Travel Essentials: The New UPPAbaby MINU Stroller

There are many skills you’ll master as a parent, quite possibly the most impressive: using one arm to do virtually everything. I had no idea what I was capable of achieving with only one limb until the other was fully hijacked by Little L. So when I heard UPPAbaby came out with a new stroller called MINU that has a genius one-handed, one-step folding mechanism, I had to get my hands (or should I say hand?) on it right away. And that I did. In fact, I was one of the first people in the country to test drive the beautiful travel stroller back in the spring and I quickly fell in love…

First, let me share a little story about how much love is out there for this brand. As soon as I rolled out of my house with the new UPPAbaby MINU I was approached by eager moms and dads who were dying to know where I got it (it wasn’t in stores yet at the time) and what I thought about it. Dozens of parent-to-parent chats at the park and the airport (where most parents were blown away by how quickly we closed up our stroller at the gate) and I knew the new MINU was going to quickly become a travel essential…

Why The UPPAbaby MINU Is A Travel Essential

1. The Folding Mechanism Is Brilliant – With one hand and one, easy motion you’ll be able to fold up this stroller: just squeeze the lock on the handle to move it over and push forward and down. The MINU essentially folds in half and then half again so it’s really compact.

2. It’s Lightweight – The UPPAbaby MINU is only 14.8 pounds which means you’ll be able to haul it around everywhere. This is super helpful in Europe/other destinations that have a gazillion stairs (like Santorini) where you’ll need to carry your stroller. Folded dimensions: 20.5 inches wide by 11.5 inches in length.

3. It’s Easy To Carry – Speaking of carrying your stroller, the carrying handle, shoulder strap and covering bag make this travel stroller incredibly easy to haul around.

4. The Functional Details – Like the UPPAbaby Vista (which is THE best investment you can ever make), this MINU is designed with functionality in mind. My fave features: the extendable UPF 50+ sunshade, simple brake system, full-grain leather handlebar, storage pocket in the back, multi-position recline seat and the mesh peek-a-boo window so you can check in on your LO…

5. A Roomy Seat – The MINU is designed to grow with your LO and can hold kids up to 50 lbs (and as young as three months since it reclines). The seat is 13.2 inches wide, seat back is 18 inches tall and there is 23 inches of clearance from the bottom of the seat to the top of the canopy so 4/5 year olds will fit comfortably. Note: although UPPAbaby says you can use this stroller as young as 3 months since the seat reclines, we found it best after one year for Little L.

6. Large Basket – This is a HUGE selling feature for me — especially for travel. With all the food, toys, diapers etc. we need to bring with us on our adventures, we were thrilled to find out the basket can hold up to 20 lbs!! Bonus: it’s also really easy to access…

7. A Smooth Ride – While you will feel more bumps when compared to the UPPAbaby VISTA, the shock-absorbing, all-wheel suspension on the MINU is amazing! We’ve tested the stroller out on all kinds of terrain and are really happy with how smooth the ride is for Little L…

So, is the new UPPAbaby MINU worth the $559.99 – 589.99 CAD price tag? In my opinion: YES , especially if you travel a lot (near and far) like we do. UPPAbaby makes great quality products and have incredible customer service so the MINU will likely last you a solid few years  — if not more. But it’s really the convenience you’re paying for here — the lightweight, easy-to-fold travel stroller is priceless in my books. I’m just patiently (or not-so-patiently) waiting for them to release the MESA car seat adapter and snack tray for our MINU and then we’re all set!

I received the UPPAbaby MINU for review purposes. As always, all opinions are my own. I love that this company was founded by a husband & wife team back in 2006 and would recommend all their products to all the mamas and papas out there!