ZOE XL2 BEST v2 Review

I had big dreams we could travel without a double stroller, but as the weeks closed into our travel trips, it became evident our almost three years old would need some help getting around on long travel days. The lack of listening skills, communication skills, and his near 40-pound body, meant a double stroller seemed like the right choice.

However, we’re planning on renting a mid-size vehicle out of Ottawa and needed something smaller than our Bumbleride Indie Twin. This is where the ZOE XL2 BEST V2 review comes.

This post is not sponsored. I bought this stroller with my own money, and I don’t even have any affiliated links. Enjoy.

Not Available in Canada.

I’m a Canadian Mom Blogger. I live in Northern British Columbia, and I feel I should put this out there in the world because a fair number of my followers are Canadian. ZOE Strollers do not ship internationally, even to Canada.

How did I get mine?

My family has a PO Box in Sumas. I shipped it there and then paid to pick it up and bring it across the border. My mom did this for me as she lives near the border, and I picked it up on my next visit.  We did not experience any extra duties or taxes, although we were prepared to pay them. You could also pay a USA freight forwarder to send it to you. 

Sounds convoluted, but that’s the path you take when you don’t want to pay over $600 for a double umbrella stroller and happen to be visiting the Vancouver area.

Why ZOE XL2 BEST V2?

I’m a bit of a stroller junkie. You might not see it, and you might think of me as a bit of a babywearing mama, but I also have a sweet spot for strollers. The double ZOE is my fifth stroller – to give you some perspective on my stroller experience. My other umbrella stroller is a Maclaren. 

That said, I belong to a few stroller mama groups on Facebook (doesn’t everyone), and the ZOE is continually popping up as a must try option for moms with two toddlers looking for the best lightweight double stroller for travel or just portability.

The lightweight double stroller market for BIG KIDS is kind of limited. There are very few options for double umbrella strollers and none of them was perfect. Trying to find a stroller to hold a 50-pound kid and collapse into a small neat package is a near impossible feat, but the ZOE Stroller does it.

The ZOE XL2 BEST V2 is not the perfect double umbrella stroller. But, it’s pretty close.

Here’s why it was the *best choice* for us on this trip.

• Stroller weighs under 20lbs.
• Each seat is tested to 50lbs.
• Tall Seats Suitable for Tall Kids.
• Full Seat Recline.
• Massive Canopy.
• Super Easy Fold. 
• Enormous Storage Bin.
• Crazy Awesome Colours.
• Only $350 USD (half the price of most double strollers). 

This stroller was super easy to put together. My mom opened the package and then seemed a little hesitant by all the small pieces. Needless, it was a dream to put together and continues to be quite easy to roll around.

It’s also really easy to push with one kid in it. I typically one hand push this stroller without any thought. I can one hand push with two kids on cement, but not on natural surfaces like grass, mud, rock, sand, and the like (this is a big ask for any stroller). 

Here are a few Things I don’t Like about the ZOE Stroller

1. My legs are TOO LONG for the stroller. My stride and the distance the handlebar sticks out means I frequently kick the brake bar, sometimes stubbing my toe. At almost 6 feet tall, my husband and I have to adjust our stride/walk to comfortably use this stroller. The height of the handlebar is okay for me, but not the walking distance.
   I wouldn’t recommend this as an everyday stroller if you have a long stride.
2. I can’t buy the extra accessories in Canada. The rain guard was sold out and we decided we didn’t need the carrying case at check out. But then, I realised, yes, when flying, I do want those things. Because I’m in Canada, I have to do that ship it to the states and pick it up thing. I don’t want to do that just for a stroller bag. I haven’t found a Canadian sourced stroller bag that fits, though I’ve been told with time, you might be able to order a customized bag from J.L Childress.
3. You don’t fit through doorways with the adult drink cup on.
4. It takes a lot of work to push 60 pounds. This is probably true for most small strollers. When both kids are in the stroller, it’s definitely a work out compared to my full wheel all-terrain Bumbleride. This was most evident when visiting Upper Canada Village and we had to push both kids and stuff in the muddy dirt road.
   
   

   Both kids fit, and it folds up easily, but it is a work out loaded with 60 pounds. Easy on the city streets, but you’ll need help if you get to a curb.

5. The brake sometimes sticks or catches a little.
6. I’m not sold the wheels aren’t going to fall apart within a year – I know it’s been a month, but heavy use makes me anxious as can be. I kinda think my one wheel is beginning to roll funny.
7. Finding the unlatch is not intuitive. When collapsed, I ALWAYS struggle to unlatch and open it. I just can’t find it. That said, when travelling, it was always open waiting for us at the gate. If the gate check people can figure it out, I’m sure I can.
   
8. Outward Fold – I don’t really like when strollers don’t fold inwards. This stroller collapses back on itself putting the seat material to the outside world. Not my favourite style because the stroller can get wet and mucky that way. It is nice because the crumbs always shake out.
   

Would I recommend it?

Mostly. This stroller is super easy to push with just one kid in it, and totally manageable with two kids. We’ve taken it the water park and we’ve now flown across the country with it. It’s tackled Museums and Forts, trails and playgrounds, cobblestone and sidewalk, and it’s still in one piece.

It’s easy to tote and push around when empty and holds all of my stuff really great. We have zero regrets because it is the perfect travel stroller for two toddlers. It checks off everything we need, and we can adjust our stride.

The perfect double travel stroller for two kids would be one I could take apart and use separately. That’s probably where I should have considered the ZOE Tandem Stroller but I wasn’t comfortable with an inline push like that. Usually, I only have one kid in the stroller and need a backup seat for when the big kid gets tired (which is almost all the time). 

If you’re thinking of a ZOE Stroller and have any other questions give me a shout, I’ll try my best to answer them.

We’ve had our stroller for a month of heavy use now, and it’s still holding up great. It survived a gate check at the airport, but it didn’t survive getting the sun visor part of the shades being bent in the back of my van the first week home.

ZOE Strollers are purchased directly from ZOE. It’s one way they keep costs down.