Jeep Wrangler All-Weather Review

The Lightweight Jeep Wrangler All-Weather has an all-weather seat pad that is warm in the winter and can roll up revealing a cool and comfortable screen in the summer. It has an under seat storage bin, parent cup holder, foam handles, and an adjustable canopy. It is an easy one hand fold, requires no assembly, and has a capacity of 40 pounds.

Performance Comparison

Ease of Use

This product earned the lowest score for ease of use than any other we reviewed. It earned just 1 of 10 and set the standard for the lowest possible score for all others to be compared against. It offers very little in the metric, and what it did offer isn't done well.

Storage

The storage bin is very small and has only a 5 pound capacity weight limit. The weight limit isn't really the problem though, it's the overall size. The bin is so small you won't be able to fit 2 pounds in it much less 5. The bin is too shallow for a standard size diaper bag to fit in this bin, and there is no additional storage. It earned the lowest possible score for storage.

Sun Shade
The photos above show the canopy transition. The canopy is small compared to others.

The sun shade is the smallest of any in our review. It is so small that it set the low standard for the scoring process. It does not connect to the seat back, has no SPF rating, and barely covers enough of the passenger to really be useful during full sun. There is no peek-a-boo window, which is really okay because the shade is so small you don't really need one. The canopy has a lock out arm that should keep it taunt, but they really don't work well and the shade was still a little loose and wonky.

Convenience

The Wrangler has a small cup holder that sits off the back and side of the frame. It is too shallow to hold taller items without risking that they will fall out, and the closed inflexible design also means it doesn't hold larger items, even phones bigger than an iPhone cannot be parked in this cup holder. There are no other parent or child accessory trays.

The seat bottom has a slightly flexible edge that gives somewhat for possible added comfort. The seat back has no recline feature, and sits at a constant 65 degrees all the time. There is no real nods to comfort or convenience in this stroller to speak of. The seat back also has little support which means it folds in on itself and could be less comfortable for larger riders whose shoulder can be compressed. It does have what Jeep calls an “all-weather” back. It has a padded portion that can be used for comfort or warmth, but it can roll up for a ventilated mesh back that is nicer for hot days.

Maneuverability

This rig goes from difficult to very difficult when it comes to maneuverability. It had trouble in every test from the paved course to the off road excursion it struggled to make it through.

It has a pretty small footprint so it navigated the course pretty well just because of its size. However, it was more difficult to turn than most and it certainly wasn't very easy with one hand. Carpet didn't seem to make much difference, it was equally difficult on both surfaces.

For off pavement action it still had troubles. It is average pushing through the grass, but it had more difficulty turning in the grass than others. It has trouble steering downhill and it gets tippy on the side hill. It is nearly impossible to push or turn in the gravel, and it got stuck in the storm drain.

Going up and down stairs and over curbs is also a challenge with this product. The shorter handles means you will be bending over further to pick it up and pull it, and the larger brake pedals will get caught on the nosing or back edge of the curb so it is difficult to move the stroller back on the wheels over the lip. It is lightweight, so it is a little easier than some to just pick up should the bake lock in place preventing it from rolling, but if it is weighted down with its maximum in passenger weight of 40 pounds, you better be strong if you are going to use strength alone to move the stroller over the edge without the aid of rolling wheels.

Safety

Safety is an important consideration. We tested features for safety including the harness, brakes, and the tipping tendency. The Jeep only scored a 5 in this metric, which puts it below average and at the bottom. Only one other came in this low, Contours Lite. The Quinny Yezz did the best in this category.

Brakes

One of the brakes was broken when we purchased this product. We called the seller who promised to send a replacement. The replacement never came, even months later. The brakes are double action so we could still set one side fully, even if the other side was only half a brake. The brake pedals are larger and were fairly easy to set. There is some play in them once set, but this could have been due to the missing part. The whole assembly seems cheaper than the others we reviewed. It took just under 5 pounds of pressure to push the stroller backwards, and just over 4 to push it forward. These rating were the worst in our review.

Harness

Most of the products we tested were 5-point harnesses. This is the only 3 point harness in our review. Essentially this means it has no shoulder straps and the only points of connection to the stroller to keep children seated is the crotch strap where the buckle sits and the two waist straps. This scored lower for safety because the 2 extra points in a 5 point harness help prevent children from falling or climbing out. We fell 5 points is a min for harnesses on umbrella products. This harness is also not padded anywhere and is difficult to adjust. The buckles itself is easy to access and release, unlike some others we reviewed.

Tipping

This little stroller struggled with the tipping tests; presumably due to its smaller than average footprint, which theoretically makes it easier to tip. This stroller tipped sideways at 22 degress which is below average, but not the lowest in our test. That honor went to the Mountain buggy Mini which tipped at 20 degrees. The Mountain Buggy has only 3 wheels, which might be why it tipped easier than others. The pounds of pressure required for back tipping is 43 pounds, which is over the average weight of 33 pounds, but not as impressive as the Chicco Capri C6 Lightweight which needed 75 pounds of pressure before it fell backwards.

Quality

This product had the lowest score for quality. It started with arriving broken and customer service failing to deliver a replacement as promised. Next was the canopy that just refused to sit upright and always sat canted off to the side somewhat, perpetually bent. The lighter than average fabric snagged easily, the stitching isn't consistent, and the mesh in the back appears to be vinyl covered and not very cozy. Overall, this stroller looks sloppier, looser, and hastily put together.

The frame is a traditional umbrella frame that is fairly sturdy with firm connections. The fabric is not as tight to the frame as other products we looked at. This stroller also had the worst wheels out of all the products. They were smaller, cheap feeling, wiggly, and vibrated when strolling.

The handle height is the second shortest of those we tested. The shorter handles combined with wheels that are set pretty far to the back made for a stroller we kicked regularly when walking a normal pace. The handles are curved and have a foam sleeve. The sleeves slipped some, and the oddly placed plastic button caps on the end of the grips are rough and not as comfortable as others because they tended to pinch the skin and bite into the palm.

In general, the stroller is not that comfy. The wheel tread causes vibration, the minimal or non-existent padding on the seat means not much cushioning when strolling, roll up back pad revealed mesh that seemed like it would chafe. The waist strap and 3-point harness lack padding, or even friendly material.

Weight and Folded Size

Weight and Folded Size

This is the lightest, smallest product in our review. It is probably more on par size wise than any other in our test. It weighs in at just under 9 pounds. The heaviest stroller we looked at is over 18 pounds, the average was around 14. This means the Jeep really is the easiest one to carry around or move from place to place. It measures about 10x42.5x11 when folded and takes up 4,675 cubic inches of space. A few of the strollers were actually smaller or took up less space, but for pounds to carry, the Jeep really stands out.

Ease of Folding

This is a one hand fold stroller with a manual locking feature. It does not self-stand or have a carry handle which means it can be more difficult to move around since you must lean it against something or carry it by the frame. It is 4 steps to fold, which is more than the usual number for this kind of product, but the steps are easy to do, but not sandal friendly. The fold can be a little awkward, lock is small and can be hard to get a hold of. The fabric tends to get in the way when you try to snap it onto the frame. You will have to bend all the way to the ground to complete the fold and engage the lock. This can be a problem if your hands are full or you have any stability problems.

The unfold process is also easy, it is 3 steps and very easy with just a minor concern about getting our foot pinched in the mechanism that pushed the stroller open and taunt.

Commuting

Getting into and out of a car is a breeze with this lightweight small package of an umbrella. It just fits crosswise in the back and is sort of long so you might have to put in one side and then slide in the other. It doesn't have a carry strap or handle, so you will have to carry it by the frame which can be awkward, but not impossible given the weight. This can also make it easy to transport on public transportation, but without the ability to self-stand or be held by a handle you will need to have your hands empty or be able to bend all the way to the ground potentially with your hands full. For café friendliness it sits close to the wall and is smaller, but it is hard to maneuver and the seat is so low little ones won't see much but shins and gum under the tables. Only two strollers ranked higher in this metric.

Ease of Setup

It took over 9 minutes to set up this product. It was the third longest time in our review. While the instructions were fairly clear, there were lots of little things to put together, the brake was broken, we put the canopy on backwards the first time, and there were many left over parts. The set up could have been easier if there weren't so many things to assemble, or the instructions were clearer.

Best Applications

There probably isn't a best application for this stroller. While it is the cheapest one in our review it did score the lowest of any product we looked at. It is a fairly standard umbrella stroller, which usually doesn't have that many features, but it is just not put together well enough to merit even the low price.

Value

This is the cheapest stroller in our review. However, it is not the best value. The price might be alluring, but the features are not executed well or are just missing altogether. For the features it has, and the way they are done, it is more on par with a cheap generic store brand umbrella stroller that sells for around $15, not $50. If you are looking for a good umbrella with basic features that is put together well for the price, we suggest spending around $30 more for the Contours Lite, which scored 16 more points overall than the Jeep and offers a lot more features.

Conclusion

This stroller failed to impress right out of the box. Sure anything shipped can arrive broken, but the overall quality and fit and feel of this stroller just wasn't on par with the others we reviewed. While it had many features in common with its brothers, it just didn't do them as well. Even for a lower end stroller, it failed to meet expectations by being a product that is far better on paper than in person. Other than being the lightest product we tested, it really had few redeemable attributes. When sitting next to the other rides it looked like a doll's accessory, not like a rig for a real human. We do not recommend this stroller. If you are looking for a stroller of this variety we suggest the Contours Lite, which is about $30 more but gives you better maneuverability, larger storage, larger canopy, accessory tray, cup holder, and deeper recline.