a lot when trying to convert from the wheels out to wheels in. After using the SDR for months, I do not find it awkward. The movements and which botton you press become muscle memory and I genuinely don’t have to think about what to do.- no rethread harness- something I did not know I needed. This means that to move where the shoulder straps are, you do NOT have to *flip it over, unhook the straps, move the straps, reposition, reattach*. It is like most convertible car seats where there is a handle you pull up/push down. I feel like I am better at moving the straps when needed (straps are at or just below shoulder level per instruction manual) to keep baby as safe as possible. The baby can be in the seat and I can one handed adjust the straps- A+ for this feature. (D has the more difficult rethread harness- system, this is not a deal breaker to me as I was accustomed to it with my Graco)- Manual is offered as a pdf online (as are most other brands), just a good to know fact. I keep my manual in the door of the car but the online pdf is useful when you want to reference on the go.- the umbrella is really big, bigger than most infant seats (much bigger compared to D)- I can’t get over how functional the stroller feature is, especially with a toddler running around too. It is a feature I can’t imagine living without now.- Car seat handle can be in any locked position when in the car so you don’t have to adjust the handle when getting in/out of the car. (Per instruction manual)- wheel locks are easy to use, just step on one side or both.- I anticipate I will use this infant carrier longer than I used to Graco solely because I don’t have to physically carry the child+carrier. Once my #1 reached ~12-15lbs, carrying the infant carrier got to be a big task so I switched to using the rear facing convertible car seat before maxing out the height or weight on the Graco. Since I don’t carry this one much, I foresee us using it much longer.- ***comes with the car seat base*** The fact that this came with the car seat base was a huge plus financially. The car seat base stays installed in the car so when loading baby up, all you have to do is lift the baby unit (seat+wheels as one unit) into the base until it clicks. When I was shopping most sets of the D did not offer this and it was an additional lump sum to get the base.- the car seat base is A+ also with the easier install lever you push down on and a rebound bar which deserves it’s own write up —->- the rebound bar (plastic part of the car seat base that covers the back of the vehicle seat) is an additional safety feature AND keeps the back of you actual vehicle seat a lot cleaner/scuff free.- this came with an optional attachable bag and cup holder which seems like nice features but as a slightly unorganized and overly busy mom, I’ve never used either. Great ideas though- TRAVEL. A car seat stroller combo like this is GREAT FOR TRAVEL. We used the car seat for baby on the drive to the airport, pushed baby in the stroller through the airport+security, gate checked in a car seat travel bag at the airport, and installed in the rental car.Con- Weight. This thing is a hog at 19.7lbs when the wheels and infant carrier are together. I would recommend thinking about how much you may need to carry the entire set up. I have to lift it in and out of the car and up our three stairs, but can do so without a problem. The rest of the time I either push it in stroller mode or detach just the infant car seat which is lighter by itself.- the biggest con for me is that you can only detach the wheels when it is in the car seat base. So you cannot leave your wheels in your house, they alone will not detach by themselves only in the base. This probably is not a big deal to most- it’s only a big deal to me bc of my toddler’s rotating car seat being installed right next to the SDR base, so when the wheels are left in the car (which only happens on grocery store visits), my toddler’s car seat is blocked from being able to turn.- the umbrella does not fully shut when the shoulder straps have been adjusted higher- additional car seat bases are not available (at this time of posting). Instructions for installing the seat into the car without use of the base are on the side of the car seat and simple to follow, it took me less than 5 minutes to figure out this install method the first time.Evenflo produces very short YouTube videos (3-5 minutes I believe) that demonstrate the different functions and how to shift between settings. Watching these helped me visualize the seat before actually ordering.Overall I am VERY HAPPY with this purchase. I bought it on a prime day sale so it was less than $300. This is a great solution if you have multiple kids to keep track of or if you travel. For my family, this option was the best pick.

Great purchase
Easy to assemble and install in car! Great material; the fabric is soft and the plastic is very durable. It can be a little heavy with the wheels but that’s to be expected. I love that i have the option to take the car seat out with or without the wheels makes it practical for multiple types of trips.

Very disappointed
I LOVED this product, and before the issues started it was the best baby investment, I recommended to strangers when they would show interest in public. My baby was born at the end of December so we have only had it in use for about 4 months. In the last week or two the issues have started. The first issue is the wheels started acting very finicky when trying to collapse the stroller to put into the car base. Soooo many times I’ve had to RE-release the stroller to adjust the wheels by hand and go up down up down (with baby in it!!) to get it to collapse in proper alignment to secure into the base. The second thing I noticed is the front wheels that are supposed to 360 swivel to allow movement in any direction started locking up to where you could not turn the stroller from one side to the other. You would have to pick the stroller up twist it in the air then sit it back down once the front wheels were straight so you could go straight forward, or have a second person able to lift it for you and spin the wheels yourself to unstick them. They were always different but a specific way the wheels would turn just not in unison. After about a week of that, the next issue that started is the carrier will not release from the wheels while in the base like it’s supposed to. One side will release but the other side is stuck attached so you can not remove just the carrier without the wheels. Now today it is not releasing the wheels at all to fall into the stroller. So currently I’m stuck with a a carrier that is extra heavy because it has the stroller wheels stuck attached to the bottom, I can’t remove them like I should and I also can’t release them down into a stroller to push it! And I FINALLY decide to contact Evenflo customer service (because I’m sure I’ll be buying a new car seat as soon as I can afford one) because this is unacceptable, and their customer service is simply unavailable, with no explanation. Like call center and LiveChat online are both unavailable during business hours and the only thing it says is try again later. I’m not one to complain or leave bad reviews every but I am so disappointed in this product and customer service. If I am able to contact customer service I will update my review but it isn’t looking promising.

We bought this stroller for a 3 week trip across Europe with our 4 month old and it was easily the best decision we made. The stroller is easy to use (folding in and out of car seat mode is a simple button). It was comfortable for our little guy and the extra long canopy was perfect for added shade in the heat (40 degrees Celsius!). The car seat without the base was not heavy to maneuver (light enough to pick up in and out of a car with a 13 lbs baby in it). The suspensions on the stroller over cobble stones was not as good as our Uppababy Cruz stroller but given the compact size – totally up to par. 100% would recommend for any travelling with babies under 6 months.